The Mapu Maia Clinic is a gender affirming and culturally aligned space for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community to receive support and services congruent with their well-being. It is affiliated with UTOPIA Washington, which is an advocacy organization involved in advocating for policies to improve the education of providers in regards to gender affirming care. The Mapu Maia Clinic has identified that resources to assist providers in caring for transgender patients in transitioning from female to male are lacking. Providers have noted a lack of resources in addressing transgender care through a Pacific Islander lens. Additionally, there is a paucity of spaces for healthcare providers to discuss the nuances of providing transgender care with the community.

Transgender care guidelines are often communicated outside of endocrinology and transgender care specialists. There are very few Pacific Islander endocrinologists, the speaker being one of only two practicing in the U.S. To this we add the fact that there still exists a stigma that surrounds gender affirming care, and forums regarding health have not yet brought together Pacific Island communities and Pacific Island providers. 

There is an urgent need to improve the capacity of providers to address female to male gender affirming care. It is imperative to introduce major concepts regarding the care of female to male transgender patients, as well as shed light on biases and barriers, such as Pacific Islander cultural nuances regarding gender affirming care, in order to improve care delivery and in an effort to close the gap between health services and the well-being of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.