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The OutCare Team

  • Everyone
  • Board of Directors
  • Chapter Directors
  • The Team
  • Dustin Nowaskie, MD
    Founder & President
    he/him/they/them
    Indiana
    Dustin Nowaskie, MD
    Founder & President
    • he/him/they/them

    Dr. Dustin Nowaskie is psychiatry resident at Indiana University School of Medicine. Dr. Nowaskie has had significant interest in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) healthcare since founding the national nonprofit LGBTQ organization OutCare Health in May 2015. He conducts academic research in general LGBTQ and transgender-specific healthcare. Specific studies include evaluating LGBTQ cultural competency among healthcare providers, residents, and students; Internet platforms in promoting LGBTQ cultural competency; patient satisfaction with multidisciplinary transgender care; and eating disorders psychopathology in the transgender population. Dr. Nowaskie's work has led to various accolades, academic conference presentations across the country, and academic publications. His long-term goal is to transform this work into a vehicle of social and public health change for the LGBTQ community.

  • Bethany Jones, LMSW
    Vice President & Board Member
    she/her/they/them
    Knoxville, Tennessee
    Bethany Jones, LMSW
    Vice President & Board Member
    • she/her/they/them

    Bethany B. Jones is a Licensed Master Social Worker in the state of Tennessee. Born and raised in Knoxville, TN, Bethany has served in the field of Social Work for over 9 years in a variety of areas including: community mental health, foster care, hospice/home care, and is currently employed as a Clinical Therapist with Psychotherapy & Forensic Services, LLC-a practice that specializes in serving individuals within the LGBTQIA+ community. Bethany received her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and following graduation, immediately attended graduate school at THE Ohio State University where she obtained her Master’s degree in Social Work. Bethany serves as a mentor to two separate community programs that aim to guide and support upcoming Social Workers within her community. Bethany is also affiliated with several community organizations that include: Coalition of Black Social Workers, National Association of Black Social Workers, TN Association of Healthcare Social Workers, Alpha Chi Epsilon Sigma Social Work Sorority, and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. Bethany is a certified OUTcare Health provider, Immigration Court Hearing Assessor, and an Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) trauma therapist. Bethany is currently working on completion of clinical licensure and continues to make strides within the field of Social Work to improve the lives of her clients and others that she serves.

  • Christopher Roman
    Executive Director
    he/him/his
    Indiana
    Christopher Roman
    Executive Director
    • he/him/his

    Originally from Philadelphia, Chris is a Wabash College graduate with a degree in Political Science and minors in Rhetoric and Spanish. Since 2016, his passion for politics and government has led him to work and volunteer with numerous campaigns and statewide constituency caucuses focusing on grassroots and digital organizing. Chris has worked to bridge the gap in healthcare for the LGBTQ+ community as the Executive Director of OutCare Health, has mobilized and energized young voters as Executive Director of Indiana Young Democrats, and has helped increase LGBTQ+ representation in Indiana as Vice President of Indiana Stonewall Democrats. He is also an at-large Rep. for the Latino Democratic Caucus and a former Communications Analyst at Kiwanis International. Chris now works at Optum as Director of Marketing Analytics & Engagement. He is eager to continue pushing forth candidates and policies that move Indiana and the country forward.

     
  • Peggy Johnson
    Treasurer & Board Member
    she/her/hers
    Indiana
    Peggy Johnson
    Treasurer & Board Member
    • she/her/hers

    I am passionate about working on being the best version of myself I can be. I care deeply about people and our planet and feel best when I know my work is helping others. My amazing husband, 6 kids and soon to be 3 grandkids along with our amazing pets rock my world – I have so many reasons to be grateful. Some of my favorite things to do are write, travel, and read real history (NOT that whitewashed version we were taught in school). I want everyone to feel empowered and confident to live their lives genuinely - being free to be who they are.

