Harvard Medical School (HMS) has postponed its upcoming online continuing education program, Advancing Excellence in Transgender Health: A Core Course for the Whole Care Team, following legal questions about its scholarship policy. The decision, first reported Thursday by National Review, comes amid scrutiny over whether offering tuition waivers to transgender and gender-diverse clinicians could violate federal law.
The annual course, developed with The Fenway Institute, is designed for physicians, nurses, physician assistants, behavioral health specialists, and other medical professionals who care for transgender and gender-diverse patients. Its goal is to help providers deliver comprehensive, evidence-based, and affirming care, a crucial skill set in a health system where many transgender patients struggle to find competent and understanding clinicians.
According to the program’s description, the course “provides participants with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to provide high-quality, gender-affirming care to people of all gender identities.” Tuition is normally around $650, with previous listings noting full or partial waivers for transgender and gender-diverse healthcare providers.
After National Review contacted Harvard regarding the legality of those waivers, HMS quietly removed that language from its website and announced that the program would be rescheduled later in the academic year.
A Harvard spokesperson told Fox News:
“The continuing education course … has been postponed and will be rescheduled for later this academic year. HMS remains committed to ensuring that the courses we accredit comply with applicable laws.”
Concerns About Access and Education
While the university’s move was described as precautionary, many in the medical and transgender communities expressed concern that legal challenges could discourage institutions from offering similar educational opportunities. For transgender people, the delay is more than academic, it represents another obstacle in an already difficult journey to find healthcare providers who understand their unique needs.
Training programs like Harvard’s play a vital role in helping doctors and nurses learn best practices for gender-affirming care, from hormone therapy management to inclusive patient communication. Studies have repeatedly shown that many providers feel underprepared to care for transgender patients, leading to delays in treatment, misdiagnoses, or outright discrimination.
Legal experts remain divided on whether the original fee-waiver policy would have violated anti-discrimination laws. Some argue that offering discounts or scholarships based on gender identity could raise equal access concerns, while others note that such initiatives are meant to correct inequities in representation and training.
The Bottom Line
HMS and The Fenway Institute have stated that the course will be rescheduled later this academic year, though no new date has been set. In the meantime, Fenway’s National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center continues to provide free online materials to help clinicians gain competency in transgender health.
Advocates say the controversy underscores a larger issue: that equitable healthcare depends on education. When training programs are delayed or politicized, it’s transgender patients who pay the price.
For many in the community, the message remains simple: inclusion in medical education isn’t optional. It’s essential.
