Rebecca Allison
Encyclopedia
Rebecca Anne "Becky" Allison (born December 21, 1946) is an American
cardiologist and incoming President of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association
(GLMA). In 2008 she was elected Chair of the American Medical Association
Advisory Committee on Gay
, Lesbian
, Bisexual, and Transgender
Issues. Allison is known for her work advocating on behalf of transgender
people.
, to Errol Ward Atkison and Mabel Blackwell Atkison, Allison graduated magna cum laude from the University of Mississippi Medical Center
in 1971. After practicing primary care
/internal medicine
, in 1985 she returned to school to study cardiology, working in that field beginning in 1987. Allison transitioned in 1993 while living in Jackson, Mississippi
, but lost her practice within a year of transition. She then moved to Phoenix, Arizona
, for a position with CIGNA
and currently serves as their chief of cardiology. Phoenix Magazine named Allison one of the "Top Doctors" in Phoenix for 2006, 2007, and 2008.
, a brochure on facial feminization surgery
by Douglas Ousterhout
, criticism of the controversial 2003 book The Man Who Would Be Queen
by J. Michael Bailey
, and a section on spirituality. Allison's website is frequently cited in guidelines for LGBT
health care. In addition to the GLMA, she is Chair of the American Medical Association
Advisory Committee on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues, and assisted in passage of AMA Resolution 22, "Removing Financial Barriers to Care for Transgender Patients." Allison is also active in Soulforce
and organizes the Phoenix Transgender Day of Remembrance
annually with her partner Margaux Schaffer.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
cardiologist and incoming President of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association
Gay and Lesbian Medical Association
The Gay and Lesbian Medical Association works to ensure equality in health care for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals and health care professionals...
(GLMA). In 2008 she was elected Chair of the American Medical Association
American Medical Association
The American Medical Association , founded in 1847 and incorporated in 1897, is the largest association of medical doctors and medical students in the United States.-Scope and operations:...
Advisory Committee on Gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
, Lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
, Bisexual, and Transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
Issues. Allison is known for her work advocating on behalf of transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
people.
Career
Born in Greenwood, MississippiGreenwood, Mississippi
Greenwood is a city in and the county seat of Leflore County, Mississippi, United States, located at the eastern edge of the Mississippi Delta approximately 96 miles north of Jackson, Mississippi, and 130 miles south of Memphis, Tennessee. The population was 15,205 at the 2010 census. It is the...
, to Errol Ward Atkison and Mabel Blackwell Atkison, Allison graduated magna cum laude from the University of Mississippi Medical Center
University of Mississippi Medical Center
University of Mississippi Medical Center is the health sciences campus of the University of Mississippi and is located in Jackson, Mississippi...
in 1971. After practicing primary care
Primary care
Primary care is the term for the health services by providers who act as the principal point of consultation for patients within a health care system...
/internal medicine
Internal medicine
Internal medicine is the medical specialty dealing with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of adult diseases. Physicians specializing in internal medicine are called internists. They are especially skilled in the management of patients who have undifferentiated or multi-system disease processes...
, in 1985 she returned to school to study cardiology, working in that field beginning in 1987. Allison transitioned in 1993 while living in Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
, but lost her practice within a year of transition. She then moved to Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, for a position with CIGNA
CIGNA
Cigna , headquartered in Bloomfield, Connecticut, is a global health services company, owing to its expanding international footprint and the fact that it provides administrative services only to approximately 80 percent of its clients...
and currently serves as their chief of cardiology. Phoenix Magazine named Allison one of the "Top Doctors" in Phoenix for 2006, 2007, and 2008.
Activism
In 1998, Allison created drbecky.com, a resource site focusing on the medical, legal, and spiritual needs of transgender-people. The website includes a compilation of statutes for amending sex on a birth certificateBirth certificate
A birth certificate is a vital record that documents the birth of a child. The term "birth certificate" can refer to either the original document certifying the circumstances of the birth or to a certified copy of or representation of the ensuing registration of that birth...
, a brochure on facial feminization surgery
Facial feminization surgery
Facial feminization surgery is a set of reconstructive surgical procedures that alter typically male facial features to bring them closer in shape and size to typical female facial features...
by Douglas Ousterhout
Douglas Ousterhout
Douglas K. Ousterhout, MD, DDS, is a craniofacial surgeon with a practice in San Francisco, CA, USA. His specialty is facial feminization surgery for transsexual and transgender women, using a combination of procedures he developed in the 1990s...
, criticism of the controversial 2003 book The Man Who Would Be Queen
The Man Who Would Be Queen
The Man Who Would Be Queen: The Science of Gender-Bending and Transsexualism is a 2003 book by J. Michael Bailey, published by Joseph Henry Press....
by J. Michael Bailey
J. Michael Bailey
John Michael Bailey is an American psychologist and professor at Northwestern University. He is best known among scientists for his work on the etiology of sexual orientation, from which he concluded that homosexuality is substantially inherited...
, and a section on spirituality. Allison's website is frequently cited in guidelines for LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
health care. In addition to the GLMA, she is Chair of the American Medical Association
American Medical Association
The American Medical Association , founded in 1847 and incorporated in 1897, is the largest association of medical doctors and medical students in the United States.-Scope and operations:...
Advisory Committee on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues, and assisted in passage of AMA Resolution 22, "Removing Financial Barriers to Care for Transgender Patients." Allison is also active in Soulforce
Soulforce
Soulforce may refer to:* Soulforce is an American LGBT-issue-focused social justice and civil rights organization.* Soulforce Revolution is the 1989 release of the punk band 7 Seconds....
and organizes the Phoenix Transgender Day of Remembrance
Transgender Day of Remembrance
Transgender Day of Remembrance is a day to memorialize those who have been killed as a result of transphobia, or the hatred or fear of transgender and gender non-conforming people, and acts to bring attention to the continued violence endured by the transgender community.The Transgender Day of...
annually with her partner Margaux Schaffer.
Selected publications
- Allison RA (2007). Transsexualism. In Fink G (ed.) Encyclopedia of Stress (2nd Edition). Elsevier, ISBN 9780120885039
- Allison RA (2007). Transsexualism. In Pfaff D, Arnold A, Etgen A, Fahrbach S, Rubin R (eds.) Hormones, Brain, and Behavior (2nd Edition). Elsevier, ISBN 9780125321044
External links
- Becky Allison, M.D.
- Dr. Becky Allison: Local Action Hero via Human Rights CampaignHuman Rights CampaignThe Human Rights Campaign is the United States' largest LGBT advocacy group and lobbying organization; according to the HRC, it has more than one million members and supporters...
- GLBT Advisory Committee members via American Medical AssociationAmerican Medical AssociationThe American Medical Association , founded in 1847 and incorporated in 1897, is the largest association of medical doctors and medical students in the United States.-Scope and operations:...