  • Katherine (Katie) McHugh, MD
    Secretary & Board Member
    she/her/hers
    Indianapolis, Indiana
    Katherine (Katie) McHugh, MD
    Secretary & Board Member
    • she/her/hers

    I am an OB/GYN in Indiana with a focus on chronic pelvic pain, comprehensive reproductive healthcare, including abortion, and trauma-informed health care. My partner and I spend our time with my two teenagers and our two aging dogs, and, as such, try to travel as much as possible. As a family, we play board games to the death (of dignity), walk our historic neighborhood, and try to be good people.

  • Michelle Forcier, MD, MPH
    Board Member
    she/her/hers
    Barrington, RI
    Michelle Forcier, MD, MPH
    Board Member
    • she/her/hers

    I am a primary care pediatrician who has had the privilege of serving the LGBTQ+ community for over 20 years. I work with persons of all ages in the areas of gender, sex, and reproductive justice. I believe in a patient-centered, consent-based, developmental model of health. I believe in listening carefully to the patient and helping them sort through the various options for care that best meet their individual goals. The ocean and the beach is my happy place, along with sitting in the garden with my friends.

  • Tori Gleason, DC, DACBSP
    Board Member
    she/her/hers
    Goodland, KS
    Tori Gleason, DC, DACBSP
    Board Member
    • she/her/hers

    I'm currently serving as a board member at Masonic Cancer Alliance (MCA) affiliated with the NCI-designated KU Cancer Center. As a transgender and queer person, I feel like representation in sex and gender minority research which is why I'm working with 3 teams currently. I have a passion for increasing access and reducing barriers in healthcare for marginalized populations. I value diversity, inclusion, social justice, anti-discrimination, and accessibility to support the areas of teaching, research, and practice. I'm a parent of a 14-year-old and 10-year-old living in a rural community of 4,000 people in western Kansas.

  • Liam C. Hein PhD, RN, FAAN
    Board Member
    he/him/his
    Columbia, SC
    Liam C. Hein PhD, RN, FAAN
    Board Member
    • he/him/his

    Dr. Liam C. Hein is an Associate Professor at the University of South Carolina, a nurse, a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing, and a Senior Atlantic Fellow for Health Equity at George Washington Univ./the Atlantic Institute in Oxford, England. His work focuses on improving LGBTQ health equity through advocacy and health policy. He is past chair of the Diversity and Inclusivity Committee of the American Academy of Nursing. He was pivotal in leading the Academy to expand its Diversity and Inclusion statement and policies. Dr. Hein serves on the Advisory Board of the Harriet Hancock LGBT Center in Columbia, SC.

  • Amy K. Jacobs, LMSW
    Board Member
    she/her/hers
    Michigan
    Amy K. Jacobs, LMSW
    Board Member
    • she/her/hers

    Amy Jacobs, LMSW is a Clinical Social Worker and therapist who works in the HIV/AIDS Treatment Program at the University of Michigan. She has been an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community for over 25 years and has worked in HIV specifically for almost 20 years. Amy has specific interest and experience in LGBTQ+ mental health, HIV, shared identities of providers and patients, consensual non-monogamy, BDSM/Kink, and erotic transference and countertransference.

  • Morissa Ladinsky, MD
    Board Member
    she/her/hers
    Birmingham, Alabama
    Morissa Ladinsky, MD
    Board Member
    • she/her/hers

    I’m a child of the ’70s, raised by social justice warrior parents in Madison, WI. I’m enjoying my best life as a pediatrician and medical educator in Birmingham, AL. I wear several clinical, educational, and advocacy hats. I created and co-led the Deep South’s only gender clinic for youth, and have discovered a passion for good trouble through policy engagement dealing with a Legislature who would see this care criminalized. When not training tomorrow’s pediatricians and helping the region’s kids attain better and more equitable health, my husband and I love hiking with our dogs, hanging with our 5 mostly grown kids and their progeny, road-tripping, and exploring this truly beautiful part of the US. I’m a poor rule follower when rules negate equity and progress and I still can’t abide cheesy grits. Beyond that, I’m super easygoing.

