Rachel D. Snedecor, MD, MS

Biography

As an adolescent medicine physician, I specialize in the care of transgender and gender diverse youth, and LGBTQIA+ adolescents. My clinical interests are eating disorders, contraception, management of irregular menstrual periods, anxiety, depression and other general adolescent concerns.

At an early age, I found myself dreaming of being a physician. My mother was in nursing school when I was six years old, and I enjoyed looking through her textbooks and learning about the field of medicine. By middle school, I knew I wanted to work with youth and young adults, and this was reinforced in medical school when I spent a summer working in a camp for children with diabetes.

I was drawn to working with adolescents due to their unique medical concerns and challenges, especially when they begin to take charge of their own healthcare. From there, I soon became engaged in caring for and supporting LGBTQIA+ youth. I saw an increased need for affirming healthcare providers, and I was amazed by their general resilience in the face of a society that may not be supportive.

My practice is focused on patient- and family-centered care. As the old saying goes, "It takes a village…". I strive to meet families where they are and ensure that all medical concerns and questions are addressed. Additionally, I am a strong supporter of providing a safe place where adolescents know that they can ask questions about their health. As part of a multidisciplinary team, many of our clinics offer nursing staff, social workers, community support, chaplains for spiritual needs, care managers for primary care, and clinic navigators.

I was honored to be elected to multiple committees, past and present, that focused on improving adolescent care. Many of these have been through the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM). I’ve also been featured as a presenter at national and regional conferences.

My research aims to improve healthcare access and quality for gender- and sexual-minority youth.

I enjoy spending my free time attending cultural events, visiting museums, attending concerts and reading. The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County is one of my favorite places. I also like comparing local coffee shops and hiking. An interesting thing about me is that I enjoy learning the history of cities inside and out, and I am now collecting tales of Cincinnati.