WALTHAM – Dr. Carolyn B. Becker, an endocrinologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, has been honored by the Massachusetts Medical Society as the 2023 recipient of the Society’s LGBTQ Health
Award, an honor recognizing an individual who has made outstanding contributions to LGBTQ health.
“Whether they realize it or not, every currently practicing LGBTQ physician stands on the shoulders of Dr. Carolyn Becker,” said Dr. Frances Grimstad of Boston Children’s Hospital. In the 1980s, Dr. Becker became one of the earliest members of Women in
Medicine, the first national lesbian physician organization, and has served as a conference organizer, speaker and mentor at the annual conferences for the past 40 years. Locally, “Dr. Becker has been an advocate for the initiation of the transgender
health program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, mentoring many of the clinicians who now lead the program.”
“Dr. Becker modeled compassionate, evidence-informed, yet patient-centered, care; she helped me navigate the medical aspects of this patient’s care but also highlighted the importance of creating a space that is affirming and welcoming for all patients,
and particularly for those who belong to a sexual or gender minority group,” said Ole-Petter R. Hamvik, MB BCh BAO, MMSc, MRCPI, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital “She also showed me the importance of advocating for our patients – and particularly our
transgender patients – both for their individual care needs and for improving the systems of care that they navigate. Dr. Becker has mentored and advocated for her LGBTQ colleagues, such as myself, to be promoted and recognized for their work caring
for sexual and gender minority patients.”
Becker is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Illinois, and Harvard Medical School.
The Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS) is the statewide professional association for physicians and medical students, supporting 25,000 members. We are dedicated to educating and advocating for the physicians of Massachusetts and patients locally and nationally. A leadership voice in health care, the MMS contributes physician and patient perspectives to influence health-related legislation at the state and federal levels, works in support of public health, provides expert advice on physician practice management, and addresses issues of physician well-being. Under the auspices of the NEJM Group, the MMS extends our mission globally by advancing medical knowledge from research to patient care through the New England Journal of Medicine, NEJM Catalyst, and the NEJM Journal Watch family of specialty publications, and through our education products for health care professionals: NEJM Knowledge+, NEJM Resident 360, and our accredited and comprehensive continuing medical education programs.