  • Anuj Patel
    Board Member & State Representative
    he/him/his
    Michigan
    Anuj Patel
    Board Member & State Representative
    • he/him/his

    Anuj is a fourth-year dual degree MD and clinical research masters student at the University of Michigan. He learned about OutCare while at Purdue University during his undergraduate education. He is passionate about LGBTQ health and since joining OutCare, he has been involved with a number of LGBTQ health education research studies and led many cultural competency trainings for healthcare providers. In addition to his involvement with OutCare, he participates in numerous other LGBTQ health-related endeavors including serving in leadership positions within LGBTQ-focused student organizations and spearheading the creation of the first LGBTQ health elective for the University of Michigan Medical School. Outside of work, he enjoys playing Indian classical music and gardening!

  • Anh Nguyen, MD, MBA
    Board Member
    he/him/his
    Chicago, IL
    Anh Nguyen, MD, MBA
    Board Member
    • he/him/his

    Chicago-based physician who is passionate about public policy and community health. In addition to the OutCare Board, Anh serves on the Board of Renaissance Social Services to help the homeless on Chicago's west side, and is volunteer senior medical staff at the National Institutes of Health. He is an avid endurance athlete and painter, loves karoake, and is a former Hill Staffer on the U.S. Senate HELP Committee.

  • Skyler E. Nimmons
    Board Member
    he/him/his
    Indianapolis, IN
    Skyler E. Nimmons
    Board Member
    • he/him/his

    Skyler believes the roots of success start with collaboration that not only builds synergy for good ideas but escalates individuals into powerful teams that transform understandings and achieve results. He is a multidisciplinary leader with experience spanning non-profits, faith-based organizations, public health, communities, brands, companies, government, and corporations. Skyler is the co-founder, partner, and chief executive officer of Leap + Pivot, a consultancy firm in creative and strategic communications to amplify the messages of changemakers who advance social good in the world. Nimmons also serves as the Communications Director for the Illinois Public Health Institue where he leads strategic communications for Data Across Sectors for Health (DASH), a national initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), to promote multi-sector data sharing to advance racial justice and health equity. In his work with DASH he also serves as the Communications Lead for All In Data for Community Health, a partnership of RWJF data sharing initiatives for collaborative learning to support organizations and communities in building this emerging field. In his spare time, he loves to travel, examining big ideas, spending time with friends and family, and being active through social life and fitness.

  • Jack Shepler
    Board Member
    he/him/his
    Indianapolis, Indiana
    Jack Shepler
    Board Member
    • he/him/his

    Jack Shepler is an online Marketing & Technology expert. He founded Ayokay, an award-winning marketing and web design firm in Indianapolis, Indiana that has built brands from the ground up, increased sales for e-commerce businesses, and helped public health and non-profit organizations achieve their missions since 2011. He uses his decades of experience to educate through the Ayokay blog. In 2021, he was named a Forbes Next 1000. Learn more on LinkedIn or at Ayokay.com

  • Edward Stern, MSN PMHNP-BC
    Board Member
    he/him/his
    Falls Church, VA (DC Metro)
    Edward Stern, MSN PMHNP-BC
    Board Member
    • he/him/his

    Ed is a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner and owner of Queer Ear Mental Health in the Washington DC area. He is a single cis queer pan man, who openly respects all people and invites them to contribute to his life and the people and organizations he values. Ed started in healthcare over 30 years ago, but his first life goal was to be a chef and photographer. Strangely his alter ego (Chef LeStern) on Instagram has its own ironic following where people follow the photos of the meals he serves.

  • Jennifer Frandsen, DNP, FNP-C
    State Representative
    she/her/hers
    Iowa
    Jennifer Frandsen, DNP, FNP-C
    State Representative
    • She/her/her
    • she/her/hers

    As someone born and raised in Eastern Iowa, I am passionate about the health and well being of my lifelong community, and our LGBTQ+ Community is no exception. I hope to bring compassionate, well-informed, inclusive primary care to anyone in the area that needs it, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation. I also help to increase my own knowledge and the knowledge providers in the area so that we are better equipped to serve this diverse community!

