Sculpting Warmer Care

Jorgen Madsen wasn’t willing to accept what he was hearing from his doctor.

As a second-year student at the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine,

Madsen went to have his arm x-rayed. He had recently come out, and it was the first time he had ever told a doctor he was gay.

“It wasn’t a great experience,” Madsen said. “Essentially they told me I needed to be on PrEP (medicine taken to prevent getting HIV). But without insurance PrEP cost $1,200 a month, and I couldn’t afford to be on it.

“It seemed ridiculous that those who are at highest risk for HIV are least likely to have insurance. It was anti-intuitive to get these recommendations if we can’t afford it.”

Madsen approached Adam Spivak, MD, an HIV specialist who taught in the medical school, about what could be done to help the LGBT community in Salt Lake City. Madsen and Spivak—along with Susana Keeshin, MD, other students, and members of the Utah AIDS Foundation—came up with the idea to create a free HIV prevention clinic: the University of Utah PrEP Clinic.

Since 2018, the clinic has provided testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, lab services, medication for people who may be at risk of contracting HIV, and HIV risk reduction education. All services are free of charge.

“A bunch of us had been thinking about doing this in various forms, but it came together because of Jorgen—because of his energy and his positivity and his enthusiasm,” Spivak said. “There’s something else...and it’s absolutely critical to succeed in this profession and in life, and it’s that he is stubborn. He believes in himself, he doesn’t take no for an answer, and he gets the job done.

“The way he does that is with grace; he doesn’t barge down doors or make people angry. You want things to succeed when you partner with Jorgen because you’re part of an inclusive team. Jorgen is a really fantastic person and a fantastic caregiver.”

After graduating magna cum laude from Utah State University in 2015, Madsen was accepted into the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine. Madsen thrived at the medical school, serving as president of the Pediatric Medicine Interest Group in 2016-17 and president of LGBT Allies in Medicine in 2017-19.

He also developed an interest in sculpting 3D artwork out of old books that he found in recycling bins. His work was featured at the Eccles Health Sciences Library and on the KSL-TV news, and severalof his pieces sold.

“It was cathartic,” said Madsen, who earned his MD in 2019. “I had seen a Pinterest post about (that kind of sculpting) and thought, ‘I think I could do that.’ They increased in complexity as I got more into it. That’s actually how I paid for my residency interviews, selling a bunch of book sculptures to pay for the plane tickets.”

Madsen is currently in his third year of a four-year residency at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. His focus is on LGBT health, specifically transgender and gender-affirming care.

Since starting his residency, there has been a wave of state bills focusing on gender-affirming care and minors. This has caused him to take up a new role: lobbying for the defeat of these bills in the three states that are in the immediate Cincinnati area (Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky).

“All of my classmates are very politically active, which has been helpful for me to learn what is the best approach,” Madsen said. “It’s been a steep learning curve on how to approach subjects concerning the need for gender-affirming care in adolescents to reduce suicide risk. I can’t say I’m like great at it yet, but I’m learning. It’s definitely been good to push some of my limits of comfort.”