PROGRAM

• WELCOME
• PRESENTATION OF THE ADVOCACY IN ACTION AWARD TO WENDIE FORMAN
• PROGRAM INTRODUCTION
• PANEL PRESENTATION
• Q&A

SPEAKER BIOS

Ryan Zymler (Moderator)

Ryan Clopton-Zymler (he/they) is an activist, educator, emcee and advocate from Cleveland, Ohio. They are a graduate of Case Western Reserve University, with a Master of Science in Social Administration and they received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Ohio University. He currently serves as Assistant Vice President of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging at OhioGuidestone; he is also a co-founder of Sage & Maven LLC, a for-profit consultancy that focuses on leadership and social justice. Ryan’s career foundation is in community mental health and he has a rich history of working with youth and young adults. They are actively involved in the Cleveland social justice community – they currently sit on the board of directors for Preterm, has previously served on the board for Stonewall Sports Cleveland, and he has worked with national organizations including Planned Parenthood and GLAAD.  Ryan is also a rotating host for area drag and burlesque shows, and a contributor the Ohio LGBTQ+ publication, the Buckeye Flame. In 2022, Ryan was awarded the City of Cleveland’s LGBTQ Heritage Day Award in Advocacy and Activism and in their spare time, they enjoy reading comics, lifting weights, and complimenting random dogs.

Dr. Shubham Gupta (Keynote)

Dr. Shubham Gupta is an Associate Professor of Urology, and Division Chief of Reconstructive Urology at the University Hospitals in Cleveland, OH. He is the director of the Gender Affirmation Surgery program at University Hospitals. He additionally holds the Alexander and Sarah Cutler Chair in Men’s Health. Dr. Gupta’s clinical expertise includes reconstructive urology, cancer survivorship, and transgender health.

Dr Gupta specializes in reconstructive urology and cancer survivorship, catering to a niche and often challenging sub group of patients- many of them referred from other academic medical centers. Additionally, he leads the University Hospitals program on gender affirmation surgery- the only such program in the state of Ohio. He has earned widespread recognition for his clinical acumen, and has been invited to be a visiting professor at multiple universities including University of Mississippi, University of Nebraska, and University of Louisville.

His firm commitment to education is evident in his numerous pedagogical activities including undergraduate and medical student mentorship, and interprofessional educational endeavors at different institutions. He is working with faculty from Case to develop community based interprofessional projects on health-disparities in the LGBTQ+ population. Dr Gupta has earned plaudits for his teaching skills, consistently getting the highest possible evaluations from his residents, and has been awarded multiple teaching awards.  His passion for education extends to helping not just his students and residents, but also his peers- he is on faculty at the board review course conducted annually by the American Urological Association.

Dr Gupta’s research productivity has been prolific- he has published more than 50 peer reviewed articles, invited reviews and book chapters. He continues to conduct meaningful cross disciplinary, multi-institutional research on a variety of subjects in reconstructive urology and LGBTQ+ health. As a well-respected voice in urologic research, he serves as a reviewer for multiple urologic journals including The Journal of Urology, Urology, Urology Practice, European Urology, European Urology Focus etc.

Maya Simek

Maya Simek ,ESQ, LISW-S, MSSA,  serves as the Director of Case Western Reserve  School of Law’s Human Trafficking Law Project. Ms. Simek further serves as the Legal Director at Equality Ohio, where she developed, launched(2019), and is now supervising a state-wide legal clinic for the lesbian gay bisexual transgender queer (LGBTQ+) community.

Ms. Simek focuses her practice on the interdisciplinary issues impacting the LGBTQ+ community and human trafficking survivors, community lawyering, and the intersections between law and social work. Her focus on these areas of interest inspired Ms. Simek’s spearheading of a law clinic for individuals affected by HIV/AIDS engaging in case management services at the Nueva Luz Urban Resource Center in 2012.

Ms. Simek earned her J.D.  from Cleveland State University College of Law, her M.S.S.A from Case Western Reserve’s Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, and her B.S.  from John Carroll University. Further, she is a proud graduate of the Gestalt Training Program(GTP) at the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland(GIC). Ms. Simek is admitted to the bar in Ohio and California. In addition, she is an Ohio Licensed Independent Social Worker with Supervision designation(LISW-S).

JodiLyn Solomon

JodiLyn Solomon is the parent of two amazing trans and gender diverse offspring, and the Executive Director for Camp Lilac, a summer camp in Ohio for transgender and gender diverse youth. Solomon is a school librarian, and the Director of Congregational Learning at Kol HaLev, a Reconstructionist synagogue.