  • Austin Uebelhor
    Research Coordinator
    he/him/his
    Indiana
    Austin Uebelhor
    Research Coordinator
    • he/him/his
  • Jessica Perrella M.Ed, LCSW
    State Representative
    she/her/hers
    New Jersey
    Jessica Perrella M.Ed, LCSW
    State Representative
    • she/her/hers

    I am a licensed clinical social worker in private practice in NJ, with an additional license in PA. I completed a dual-degree Master of Social Work and Master of Human Sexuality Education from Widener University in 2014. I chose this program because it brought together two of my greatest passions: human behavior and sexuality. It was not until I was completing my own graduate work that I acknowledged and came out as bisexual. I work with LGBTQIA+, kink, poly & sex work communities with the goal of fostering an accepting, safe environment needed for growth. Through my lived experience and career, I’ve seen the importance of finding ways to connect people with resources that are desperately needed. This is one reason I decided to join OutCare both as a provider and volunteer. I hope that our work together can create a firm foundation for changes in the way LGBTQIA+ folks access quality, compassionate care.

  • Katherine L Bridges, M.S., LPC, CRC
    Co-State Representative
    she/her/hers
    North Carolina
    Katherine L Bridges, M.S., LPC, CRC
    Co-State Representative
    • she/her/hers
  • Charley Cummings, PA-C
    State Representative
    she/her/hers
    North Carolina
    Charley Cummings, PA-C
    State Representative
    • she/her/hers
  • Kevin Dorman, MS, CCC-SLP
    State Representative
    they/them/theirs
    North Carolina
    Kevin Dorman, MS, CCC-SLP
    State Representative
    • they/them/theirs
  • AJ Eckert, DO
    State Representative
    they/them/theirs
    Connecticut
    AJ Eckert, DO
    State Representative
    • they/them/theirs
  • Ryan Fang
    State Representative
    he/him/his
    Washington
    Ryan Fang
    State Representative
    • he/him/his
  • Michael Galarraga, LPC, ATR-BC, CSAC, CSOTP, EMDR Certified
    State Representative
    he/him/his
    Pennsylvania
    Michael Galarraga, LPC, ATR-BC, CSAC, CSOTP, EMDR Certified
    State Representative
    • he/him/his

    Michael Galarraga (he/him) is a bilingual Spanish-speaker, Licensed Professional Counselor, Board Certified Registered Art Therapist, Certified Substance Abuse Counselor, Certified Sex Offender Treatment Provider, and Certified EMDR therapist. Since 2012, he has been a mental health provider and advocate previously residing in Central NY, VA, GA, and now the Philadelphia area. He has worked in various mental health settings serving diverse populations through residential treatment, acute inpatient care, alternative and regular education, in-home and community-based counseling, group private practice, and non-profit community programs.

    Michael is currently a private practice provider in Philadelphia primarily serving members of the LGBTQIA+ Communities of Color. As a member of this often-marginalized community, he provides a safe and inclusive therapeutic space. Michael uses a blend of art therapy, EMDR, and traditional verbal counseling skills to support individuals’ mental healthcare. Through his approaches and offerings, he has learned to blend empathy, support, equality, equity, humor, and validation for those processing through unique life events.

    Michael is a Bronx, NY native who enjoys spending downtime with his husband and two dogs, Lantern and Ariel, cooking, photography, and going on hikes. He also enjoys creating and celebrating his strengths through his own artmaking.

