Johanna L Olson-Kennedy, MD

Title(s)Professor of Clinical Pediatrics
SchoolKeck School of Medicine of Usc
Phone+1 323 361 2153
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    Johanna Olson, MD is a pediatrician in the Division of Adolescent Medicine at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Medical Director of the hospital’s Center for Transyouth Health and Development. She specializes in the care of transgender youth, gender variant children, youth with HIV, and chronic pain. Board certified in Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Dr. Olson is also an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. She has appeared on ABC's 20/20, The Dr. Phil Show, CNN, Dateline NBC and The Doctors to educate audiences about the needs of transgender youth.

    Research Interests:
    Johanna Olson, MD, Medical Director of the Center for Transyouth Health and Development at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, works closely with gender nonconforming children and adolescents to find ways to help them thrive. Gender-nonconforming youth are emerging at increasingly younger ages, and those experiencing gender dysphoria are seeking medical care at the onset of puberty, or sometimes even before. Youth with gender dysphoria are at high risk for depression, anxiety, isolation, self-harm, and suicidality at the onset of a puberty that feels wrong. Existing strategies for treating transgender youth depend on the developmental stage at which these youth present for care. For those transgender youth that present for care in the early stages of pubertal development, treatment is aimed at suppressing their endogenous puberty in order to avoid the development of undesired secondary sexual characteristics that intensify the distress associated with gender incongruence. For those youth in later stages of puberty, the goal of treatment is to use cross-sex hormones in order to induce the development of desired secondary sexual characteristics that bring the body into closer alignment with the youth's internal sense of gender.

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    The Impact of Early Medical Treatment in Transgender Youth
    NIH R01HD082554Aug 1, 2015 - Jan 31, 2026
    Role: Principal Investigator

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    Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Researchers can login to make corrections and additions, or contact us for help. to make corrections and additions.
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    Altmetrics Details PMC Citations indicate the number of times the publication was cited by articles in PubMed Central, and the Altmetric score represents citations in news articles and social media. (Note that publications are often cited in additional ways that are not shown here.) Fields are based on how the National Library of Medicine (NLM) classifies the publication's journal and might not represent the specific topic of the publication. Translation tags are based on the publication type and the MeSH terms NLM assigns to the publication. Some publications (especially newer ones and publications not in PubMed) might not yet be assigned Field or Translation tags.) Click a Field or Translation tag to filter the publications.
    1. Childhood Gender Diversity and Mental Health: Protocol for the Longitudinal, Observational Gender Journey Project. JMIR Res Protoc. 2024 Aug 09; 13:e55558. Hidalgo MA, Chen D, Tishelman AC, Olson-Kennedy J, Chan YM, Garofalo R, Petras H, Rosenthal SM, Ehrensaft D. PMID: 39121472; PMCID: PMC11344181.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: Translation:Humans
    2. Laboratory Changes During Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy in Transgender Adolescents. Pediatrics. 2024 May 01; 153(5). Millington K, Lee JY, Olson-Kennedy J, Garofalo R, Rosenthal SM, Chan YM. PMID: 38567424; PMCID: PMC11035161.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 2     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    3. Psychosocial Functioning in Transgender Youth after Hormones. Reply. N Engl J Med. 2023 Oct 19; 389(16):1538-1539. Chen D, Berona J, Olson-Kennedy J. PMID: 37851893.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
    4. Acute HIV Diagnosis After Initiation of Pre-exposure Prophylaxis in a Young Adult Patient: A Case Report. J Adolesc Health. 2024 01; 74(1):205-207. Warus J, Hidalgo MA, Belzer M, Olson-Kennedy J. PMID: 37690011; PMCID: PMC10843824.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:HumansPHPublic Health
