Karen S. Guice, M.D., M.P.P., is the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs. Dr. Guice also serves as the Principal Deputy Director, TRICARE Management Activity. In these two roles, Dr.Guice assists in the development of strategies and priorities to achieve the health mission of the Military Health System, and participates fully in formulating, developing, overseeing and advocating the policies of the Secretary of Defense.
Dr. Guice also acts as a liaison for the ASD(HA)/Director of TMA, other offices within OSD, the Military Departments, Congress, and other Executive Branch agencies to develop, coordinate and integrate health care policies with departmental priorities and initiatives. Additionally, Dr. Guice oversees Congressional and legislative activities for the OASD(HA), as well as guides the office’s public affairs and communications programs. The Office of Health Affairs is responsible for providing a cost effective, quality health benefit to 9.6 million active duty uniformed Service Members, retirees, survivors and their families. The MHS has a $50 billion annual budget and consists of a worldwide network of 59 military hospitals, 360 health clinics, private-sector health business partners, and the Uniformed Services University.
Previously, Dr. Guice served as the Executive Director of the Federal Recovery Coordination Program, a joint program of the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs. Dr. Guice graduated from the University of New Mexico School of Medicine and completed her general surgery training at the University of Washington. She has been a member of the surgical faculties at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, the University of Michigan, Duke University, and the Medical College of Wisconsin. She was promoted to Professor of Surgery during her tenure at Duke University. Dr. Guice received a master’s degree in Public Policy from Duke University and was selected as a 1997- 1998 Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellow. Dr. Guice served as a staff member of the Senate Committee on Labor from 1998-1999, and as the Director of Fellowship Services at the American College of Surgeons (1999-2001). She was the Deputy Director for the President’s Commission on Care for America’s Returning Wounded Warriors (Senator Bob Dole and Secretary Donna Shalala, co-chairs, 2007).
Dr. Guice has been a funded investigator for over 10 years, receiving grants from the NIH and the Emergency Medical Services for Children Program. Her basic science research included the scientific investigation of pancreatitis related respiratory failure and her health services research focused on the development of a national trauma registry for children and outcome evaluation of children’s traumarelated care. She has served on NIH Study Sections and EMSC grant review panels. She authored or coauthored over 60 peer reviewed publications and nine book chapters. Dr. Guice is a member of several professional societies and was elected President of the Association of Academic Surgery in 1993
George R. Brown, MD, DFAPA, is Professor of Psychiatry and Associate Chairman for Veterans Affairs at East TN State University and Mountain Home VA Medical Center in Johnson City, TN. He has served four terms on the Board of Directors for the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, the only international organization that focuses on transgender health. He is a coauthor on the last 3 versions of the Standards of Care. Dr. Brown served 12 years in the US Air Force as a psychiatrist, leaving after Desert Storm to serve Veterans. He has provided psychiatric and medical services for transgender active duty service members and Veterans during his 30+ years with DoD and VHA. Dr. Brown researches health care disparities within VA, including the largest study of transgender people ever done, worldwide. He has published over 55 papers and book chapters on gender-related topics, and an additional 125 publications and book chapters.
Dr. Brown has been very involved with policy development within VHA, having coauthored the pharmacy benefits package for transgender Veterans and the current VA Directive that mandates transgender and intersex health care in VHA. He is also actively involved as a national trainer for VHA clinicians to develop national, regional, and facility level expertise in the diagnosis and management, including hormonal management, of gender dysphoria conditions.
Lindsey R. Buckman, Psy.D. is a career psychologist from Phoenix, Arizona. Dr. Buckman is an independent practitioner; she serves a diverse client population with specialties in LGBTQ concerns and multiple minority status issues. She also provides consultation services related marketing strategies for independent practice, professional advocacy, and policy development for transgender issues.
Dr. Buckman has experience in shaping public policy, as well as creating resources to expand the attitudes, knowledge, and skills of psychologists working with diverse populations. Dr. Buckman has been actively involved in psychological association leadership at the state and national levels. She served as the Chair of the Legislative Committee for the Arizona Psychological Association from 2011-2015, and currently serves on the Arizona Psychological Association’s Convention Committee, Leadership Development Committee, and Legislative Committee. Dr. Buckman also serves as the ECP Task Force Chair for the American Psychological Association’s Division 31 and as the Diversity Member at Large and Diversity Committee Co-Chair for APA’s Division 42. In addition, Dr. Buckman serves as the ECP member of the American Psychological Association Practice Organization’s Committee for the Advancement Professional Practice.
Randall D. Ehrbar, Psy.D., graduated from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology with his Doctor of Psychology in 2003. He is currently a licensed psychologist with licensure in Maryland and Washington D.C. Dr. Ehrbar currently works at the Whitman Walker Health Care center where he treats individuals and couples through both substance abuse and mental health programs, with an emphasis on gender and racial minorities. Dr. Ehrbar is a distinguished scholar with numerous publications on the ethical treatment of transgender individuals to include the APA guidelines and WPATH guidelines for the psychological practice with transgender and gender nonconforming people. Dr. Ehrbar has also been an active member within APA Division 44 and served as an expert consultant for the FAA in regard to medical clearance for transgender pilots.
Dr. Shawn MacDonald practices Psychology in Bethesda, MD where she focuses on Multicultural Counseling including sexual orientation and gender identity, racial and ethnic diversity, and spiritual and religious diversity. Dr. MacDonald also focuses her practice on persons recovering from trauma and difficult to treat depression. As a community Tricare provider, Dr. MacDonald works frequently with military personnel and their dependents. Together with Dr. Randall Ehrbar she founded Gender Options which consults with organizations on transgender concerns. Dr. MacDonald earned her doctorate at
Western Michigan University and completed an APA accredited internship at The Ohio State University Counseling Services. Dr. MacDonald is also ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and completed her Master of Divinity at Princeton Theological Seminary.