Rainbow Tales

Christopher A. Schmitt (he/they) is associate professor of Anthropology, Biology, and Women’s Gender & Sexuality Studies at Boston University, where he is also co-director of the Sensory Morphology and Anthropological Genetics Lab. His research focuses on using genetics methods to better understand primate adaptations to environmental extremes, and has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the Leakey Foundation, and the National Geographic Society. He is a recent recipient of the BU Undergraduate Academic Advising Award and CAS’ Susan K. Jackson Award for Excellence in Service to the College for his efforts at queer community-building in STEM fields, and a recent president of the American Association for Anthropological Genetics.

Adrianna’s divine mission is to create spaces where people and their communities can come together in authentic and unifying ways that promote healing by deepening our connection to ourselves and each other. Adrianna is interested in the role that cultural awareness and responsiveness can play in human well-being.

As director of Racial Equity, Social Justice, and Community Engagement at Fenway Health, Adrianna is responsible for leading and managing initiatives that address racial disparities and promote inclusivity, equity, and justice. She collaborates with internal and external partners to develop and implement programs, policies, and practices that foster a culture of diversity and equity. She is also responsible for engaging with community members, organizations, and leaders to build partnerships and drive positive change.

Adrianna is the president of Boston Pride for the People whose mission is to amplify the beauty, rich diversity, unique culture, and intersectionality of the LGBTQ+ community through empowerment, education, commemoration, and celebration. As president, Adrianna collaborates with other board and committee members to organize the annual pride parade and festival in Boston, and work to uplift the work happening across Boston in our LGBTQ+ communities lead by other LGBTQ+ individuals, groups, and organizations in Boston. 

Adrianna is an adjunct professor at Northeastern University teaching the course Race and Health in The United States.

Robbie Goldstein, MD, PhD, was appointed commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) by Governor Maura Healey in April 2023. A physician specializing in infectious diseases, Dr. Goldstein oversees a workforce of more than 3,200 individuals committed to health equity and dedicated to promoting the health and well-being of people across the state, preventing illness and injury, and maintaining strong and vibrant communities. This work is carried out through a network of bureaus and offices responsible for priorities that include maternal and child health, nutrition, infectious diseases, injury prevention, climate and environmental health, substance use disorders, emergency preparedness and response, and problem gambling. In addition, DPH licenses health professionals and health care facilities, and operates the state public health laboratory and four public health hospitals.

Dr. Goldstein previously served as senior policy advisor at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where he focused on public health emergency response, infectious diseases, and strategic policy initiatives. Prior to his work at CDC, he founded and was medical director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Transgender Health Program, a clinical resource offering a safe and affirming environment for the transgender and nonbinary community. His clinical interest involved caring for those living with and at risk for HIV, an experience that continues to drive his passion to identify and eliminate barriers to equitable access to care. Dr. Goldstein is a graduate of Tufts University, where he also earned his MD and PhD.

Through scholarship and entrepreneurship, Ivan Hsiao, MPH (he/she/they) is resolving health inequities faced by the transgender population.

At the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Ivan teaches an advanced seminar on transgender health in the Women, Gender and Health concentration, and conducts research on the mental health of transgender and nonbinary youth and the use of sex and gender in clinical algorithms.

Ivan is also the Founder of the award-winning organization Trans Health HQ, a one-stop shop for health care teams that centralizes resources around gender-affirming care and facilitates access to the dignified and affirming health care their community deserves. Trans Health HQ is developing the largest resource hub of information on trans care for clinicians and patients and nurturing an international, cross-sector collective of cross-sector leaders advancing the field of transgender health, with the end goal of creating an online platform connecting trans patients with affirming providers.

Prior to founding Trans Health HQ, Ivan was a life sciences and healthcare strategy management consultant. They were also the Global Head of DEI at their firm, and an Entrepreneur-in-Residence building a venture capital-backed diagnostic tool.

Ivan received their BA from Columbia University, and MPH from Harvard University.

Outside of work, Ivan is a distance triathlete who most recently represented Taiwan at the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Nice, France, and a food and lifestyle photographer, and a Le Cordon Bleu Paris graduate in Pastry and Cuisine.

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