I am Kimberly June Skeete. My pronouns are She/Her.
As a Black Trans Woman, I move through the world with unapologetic positivity, authenticity, and queerness. My diagnosis was the catalyst for discovering my strength. Since that pivotal moment, I've embraced a career role as a healthcare professional, advocate, and community leader. I persist in dismantling barriers and am honored to take a seat at numerous tables. My mission is to be the change I envision in healthcare systems, representing those who are underserved and overlooked. Embracing my entire identity has taught me the power of my voice. What once brought me shame now fuels my passion, resolve, and the drive to surpass all that I imagined possible. I defy stereotypes, refuse tokenism, and reject victimhood. This is who I am.
Why Kimberly June wants to be part of A Girl Like Me: For me, this platform is much more than a mere blog. It serves as a conduit for human experiences, a place to connect with women who share similar views, to nurture a sense of community, and to embrace the opportunity to understand and be understood, to collectively achieve and contribute more to each other and our community. It's a chance to engage with, evolve with, and construct alongside someone who shares my journey.
More about Kimberly June
I currently work as a Clinical Research Associate, Community Outreach Liaison and Laboratory Manager at BIOS Clinical Research Palm Springs. I am also The Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (ANAC) Greater Palm Springs Chapter President Elect.
I started my career in HIV Prevention and Healthcare at DAP Health in Palm Springs, CA in 2019. During my time at DAP Health, I provided care under Early Intervention Services. I helped link new HIV patients into care and re-linked back into medical care patients that had fallen out of care. I also served as the Chair and Co-Chair of the Gender Affirming Health Program and helped build DAP Healthcare's first Gender Affirming care team. After that endeavor, I went on to work for Borrego Health in 2020 as a certified peer support specialist and Mental Wellness Navigator where I worked with Transgender and Gender Non-Confirming youth as well as the HIV POZ Aging Community. During the pandemic, I worked to create and deliver mental health presentations as resources for the LGBTQIA+ community and specifically for TGNC individuals, helping to link these individuals to mental health services during a time of immense need. In 2021, I joined the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care and with tireless work and advocacy, helped the Greater Palm Springs Chapter bring home the title of Chapter of the year in 2022.
I returned to HIV services when joined BIOS Clinical Research where I currently work as a Clinical Research Associate/Community Outreach and Laboratory Manager. I strive to provide options for TGNC patients and other diverse and underrepresented communities as I feel those populations are severely underrepresented in Clinical Studies.
With a background in gender affirming care, peer support, prevention, HIV Testing and counseling and phlebotomy, I know I am on my way towards becoming the next Trans woman of color making waves in the health care industry. My hope is that my voice helps to reduce stigma and educates people of all backgrounds, especially those of underserved communities.
With mentors such as N.P. Anthony Velasco, Dr. Golkoo Morcos, The ANAC’s current President, Bridgette Picou, LVN and the entire BIOS team, I was recently honored for my years of service in healthcare and community activism as the Desert Business Association and Chamber of Commerce's 2024 Outstanding Community Service Honoree.
I have come to understand that my diagnosis and my journey from patient to provider in specialty care and advocacy is not only my biggest blessing but the driving force of the passion, as a Trans woman of color, being the change that I seek for the future of HIV prevention, treatment and really putting the CARE into Healthcare.
PUBLICATIONS & PRESENTATIONS
Roque Anthony F Velasco., Blakeley, Anne., Copeland., Darcy., Rostovsky, Jacob., Skeete, June Kimberly. (2023) Conceptualizing transgender and gender-diverse older adults as a vulnerable population: A systematic review. Geriatric Nursing, Volume 49, 139-147.
