Anthropologist Profile: Dr. Eric Plemons, Medical Anthropologist & Transgender Medicine and Care

Dr. Eric Plemons giving a lecture (Source: Eric Plemons's professional website)

 

Today’s blog post is dedicated to discussing the research of Dr. Eric Plemons.  Dr. Plemons is an Associate Professor at University of Arizona School of Anthropology and the Co-Chair of the Transgender Studies Research Cluster.  He was awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities Public Scholar award in 2022-2023, as well as served as a Faculty Fellow out of Stanford University.  He is also a forerunner in the study of transgender issues within medicine and greater sociocultural contexts.

 

Dr. Plemons research focuses on transgender medicine.  He has conducted archival/historical and ethnographic research in Belgium, Argentina, and the United States, the latter of which is where the bulk of his research has been completed.  His first study concentrated on facial feminization surgeries, which modification surgeries of the facial hard and soft tissues meant to make the face look more feminine.  During the course of his research he realized that medical professionals based the standards for “feminine faces” off of White women’s features, and when they conducted these surgeries on People of Color (POC) there was an erasure of ethnic and racial qualities of the patient.  Plemons argues that medical professionals should expand their understandings of facial femineity standards to be more inclusive of all racial and ethnic types, thereby not biasing the ideal femineity standards to White women.  The results of this research have been published in his book titled, The Look of a Woman.

 

His current research seeks to expand on transgender medical procedures, specifically focusing on genital sex reassignment surgeries.  Through an investigation of historical and archival sources concerning transgender medical care and ethnographic study of medical professionals and transgender patients and individuals Plemons seeks to understand the expanding medical and ethical concerns of these surgeries, particularly as medical professionals’ opinions on the value of transgender bodies change.  This is occurring as transgender individuals seek to have specific organs or body parts removed so their physical bodies match their gender.  As transmen elect to have hysterectomies (to remove their uteruses) and transwomen opt for penis removal medical professionals are exploring the opportunities to donate these organs and tissues to cisgender patients who may need them (e.g., individuals who cannot have children or military personnel who succumb significant injury to their genitals).  What is being overlooked is the implications of these options on the transgendered individuals who are opting to have their organs and/or tissues removed, who have not been consulted or asked if they wish to have their body parts used in such manners.  Plemons seeks to bridge this gap through his research, particularly given the expansion of such medical procedures and needs among both cisgender and transgender patients. 

 

Additionally, his research also addresses the mental health needs and concerns of transgender patients.  Medical professionals note that their transgender patients feel distress from having a body that does not match their gender.  This leads medical professionals to advocate for surgical interventions that change the physical form of the body, which is assumed to automatically alleviate and remove the distress.  This, however, not been fully investigated, but Plemons’s research does delve into this necessary area of inquiry, as well.

 

Ultimately, Plemons’s research seeks to better understand and expand transgender medical care and access throughout medicine, among medical professionals, and transgender patients and individuals.  He seeks to understand the complex dynamics at play in medicine, healthcare, and society and produce equitable environments across all medical institutions for the benefit of medical professionals and transgender patients and individuals.

 

References

College of Social & Behavioral Sciences Press . "Medical Anthropologist Examines Ethics and History of Transgender Medical Procedures." 17 October 2022. College of Social & Behavioral Sciences News. Electronic. 9 May 2024.

Northwestern University Press Writer. "Dr. Eric Plemons presents research on whiteness and facial feminization surgery." 9 May 2019. Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing. Electronic. 9 May 2024.

Plemons, Eric. Eric Plemons, PhD. 2013. Electronic. 9 May 2024.