  • Sara Garcia-Dehbozorgi
    Community Outreach
    she/her/hers
    Indiana
    Sara Garcia-Dehbozorgi
    Community Outreach
    • she/her/hers
  • Abby Hadley
    Community Outreach
    she/her/hers
    Indiana
    Abby Hadley
    Community Outreach
    • she/her/hers
  • Caleb Hocutt, MD
    State Representative
    he/him/his
    Minnesota
    Caleb Hocutt, MD
    State Representative
    • he/him/his
  • Cyrus Montes De Oca
    State Representative
    he/him/his
    California
    Cyrus Montes De Oca
    State Representative
    • he/him/his
  • Sarah E. Mulder, PsyD
    State Representative
    she/her/hers
    Alabama
    Sarah E. Mulder, PsyD
    State Representative
    • she/her/hers
  • Lisa Ohman-Gault
    Community Outreach
    she/her/hers
    Kentucky
    Lisa Ohman-Gault
    Community Outreach
    • she/her/hers
  • Rachel Percelay
    Co-State Representative
    she/her/hers
    California
    Rachel Percelay
    Co-State Representative
    • she/her/hers
  • Jared Riley, BSN, RN
    Community Outreach
    he/him/his
    Indiana
    Jared Riley, BSN, RN
    Community Outreach
    • he/him/his
  • Benjamin Silverberg
    State Representative
    he/him/his
    West Virginia
    Benjamin Silverberg
    State Representative
    • he/him/his
  • Mary Spiker
    State Representative
    she/her/hers
    Kentucky
    Mary Spiker
    State Representative
    • she/her/hers
  • John Sowinski, MD
    Community Outreach
    he/him/his
    New York
    John Sowinski, MD
    Community Outreach
    • he/him/his
  • Sarah Kendall Gault
    Community Outreach
    she/her/hers
    Kentucky
    Sarah Kendall Gault
    Community Outreach
    • she/her/hers
  • Darrell K Mchenry
    State Representative
    he/him/his
    Florida
    Darrell K Mchenry
    State Representative
    • digitaldesignsDM@outlook.com
    • he/him/his

    Darrell Mchenry, South Florida native with extensive background in healthcare industry with such organizations as Molina Healthcare, Emblem Health, and TRICARE; caught the attention of a California Health plan Organization. The decision to join the organization to provide strategic leadership, also required him to relocate to LA metropolitan area. In 2022, after mutually parting ways with his recent health organization, he now splits his time between Miami and LA and focusing on his passion of graphic and visual arts from a social media prospective. After discovering OutCare and I knew I wanted to use my platform to be apart of such a great organization. “ OutCare is such a Great resource and giant step in the right direction for my LGBTQi community.

    School / Degrees
    Bachelors in Healthcare Administration from Florida Atlantic University
    Masters of Healthcare policy from Florida Atlantic University
    MBA from Nova Southeastern University

Testimonials

“I have appreciated the opportunities to help make a positive impact nationwide, especially in the face of Covid, state-supported hate bills, and the oppressive 2016-2020 presidential administration. Being involved has afforded me more opportunities to be involved in meaningful ways. Being involved has helped me to feel like I’m acting as an agent of change in a way that is tangible: helping to bridge meaningful connections among our LGBTQ+ communities; and in making contributions toward educating our communities, and the general public, and the professionals involved/invested in our care re: best practices. Isolation for our LGBTQ+ community is a symptom of an epidemic that we have been coping with since the dawn of time. Reducing isolation through opportunities to forge meaningful and professional relationships is not only an act of prevention against the negative impacts of isolation (i.e. suicidality, substance dependence, mental health symptoms), it is an effective countermeasure. It is activism that works. I appreciate OutCare Health for these meaningful and impactful opportunities to help our LGBTQ+ community.”

Shannon Brown, LCSW
Board Member, Founder of Psychotherapy and Forensic Services, LLC & Appalachian OUTreach

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The material contained on this site is provided for informational purpose only. Nothing contained on this site and its related links may be construed as medical or healthcare advice. This site is not designed to promote or endorse any medical or healthcare practice, program or agenda or any medical tests, products, or procedures. OutCare does not screen providers and therefore cannot make any guarantees as to quality of care or LGBTQ+ resources. Before selecting a provider, you should ensure that the provider is a licensed healthcare professional and that they accept your medical insurance. The OutList is not an exhaustive list and may not contain providers or resources for every health issue. OutCare cannot guarantee the availability of a provider listed on this site. OutCare cannot contact providers on behalf of a patient; specific questions about health-related issues and care should be deferred to a specific healthcare provider.

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  • 2022 Gala
  • About
    • About OutCare
    • The Team
    • Partners
  • OutList
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    • Manage Your Listing
    • Login
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