    5. Mental Health and Gender Affirmation of Black and Latine Transgender/Nonbinary Youth Compared to White Peers Prior to Hormone Initiation. J Adolesc Health. 2023 11; 73(5):880-886. Vance SR, Chen D, Garofalo R, Glidden DV, Ehrensaft D, Hidalgo M, Tishelman A, Rosenthal SM, Chan YM, Olson-Kennedy J, Sevelius J. PMID: 37610390; PMCID: PMC10723039.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 2     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    6. Randomized-controlled trials are methodologically inappropriate in adolescent transgender healthcare. Int J Transgend Health. 2024; 25(3):407-418. Ashley F, Tordoff DM, Olson-Kennedy J, Restar AJ. PMID: 39055634; PMCID: PMC11268232.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 2  
    7. High Internalized Transphobia and Low Gender Identity Pride Are Associated With Depression Symptoms Among Transgender and Gender-Diverse Youth. J Adolesc Health. 2023 06; 72(6):877-884. Conn BM, Chen D, Olson-Kennedy J, Chan YM, Ehrensaft D, Garofalo R, Rosenthal SM, Tishelman A, Hidalgo MA. PMID: 37045610; PMCID: PMC10243649.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 5     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    8. Psychosocial Functioning in Transgender Youth after 2 Years of Hormones. N Engl J Med. 2023 01 19; 388(3):240-250. Chen D, Berona J, Chan YM, Ehrensaft D, Garofalo R, Hidalgo MA, Rosenthal SM, Tishelman AC, Olson-Kennedy J. PMID: 36652355; PMCID: PMC10081536.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 39     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    9. Understanding and Supporting Patients With Dynamic Desires for Gender-Affirming Medical Interventions. JAMA Netw Open. 2022 07 01; 5(7):e2224722. Turban JL, Brady C, Olson-Kennedy J. PMID: 35877127.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 3     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    10. When the Human Toll of Conversion Therapy Is Not Enough. JAMA Pediatr. 2022 05 01; 176(5):450-451. Olson-Kennedy J. PMID: 35254396.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
    11. The effect of gender-affirming hormone treatment on serum creatinine in transgender and gender-diverse youth: implications for estimating GFR. Pediatr Nephrol. 2022 09; 37(9):2141-2150. Millington K, Barrera E, Daga A, Mann N, Olson-Kennedy J, Garofalo R, Rosenthal SM, Chan YM. PMID: 35083530; PMCID: PMC9629364.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 2     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    12. Association of High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol With Sex Steroid Treatment in Transgender and Gender-Diverse Youth. JAMA Pediatr. 2021 05 01; 175(5):520-521. Millington K, Finlayson C, Olson-Kennedy J, Garofalo R, Rosenthal SM, Chan YM. PMID: 33587098; PMCID: PMC7885095.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 6     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    13. Histrelin Implants for Suppression of Puberty in Youth with Gender Dysphoria: A Comparison of 50 mcg/Day (Vantas) and 65 mcg/Day (SupprelinLA). Transgend Health. 2021 Feb; 6(1):36-42. Olson-Kennedy J, Streeter LH, Garofalo R, Chan YM, Rosenthal SM. PMID: 33644320; PMCID: PMC7906230.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 4  
    14. The Impact of Chest Binding in Transgender and Gender Diverse Youth and Young Adults. J Adolesc Health. 2021 06; 68(6):1129-1134. Julian JM, Salvetti B, Held JI, Murray PM, Lara-Rojas L, Olson-Kennedy J. PMID: 33121901.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 8     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    15. Psychosocial Characteristics of Transgender Youth Seeking Gender-Affirming Medical Treatment: Baseline Findings From the Trans Youth Care Study. J Adolesc Health. 2021 06; 68(6):1104-1111. Chen D, Abrams M, Clark L, Ehrensaft D, Tishelman AC, Chan YM, Garofalo R, Olson-Kennedy J, Rosenthal SM, Hidalgo MA. PMID: 32839079; PMCID: PMC7897328.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 24     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    16. Low Bone Mineral Density in Early Pubertal Transgender/Gender Diverse Youth: Findings From the Trans Youth Care Study. J Endocr Soc. 2020 Sep 01; 4(9):bvaa065. Lee JY, Finlayson C, Olson-Kennedy J, Garofalo R, Chan YM, Glidden DV, Rosenthal SM. PMID: 32832823; PMCID: PMC7433770.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 23  
