This lab is noteworthy, On Wisconsin reports, for its specialized focus on health outcomes for transgender people. Budge, an associate professor with the Department of Counseling Psychology, is both the founder and the director of the lab.

As a Ph.D. student, Budge interviewed a transgender man for her career-counseling course. After discussing his career path with her at a coffee shop, On Wisconsin reports that he told her, “I just spent a couple hours with you. Now you can do something for me — you need to make therapists better for trans people.”

“I took that ask very literally,” says Budge who earned her doctorate in 2011.

Budge’s lab, staffed by students and community members who volunteer their time or receive course credit, aims to fill a substantial gap in research on effective therapy for transgender individuals.

To learn much more, check out the entire report by Preston Schmitt for free on this On Wisconsin web page.