The American Medical Association Foundation National LGBTQ+ Health Fellowship program will be housed in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health and will build on the UW School of Medicine and Public Health’s and UW Health system’s existing foundations of diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies that support affirming LGBTQ+ services.
Faculty
Elizabeth Petty, MD
Elizabeth M. Petty, MD (she/her), serves as the director of the AMA Foundation – LGBTQ+ Health Fellowship Program, senior associate dean for academic affairs, the medical director of the genetic counselor training program, and a professor of pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (UW-SMPH). At UW-SMPH she oversees health professional degree programs, including those for MD, PA, PT, GC, and MPH students, and guides the academic missions of GME, CME, global health, and learner diversity and inclusion programs. Dr. Petty received her B.A. in art history and human biology at Clarke University, Dubuque, Iowa, went to medical school and completed pediatric residency training at the University of Wisconsin, and did postdoctoral training in genetics at Yale University. As an ACMGG board certified geneticist, she cares for patients and families with genetic conditions. Prior to joining the faculty at UW-SMPH, Dr. Petty was a professor of internal medicine and human genetics at the University of Michigan Medical School (UMMS) where she served in multiple leadership roles and enjoyed teaching and mentoring learners in the classroom, the clinic, and her cancer biology research laboratory. During her career, she has helped champion the development and implementation of innovative curricula, enhance admissions and student service programs, build initiatives to promote equity and inclusion, launch new research programs, and foster partnerships to promote health equity and science literacy. She has been both an ELAM and an AAMC Council of Deans fellow, as well as a founding member of the Kern National Network medical school consortium to promote caring and character in academic medicine. She has published numerous manuscripts and was one of the senior editors of the textbook, The Equal Curriculum: The Student and Educator Guide to LGBTQ Health. Currently, Dr. Petty enjoys engaging others in research and quality improvement projects relevant to education, health equity, clinical care, and human genomics. She enjoys working with teams to build high quality innovative health professional degree programs, strengthen academic health system education partnerships, and drive strategic planning processes to guide academic missions. She helps oversee a multifaceted school-wide interprofessional process to create a highly inclusive and respectful academic community across UW-SMPH. Dr. Petty passionately embraces opportunities to shape the future of academic medicine through optimizing a nurturing learning environment, promoting lifelong learning and discovery, championing equity and inclusion initiatives, and creating strong partnerships to optimize health outcomes for all individuals, families, and communities.
Ronni Hayon, MD
Ronni Hayon, MD (she/her) received her medical degree from Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia and she completed her Family Medicine residency at the UW-Madison Family Medicine Residency Program. Following residency, Dr. Hayon completed a one-year Academic Fellowship with the Department of Family Medicine.
Dr. Hayon is committed to providing family medicine and obstetrical care that is rooted in a foundation of promoting health equity, anti-racism, and size acceptance and enjoys helping people engage with healthcare in an affirming space. Dr. Hayon has nationally-recognized expertise in providing gender-affirming medical care, and is the Co-Medical Director of a new UW Health Gender Services Clinic set to launch in 2021. She also serves as the Faculty Champion and Fellowship Mentor for the inaugural American Medical Association Foundation National LGBTQ+ Health Fellowship. In her spare time, Dr. Hayon can often be found listening to music, spending time with her wonderful family, reading speculative fiction, or doing hand embroidery.
Britt Allen, MD
Britt Allen (she/her/hers) completed her undergraduate education at Wesleyan University and her medical education at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. She went on to complete a residency and chief residency at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago before returning to Madison as an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin. She is a general pediatrician as well as a co-medical director and provider in the Pediatric and Adolescent Transgender Health Clinic at American Family Children’s Hospital, which has served more than 350 transgender, nonbinary, and gender diverse (TNG) youth. She focuses her academic work on improving the health and healthcare experiences of LGBTQ+, and specifically TNG, youth. She has authored several chapters on the health of LGBTQ+ youth and have been an active member in the AAP’s Section on LGBT Health and Wellness, including serving on the section’s Publication Committee. She also serves as the Pediatrics Champion for the inaugural American Medical Association Foundation National LGBTQ+ Health Fellowship. In her free time, Britt enjoys biking in the Wisconsin countryside, connecting with friends and family, and appreciating ice cream.
Support
Christina Swords, PhD
Christina Swords (she/her) is the fellowship coordinator for the LGBTQ+ Health Fellowship Program. In addition to this program, she also coordinates the Primary Care Research Fellowship, the Academic Integrative Health Fellowship, and the Academic Fellowship in the UW Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. Her responsibilities include managing fellowship logistics, assisting with recruitment and website activities, and helping fellows manage administrative aspects of the program. She was a public librarian for a little less than a decade before deciding to foster her interest in scientific research. While working, she received her B.S. in biology and chemistry from King’s College in Wilkes-Barre PA. She then earned her PhD in biological chemistry from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill where she began to combine her community roots with science engagement. For the past several years, she has worked with multiple local and national programs to train scientists in communication with non-scientist audiences and community engagement, including a yearlong internship at Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and a postdoctoral position in science education and engagement with the Wisconsin Initiative for Science Literacy. She is passionate about public discussions regarding science and K-12 outreach. In her free time, Christina enjoys local history, road trips, and spending time with family including her rambunctious Cattle Dog and much less rambunctious Calico Cat.