River Lerner

They/Them

I am trans and I am a researcher, writer, and MD candidate.//

 

I am in my final year of medical school at Brown University, where I am part of a lab that studies how immunocompromised patients respond to infections, treatments, and vaccines, both clinically and emotionally. Previously I researched transmission dynamics of social contagion and of arenaviruses. I also write poetry and think about tarot a lot.

The social dynamics of wearing a white coat are rendered even more complicated by being visibly gender nonconforming. A recent patient who was proud to be trans and neurodivergent, but who faced challenges in the hospital for those identities, taught me the importance and power of authentic embodiment in a professional healing role. Stated as a trans patient myself, trans patients want and deserve trans (and trans-knowledgeable) doctors, nurses, therapists, technicians, researchers, and healthcare systems. I am so lucky to practice in a city and in a body where self-actualization is largely safe. I work to co-create a world in which other patients and providers feel held as well.

I love connecting with and learning from others under the rainbow – so please reach out! I see you and I celebrate you!