{{Short description|American psychiatrist, writer and commentator}} {{Infobox person |name = Jack Turban |image = |birth_date = |birth_place = Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |death_date = |death_place = |education = Harvard University (BA)<br>Yale University (MD, MHS) |occupation = Psychiatrist, writer, and researcher |employer = University of California San Francisco |known_for = LGBTQ mental health research }} '''Jack Turban''' is an American psychiatrist, author, and commentator who researches the mental health of transgender youth.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out-pride30/pride30-physician-jack-turban-dedicated-trans-kids-health-n763171 |title=#Pride30: Physician Jack Turban is dedicated to trans kids' health |last=Brammer |first=John Paul |date=June 14, 2017 |website=NBC News |language=en |access-date=December 2, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bustle.com/p/how-young-doctors-are-de-bunking-transphobia-in-medicine-65259 |title=How Young Doctors Are De-Bunking Transphobia In Medicine |last=Isaac |first=Bronwyn |date= June 26, 2017|website=Bustle |language=en |access-date=December 2, 2019}}</ref> His writing has appeared in ''The New York Times'',<ref>{{Cite news|last=Turban|first=Jack|date=April 8, 2017|title=Opinion {{!}} Hannah Is a Girl. Doctors Finally Treat Her Like One.|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/08/opinion/sunday/hannah-is-a-girl-doctors-finally-treat-her-like-one.html|access-date=February 22, 2022|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Turban|first=Jack|date=February 6, 2020|title=Opinion {{!}} What South Dakota Doesn't Get About Transgender Children|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/06/opinion/transgender-children-medical-bills.html|access-date=February 22, 2022|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Turban|first=Jack|date=June 13, 2018|title=Opinion {{!}} The Digital Sex Lives of Young Gay Teenagers|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/13/opinion/grindr-gay-teenagers-sex-apps.html|access-date=February 22, 2022|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Turban |first=Jack |date=2024-07-08 |title=Opinion {{!}} I'm a Psychiatrist. Here's How I Talk to Transgender Youth and Their Families About Gender Identity. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/08/opinion/gender-identity-communication.html |access-date=2025-02-18 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> ''The Washington Post'',<ref>{{Cite news |last=Turban |first=Jack |title=Opinion {{!}} How I am prioritizing my psychiatry patients amid a pandemic |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/03/30/how-i-am-prioritizing-my-psychiatry-patients-amid-pandemic/ |access-date=February 22, 2022 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Turban |first=Jack |title=Opinion {{!}} Texas officials are spreading blatant falsehoods about medical care for transgender kids |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/03/01/texas-ken-paxton-greg-abbott-misinformation-transgender-medical-care/ |access-date=March 23, 2022 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> ''The Los Angeles Times'',<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Martin |first1=Wednesday |last2=Turban |first2=Jack |date=2020-05-28 |title=The best advice for the three most common coronavirus relationship issues |url=https://www.latimes.com/lifestyle/story/2020-05-28/best-advice-coronavirus-relationship-issues |access-date=2024-06-21 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> ''CNN'',<ref>{{Cite web |last=Turban |first=Jack |date=2023-04-24 |title=Opinion: What the anti-trans movement is all about |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/24/opinions/anti-trans-rhetoric-strategy-turban/index.html |access-date=2024-06-21 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Turban |first=Jack |date=2021-04-02 |title=Doctor: Arkansas anti-LGBTQ law is completely unethical |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/02/opinions/arkansas-anti-transgender-law-medical-ethics-turban/index.html |access-date=2024-06-21 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gill-Peterson |first=Jack Turban, Jules |date=2021-06-24 |title=Opinion: Attacks on trans people are also attacks on science itself |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/24/opinions/attacking-transgender-people-is-attacking-science-turban-gill-peterson/index.html |access-date=2024-06-21 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref> ''Scientific American'',<ref>{{Cite web |last=Turban |first=Jack |date=2021-05-01 |title=Trans Girls Belong on Girls' Sports Teams |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/trans-girls-belong-on-girls-sports-teams/ |access-date=2024-06-21 |website=Scientific American |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Turban |first=Jack |date=2021-01-01 |title=The Disturbing History of Research into Transgender Identity |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-disturbing-history-of-research-into-transgender-identity/ |access-date=2024-06-21 |website=Scientific American |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Turban |first=Jack |title=Politicians Don't Get to Use 'Science' to Oppose the Equality Act |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/politicians-dont-get-to-use-science-to-oppose-the-equality-act/ |access-date=2024-06-21 |website=Scientific American |language=en}}</ref> and ''Vox''.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Turban|first=Jack|date=April 15, 2020|title="I want to donate plasma for an experimental Covid-19 treatment. Because of homophobia, I can't."