Associate Professor Michelle Telfer has won the ‘Straight Ally of the Year’ Award at the GLOBE Community Awards for her work in supporting the LGBTI community.

The GLOBE Community Awards celebrate achievement in Victoria’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex community. They highlight the outstanding work and contribution of individuals and organisations that benefit or unite the LGTBI community.

In her role as Head of Adolescent Medicine at the RCH, A/Prof Telfer leads the Gender Service which aims to improve the physical and mental wellbeing outcomes of children and adolescents who experience gender dysphoria. She has helped redefine standards of care, lobbied for legal change, and worked tirelessly to improve the access to medical and mental health care for transgender and gender diverse children and their families.

A/Prof Telfer said the award is especially meaningful because, “In the work that I do with trans children and adolescents, being recognised by the LGBTI community itself is the most rewarding of all. I feel they can trust me personally as a true ally and rely on me to make things better for them. That means the world to me.”

Congratulations, Michelle!