    17. Physiological and Metabolic Characteristics of a Cohort of Transgender and Gender-Diverse Youth in the United States. J Adolesc Health. 2020 09; 67(3):376-383. Millington K, Schulmeister C, Finlayson C, Grabert R, Olson-Kennedy J, Garofalo R, Rosenthal SM, Chan YM. PMID: 32417098; PMCID: PMC7483238.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 7     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    18. Long-term Puberty Suppression for a Nonbinary Teenager. Pediatrics. 2020 02; 145(2). Pang KC, Notini L, McDougall R, Gillam L, Savulescu J, Wilkinson D, Clark BA, Olson-Kennedy J, Telfer MM, Lantos JD. PMID: 31974217.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 7     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    19. Creating the Trans Youth Research Network: A Collaborative Research Endeavor. Transgend Health. 2019; 4(1):304-312. Olson-Kennedy J, Chan YM, Rosenthal S, Hidalgo MA, Chen D, Clark L, Ehrensaft D, Tishelman A, Garofalo R. PMID: 31701011; PMCID: PMC6830532.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 4  
    20. Impact of Early Medical Treatment for Transgender Youth: Protocol for the Longitudinal, Observational Trans Youth Care Study. JMIR Res Protoc. 2019 Jul 09; 8(7):e14434. Olson-Kennedy J, Chan YM, Garofalo R, Spack N, Chen D, Clark L, Ehrensaft D, Hidalgo M, Tishelman A, Rosenthal S. PMID: 31290407; PMCID: PMC6647755.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 24  
    21. Resisting the Post-Truth Era: Maintaining a Commitment to Science and Social Justice in Bioethics. Am J Bioeth. 2019 07; 19(7):W1-W3. Clark BA, Virani A, Ehrensaft D, Olson-Kennedy J. PMID: 31237512.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
    22. The Impact of Cell Phone Support on Psychosocial Outcomes for Youth Living with HIV Nonadherent to Antiretroviral Therapy. AIDS Behav. 2018 Oct; 22(10):3357-3362. Sayegh CS, MacDonell KK, Clark LF, Dowshen NL, Naar S, Olson-Kennedy J, van den Berg JJ, Xu J, Belzer M. PMID: 29948339; PMCID: PMC6530981.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 11     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    23. Chest Reconstruction and Chest Dysphoria in Transmasculine Minors and Young Adults: Comparisons of Nonsurgical and Postsurgical Cohorts. JAMA Pediatr. 2018 05 01; 172(5):431-436. Olson-Kennedy J, Warus J, Okonta V, Belzer M, Clark LF. PMID: 29507933; PMCID: PMC5875384.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 38     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    24. Physiologic Response to Gender-Affirming Hormones Among Transgender Youth. J Adolesc Health. 2018 04; 62(4):397-401. Olson-Kennedy J, Okonta V, Clark LF, Belzer M. PMID: 29056436; PMCID: PMC7050572.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 31     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    25. Mental Health Disparities Among Transgender Youth: Rethinking the Role of Professionals. JAMA Pediatr. 2016 05 01; 170(5):423-4. Olson-Kennedy J. PMID: 26998945.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 12     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    26. Research priorities for gender nonconforming/transgender youth: gender identity development and biopsychosocial outcomes. Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes Obes. 2016 Apr; 23(2):172-9. Olson-Kennedy J, Cohen-Kettenis PT, Kreukels BP, Meyer-Bahlburg HF, Garofalo R, Meyer W, Rosenthal SM. PMID: 26825472; PMCID: PMC4807860.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 57     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    27. Baseline Physiologic and Psychosocial Characteristics of Transgender Youth Seeking Care for Gender Dysphoria. J Adolesc Health. 2015 Oct; 57(4):374-80. Olson J, Schrager SM, Belzer M, Simons LK, Clark LF. PMID: 26208863; PMCID: PMC5033041.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 96     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    28. Management of the transgender adolescent. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2011 Feb; 165(2):171-6. Olson J, Forbes C, Belzer M. PMID: 21300658.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 31     Fields:    Translation:Humans
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