|url=https://www.vox.com/2020/4/15/21222191/coronavirus-convalescent-plasma-donation-red-cross-homophobia|access-date=February 22, 2022|website=Vox|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web|last=Turban|first=Jack|date=October 22, 2018|title=It's okay to let your transgender kid transition — even if they might change their mind in the future|url=https://www.vox.com/2018/10/22/18009020/transgender-children-teens-transition-detransition-puberty-blocking-medication|access-date=February 22, 2022|website=Vox|language=en}}</ref> He is an assistant professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at The University of California San Francisco and affiliate faculty in health policy at The Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Jack Turban MD MHS Profile |url=https://profiles.ucsf.edu/jack.turban |website=University of California San Francisco}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=Jack Turban MD MHS {{!}} Psychology Today |url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/contributors/jack-turban-md-mhs |access-date=2022-10-04 |website=www.psychologytoday.com |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Early life and education == Turban was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.<ref name=":0" /> Fearful of violence from his father, he did not come out as gay until he attended college.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last=Turban|first=Jack L.|date=October 3, 2019|title=Medical Training in the Closet|url=https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMp1905829|journal=New England Journal of Medicine|volume=381|issue=14|pages=1305–1307|doi=10.1056/NEJMp1905829|issn=0028-4793|pmc=7935459|pmid=31577873}}</ref> He later wrote in The New England Journal of Medicine about his early experiences of childhood homophobia and how they influenced his experience of medical education.<ref name=":1" /> Turban attended Harvard College where he studied neuroscience, then earned his medical and master of health science degrees from Yale School of Medicine. He completed psychiatry residency at McLean Hospital (Harvard Medical School) in 2020 and child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at Stanford University School of Medicine in 2022.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":3" />
== Career == Turban is an assistant professor of child and adolescent psychiatry and health policy at the University of California, San Francisco.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" /> He has published studies showing that gender identity conversion therapies (attempts to make transgender people cisgender) are widespread in the US<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/nearly-200-000-trans-people-have-been-exposed-conversion-therapy-n1042891 |title=Nearly 200,000 trans people have been exposed to conversion therapy, study says |last=Aviles |first=Gwen |date= August 15, 2019|website=NBC News |language=en |access-date=December 2, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.trust.org/item/20190906084639-ak920/ |title=Transgender people in U.S. still face conversion therapy attempts |last=Crist |first=Carolyn |date= |newspaper=News.trust.org |access-date=December 2, 2019}}</ref> and associated with suicide attempts.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2019/09/11/conversion-therapy-associated-with-severe-psychological-distress-transgender-people-study-says/ |title=Conversion therapy associated with severe psychological distress in transgender people, study says |last=Bever |first=Lindsey |date= |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.newsweek.com/gender-identity-conversion-therapy-suicide-transgender-discrimination-hate-1458488 |title=Transgender conversion therapy linked to suicide attempts, with practice "rooted solely in discrimination and hate" |last=Gander |first=Kashmira |date=September 11, 2019 |website=Newsweek |language=en |access-date=December 2, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.science.org/content/article/new-study-reveals-risks-transgender-conversion-therapy |title=New study reveals risks of transgender 'conversion therapy' |last=Wadman |first=Meredith |date=September 12, 2019 |website=Science Magazine |language=en |access-date=December 2, 2019}}</ref> His research has shown that access to gender-affirming medical care (puberty blockers and gender-affirming hormones) during adolescence is linked to better mental health outcomes in adulthood.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ramirez|first=Marc|title=Transgender children who get hormone therapy enjoy better mental health, study says|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2022/01/15/transgender-hormone-therapy-early-start-helps-mental-health-kids/9174802002/|access-date=February 22, 2022|website=USA TODAY|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Early access to gender-affirming hormones linked to better mental health, study finds|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-health-and-wellness/early-access-gender-affirming-hormones-linked-better-mental-health-stu-rcna11839|access-date=February 22, 2022|website=NBC News|date=January 13, 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Puberty blockers linked to lower suicide risk for transgender people|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/puberty-blockers-linked-lower-suicide-risk-transgender-people-n1122101|access-date=February 22, 2022|website=NBC News|date=January 24, 2020 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last1=G|first1=Kashmira|last2=er|date=January 23, 2020|title=Transgender people who have access to puberty blockers are less likely to have suicidal thoughts, study finds|url=https://www.newsweek.com/transgender-puberty-blockers-suicidal-thoughts-study-1483655|access-date=February 22, 2022|website=Newsweek|language=en}}</ref> He has also been one of the few researchers to publish on the topic of gender de-transition,<ref>{{Cite news|last=Bokat-Lindell|first=Spencer|date=April 8, 2021|title=Opinion {{!}} How Trans Children Became a Political Football|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/08/opinion/transgender-children-sports-medical.html|access-date=October 26, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Knox|first=Liam|title=Media's 'detransition' narrative is fueling misconceptions, trans advocates say|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/media-s-detransition-narrative-fueling-misconceptions-trans-advocates-say-n1102686|access-date=October 26, 2021|website=NBC News|date=December 19, 2019 |language=en}}</ref> including in the academic literature.