THE VFA PIONEER HISTORIES PROJECT

Nanette Gartrell, MD

“As I talk about all of these battles in which I’ve been engaged to bring about social justice, and improve lives for LGBTQ people everywhere, I feel quite happy about the contributions I’ve made, and I hope to continue to be able to do so for the remainder of my life.”

Lesbian feminist psychiatrist, researcher and writer who served on the faculties of Harvard Medical School and the University of California, San Francisco. Visiting Distinguished Scholar at the Williams Institute, UCLA School of Law, and a Guest Appointee at the University of Amsterdam. 55 years of scientific investigations focused primarily on families of parents with minoritized sexual identities. Began the U.S. National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study, which is the largest, longest-running investigation of its kind, with a 90% retention rate to date, 1986. Principal investigator of groundbreaking investigations into sexual misconduct by physicians that led to a cleanup of professional ethics codes and the criminalization of sexual exploitation of patients. 

Interviewed by Dr. Esther Rothblum, 2021

Photo 1. Nanette Gartrell, Sanford University, 1968. Photo 2. Nanette Gartrell & Dee Mosbacher, 1986 photo by JEB. Photo 3. 2008 Nanette Gartrell & Dee Mosbacher 3rd Marriage to each other. Photo 4. Nanette Gartrell & Dee Mosbacher with President Obama, 2013. Homepage photo by Morgan Lieberman, 2023.