Dr Michelle Telfer is a Paediatrician and the Head of Department of Adolescent Medicine at The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) Melbourne. She is also the Director of the RCH Gender Service, being instrumental in the expansion of the service with rising demand for trans-medicine in children and adolescents over the past four years.

In 2015, The RCH Gender Service was awarded the Minister for Mental Health’s Award for excellence in consumer leadership and advocacy at the Victorian Public Healthcare Awards. In addition to improving medical and mental health services for the transgender population, Michelle is currently working with the Federal Attorney General’s office to change the Family Law Act such that young people can access hormone treatment without the need for approval by the Family Court of Australia.

Associate Professor Telfer will speak to the Society about the evolving relationship between trans-medicine and the law, as well as the experiences of this process by the young transgender people she sees at the RCH.

Prior to studying medicine at the University of Western Australia Michelle was a gymnast with the Western Australian Institute of Sport. As a 16 year old she won silver and bronze medals at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland and was a member of the 1992 Olympic Gymnastics Team in Barcelona.