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Turban|first1=Jack L.|last2=Loo|first2=Stephanie S.|last3=Almazan|first3=Anthony N.|last4=Keuroghlian|first4=Alex S.|date=May 2021|title=Factors Leading to "Detransition" Among Transgender and Gender Diverse People in the United States: A Mixed-Methods Analysis|journal=LGBT Health|volume=8|issue=4|pages=273–280|doi=10.1089/lgbt.2020.0437|issn=2325-8306|pmc=8213007|pmid=33794108}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Turban|first1=Jack L.|last2=Keuroghlian|first2=Alex S.|date=July 2018|title=Dynamic Gender Presentations: Understanding Transition and "De-Transition" Among Transgender Youth|journal=Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry|volume=57|issue=7|pages=451–453|doi=10.1016/j.jaac.2018.03.016|issn=1527-5418|pmid=29960687|s2cid=49645550}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Turban|first1=Jack L.|last2=Carswell|first2=Jeremi|last3=Keuroghlian|first3=Alex S.|date=October 1, 2018|title=Understanding Pediatric Patients Who Discontinue Gender-Affirming Hormonal Interventions|journal=JAMA Pediatrics|volume=172|issue=10|pages=903–904|doi=10.1001/jamapediatrics.2018.1817|issn=2168-6211|pmid=30178056|s2cid=52147320}}</ref>
Turban has been critical of ''Wall Street Journal'' writer Abigail Shrier's book ''Irreversible Damage,'' which alleges that a recent surge in adolescents becoming transgender is taking place, supposedly due to social contagion. He claimed that the book misinterpreted and omitted important scientific evidence about young people and gender identity.<ref>{{Cite web|title=New Book "Irreversible Damage" Is Full of Misinformation {{!}} Psychology Today|url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/political-minds/202012/new-book-irreversible-damage-is-full-misinformation|access-date=October 26, 2021|website=www.psychologytoday.com|language=en}}</ref> He subsequently co-authored a study arguing that gender dysphoria in children was not caused by social contagion.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Yurcaba |first=Jo |date=2022-08-13 |title=Gender Dysphoria in Transgender Kids Is Not Caused by 'Social Contagion,' Study Finds |url=https://people.com/health/gender-dysphoria-transgender-kids-not-caused-social-contagion-study-finds/ |access-date=2022-08-18 |website=Peoplemag |language=en}}</ref>
Turban has been critical of the geosocial networking application Grindr, and argued in ''Vox'' that the app may have detrimental effects on the mental health of gay men.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.queerty.com/grindr-leaves-men-feeling-depressed-dead-inside-research-finds-20180407 |title=Grindr leaves men feeling depressed and dead inside, research finds |last=Gremore |first=Graham |date=April 7, 2018 |website=Queerty |access-date=December 2, 2019}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=We need to talk about how Grindr is affecting gay men's mental health|url=https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/4/4/17177058/grindr-gay-men-mental-health-psychiatrist|access-date=February 18, 2022|website=www.vox.com|date=April 4, 2018 |language=en}}</ref> He has complained that Grindr does not do enough to keep minors off of their platform, and that this may pose sexual risk to young people.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wbur.org/news/2019/02/26/lgbtq-youth-dating-apps-lawrence-arrest |title=Psychiatrist: LGBTQ Youth Vulnerable, Not Protected From Access To Dating Sites Like Grindr |last=Becker |first=Deborah |date= February 26, 2019|website=WBUR (NPR) |language=en |access-date=December 2, 2019}}</ref> His opinion piece for ''The New York Times'' about minors on Grindr was one of several LGBT articles that were conspicuously censored with large white boxes in ''The New York Times'' print edition in Qatar.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/01/insider/censorship-qatar-newspapers.html |title=My Article Was Censored. I Found Out Why. |last=Sims |first=Shannon |date=August 1, 2018 |work=The New York Times |access-date=December 2, 2019 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
Turban resigned from the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of sports following the NCAA's decision to prohibit transgender women from competing in women's sports leagues, noting that the organization did not consult its medical or scientific experts prior to issuing the decision, which was viewed as a political reaction to the Trump administration.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Habeshian |first=Sareen |date=2025-02-06 |title=NCAA changes transgender women in sports policy to follow Trump's order |url=https://www.axios.com/2025/02/06/ncaa-womens-sports-transgender-trump-order |access-date=2025-02-18 |website=Axios |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=writer {{!}} |first=Greg Wong {{!}} Examiner staff |date=2025-02-11 |title=UCSF doctor resigns from NCAA board after trans ban |url=https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/politics/ucsf-doctor-resigns-from-ncaa-board-after-trans-athlete-ban/article_92dc7fc6-e8d4-11ef-bd9a-7bdc0bf4b56f.html |access-date=2025-02-18 |website=San Francisco Examiner |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Villarreal |first=Daniel |date=2025-02-07 |title=NCAA bans trans women from sports without even consulting its own doctors |url=https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2025/02/ncaa-bans-trans-women-from-sports-without-even-consulting-its-own-doctors/ |access-date=2025-02-18 |website=LGBTQ Nation |language=en}}</ref>
== References == {{reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Turban, Jack L.}} Category:Transgender health care Category:LGBTQ and suicide Category:Gay academics Category:American psychology writers Category:Harvard University alumni Category:Yale School of Medicine alumni Category:Harvard Medical School staff Category:Gender identity Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people Category:LGBTQ medical doctors Category:21st-century American medical doctors Category:American gender studies academics Category:Transgender studies academics