Celebrating Pride: STS Alumna bridges mental health disparities in transgender youth

Regeneron Science Talent Search alumna Charlotte Rosario, 17, from Hillsborough, California, explored how gender identity and neurobiology intersect during adolescence in her research project, “Examining Brain Structure and Mental Health Differences in Pubertal Transgender and Cisgender Youth.”  Her work sparks an important conversation about mental health and identity today. During Pride Month, when visibility and representation are front and center, Charlotte’s research brings attention to a population too often overlooked in neuroscience and mental health.

“This project is just the beginning,” Charlotte says.

In 2024, The Trevor Project found that 46% of transgender and nonbinary young people have considered attempting suicide in the past year. After losing someone close to her to suicide, Charlotte became determined to understand the biological and psychological roots of depression, especially how these factors unfold during puberty, a critical period in brain development and identity formation.

“I started to see how identity, brain development and mental health intersect,” Charlotte says. “I found very little research that actually explored these links in depth, particularly for trans youth.” Charlotte points out that current and past studies typically categorize transgender teens as statistical outliers, labeling the individuals as ‘other,’ which, she says, “erases their experience.”

In her STS project, she set out to change this narrative by examining the brains of both cisgender and transgender teens. Her goal was to help clinicians and families gain a deeper understanding of what these teens are experiencing, looking beyond the emotional level. Charlotte’s scientific results showed that transgender teens showed higher levels of anxiety and depression compared to their peers, along with differences in the volume in certain brain areas linked to mental health. Notably, she found that transgender males with more volume in the right thalamus had greater depression symptoms.

“Both groups deserve tailored, informed mental health support and understanding the differences is the key to creating it,” Charlotte says.

This research is only the beginning for Charlotte as she hopes to expand and diversify samples, leading to refined, long-term, gender-affirming and evidence-based mental health interventions.

According to The Trevor Project, half of LGBTQ youth surveyed were unable to access the mental health care they wanted. Among the small percentage of transgender and nonbinary youth who do receive gender-affirming medical care, nearly 3 in 5 were worried about losing access.

“I want this research to inform policy, guide clinicians and empower families to make compassionate decisions grounded in science,” Charlotte says. “If we can better understand how puberty and brain development relate to mental health in transgender youth, we can offer more personalized care that doesn’t just treat symptoms—but addresses their roots.”

Charlotte says this research is about visibility and empathy. “For me, this project is about amplifying stories through science and making sure data reflects the real, lived experiences of those who are too often overlooked.” She believes that care for trans youth and the greater trans population should not be politicized, emphasizing that they are people who deserve to be understood, supported and studied with the same depth and dignity as any other group.