transheadlinesAfter Much Consideration, Mazzoni Pivots the PTWC 2022 To Virtual Setting Again
PHILADELPHIA—Mazzoni Center today announced it has made the difficult decision to pivot the 2022 edition of its Philadelphia Trans Wellness Conference, PTWC, to a virtual format due to concerns over the lingering pandemic. This will be the second year in a row that the conference will not take place at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, where it was held for more than 10 years.
The decision was made after extensive discussions among the organization’s leadership, with feedback from the Continuing Education Review Committees, the Interdisciplinary Review Committee, external partners, the conference Logistics Coordinator Dani Murano, and more than 400 community members who shared their feedback through a survey.
“One of the clearest messages we received from the community survey and community feedback on social media was a concern for the health and safety of community members for whom exposure to COVID-19 and its variants poses a potentially fatal risk,” explained Murano. “Historically, attendees and speakers have come from a multitude of locations around the globe. An in-person conference has the potential to increase spread beyond local communities.”
Before making a final decision to pivot to a virtual format, the organization and its partners looked at ways to make an in-person conference as safe as possible, including increasing preventive measures such as reducing building capacity, implementing social distancing, and utilizing rigorous pre-screening for COVID and vaccination status. Hybrid programming was also looked at but was not a viable option for PTWC 2022.
While the conference is moving to a virtual format, the conference dates will remain the same: July 21-23, 2022. For more information or for updates about the PTWC 2022, click here. PTWC’s first virtual conference took place in 2021 due to the pandemic too.
About the Philadelphia Trans Wellness Conference
Mazzoni Center’s Philadelphia Trans Wellness Conference (PTWC) is the largest transgender health conference in the world. PTWC was founded in 2001 by Charlene Arcila, June Dizon, and Ben Singer, in collaboration with countless community members. The mission of the PTWC is to educate and empower trans individuals on issues of health and wellness, recognizing the need for expertise surrounding trans health & wellness to rise from within the community.
About Mazzoni Center
Mazzoni Center is Philadelphia’s leading health center focused on the needs of the region’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning (LGBTQ) community. Mazzoni Center’s mission is to provide quality comprehensive health and wellness services in an LGBTQ-focused environment while preserving the dignity and improving the quality of life of the individuals it serves.
[From a News Release]