Fenway Health
Professional services
UnclaimedA Boston nonprofit community health center known for LGBTQIA+ health care, research, education, advocacy, and HIV services.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Fenway Health is a nonprofit community health center headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. It was established in 1971 by Northeastern University students David Scondras and Linda Beane, initially as a volunteer-run drop-in center serving people who had limited access to affirming health and social services. From that beginning, Fenway developed into a broad healthcare and research organization whose historic and continuing specialization is the health of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and other sexual and gender minority communities. The organization began in the basement of a senior center operated by The First Church of Christ, Scientist. As demand increased, it incorporated as an independent health center in 1973 and moved to a larger facility at 16 Haviland Street. That site became associated with HIV counseling and testing, health navigation, helplines, and programs for gay and bisexual men. Fenway obtained a full license from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health in 1978. Its work expanded beyond general primary care to include reproductive health, mental health, dental and eye care, pharmacy services, HIV prevention, violence recovery, and care navigation. Fenway became involved in HIV/AIDS care and advocacy during the early 1980s. The organization reported making the first AIDS diagnosis in New England in 1981, and its clinical and research work later contributed to national HIV research. In 1994, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases selected Fenway as one of eight sites recruiting participants for early HIV vaccine clinical trials. Fenway also developed reproductive-health services for lesbians, including an alternative-insemination program whose first reported birth occurred in 1985. Fundraising and community programming became important parts of Fenway's public identity. The annual Dinner Party began in 1992 as a fundraiser for Fenway Women's Health and grew into a major LGBTQIA+ community event. The Audre Lorde Cancer Awareness Brunch, launched in 1999, focused on women of color and communities affected by cancer. In 2001, Fenway created The Fenway Institute, an interdisciplinary division devoted to research, evaluation, professional training, education, policy, and advocacy related to LGBTQIA+ health. Its National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center provides technical assistance, educational resources, and consultation to healthcare organizations seeking to improve culturally responsive care. Fenway launched its Transgender Health Program in 2004, addressing a population that has historically encountered substantial barriers to healthcare. The program became one of the organization's prominent clinical services. Fenway's educational influence also increased through The Fenway Guide to LGBT Health, published by the American College of Physicians in 2007 and edited by specialists associated with Fenway and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. The organization moved into the ten-story Ansin Building at 1340 Boylston Street in 2009. The approximately 100,000-square-foot facility was described as the largest LGBT health and research facility in the United States at the time. In 2013, Fenway added the LGBT Aging Project and the AIDS Action Committee to its organizational family. During the following decade, it continued developing transgender-health education, including a national medical conference held in 2015. Fenway experienced a leadership crisis in 2017 after complaints concerning the conduct of physician Harvey Makadon and the handling of those complaints by chief executive Steven Boswell. Boswell resigned in December 2017, and the board appointed behavioral-health director M. Jane Powers as interim chief executive. Ellen LaPointe was named CEO in December 2019. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Fenway shifted substantial medical and behavioral-health activity to telehealth, operated testing sites in Boston and Everett, and participated in an NIH-backed COVID-19 Prevention Network trial site for the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. Fenway remains an active nonprofit healthcare, research, education, and advocacy institution serving Boston and contributing to national LGBTQIA+ health policy and practice.
History
Fenway Health began in 1971 when Northeastern University students David Scondras and Linda Beane opened a small drop-in center in the basement of a senior center operated by The First Church of Christ, Scientist. Volunteer nursing students helped staff the center. Its early mission was to provide accessible, respectful services to people in Boston's LGBTQ community, at a time when mainstream medical institutions often lacked both cultural competence and willingness to address their needs. Growing demand led the organization to incorporate as an independent health center in 1973. It moved to 16 Haviland Street, a location that later became associated with HIV counseling and testing, health navigation, helplines, and programs for gay and bisexual men. Fenway received a full Massachusetts Department of Public Health license in 1978. Its services broadened over time to include primary care, mental health, dentistry, ophthalmic care, pharmacy services, reproductive health, HIV prevention, and support for survivors of violence. The emergence of HIV/AIDS made Fenway's clinical and advocacy role particularly significant. In 1981, it made what is described as the first AIDS diagnosis in New England. During the 1980s and 1990s, Fenway combined direct patient care with community education, prevention, research, and public advocacy. Its participation in HIV vaccine research expanded in 1994, when the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases selected Fenway as one of eight recruitment sites for early HIV vaccine clinical trials. Fenway also established programs responding to reproductive and cancer-related needs. Its alternative-insemination program, among the earliest in the United States to offer such services to lesbians, recorded its first birth in 1985. The organization began its annual Dinner Party in 1992 as a fundraiser for Fenway Women's Health. In 1999, it created the Audre Lorde Cancer Awareness Brunch, emphasizing the experiences of women of color and supporters affected by cancer. A major institutional development came in 2001 with the launch of The Fenway Institute. The institute brought together research, evaluation, clinical education, policy work, and advocacy aimed at improving healthcare for LGBTQ communities. Fenway established its Transgender Health Program in 2004, addressing the persistent exclusion and discrimination experienced by transgender and gender-nonconforming people in healthcare. In 2007, experts affiliated with Fenway and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center contributed to The Fenway Guide to LGBT Health, published by the American College of Physicians. The guide reflected Fenway's broader effort to bring LGBTQ health into professional medical education. In 2009, Fenway opened the Ansin Building at 1340 Boylston Street in Boston. The ten-story, approximately 100,000-square-foot facility consolidated major clinical, research, and administrative functions and was described as the largest LGBT health and research facility in the United States at the time. Fenway expanded its institutional network in 2013 by adding the LGBT Aging Project and the AIDS Action Committee. Its National LGBT Health Education Center continued to provide training and consultation to healthcare organizations, while The Fenway Institute developed national and international visibility in LGBTQ health policy and research. The organization faced a serious governance and workplace controversy in 2017. Complaints alleged that physician Harvey Makadon had sexually harassed and bullied staff members. CEO Steven Boswell was criticized for his handling of the complaints and resigned in December of that year. Fenway's board appointed M. Jane Powers, then director of behavioral health, as interim CEO. Jennifer Potter and Kenneth Mayer were named co-chairs of The Fenway Institute in 2017. Ellen LaPointe became chief executive officer in December 2019. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Fenway adapted substantial medical and behavioral-health activity for telehealth, operated COVID-19 testing sites in Boston and Everett, and participated in the NIH-backed COVID-19 Prevention Network. In September 2020, it served as a site for a Phase 3 efficacy trial involving the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. Fenway Health continues to combine community healthcare delivery with specialized LGBTQIA+ services, research, workforce education, health navigation, and advocacy.
- 2020
Expands pandemic response and joins COVID-19 trial network
[1]Fenway increases telehealth, operates testing sites, and participates in an NIH-backed COVID-19 vaccine-prevention trial network.
- 2019
Ellen LaPointe becomes CEO
[1]Fenway appoints Ellen LaPointe as chief executive officer.
- 2017
Leadership transition follows workplace complaint controversy
[1]CEO Steven Boswell resigns and M. Jane Powers becomes interim CEO after controversy over the handling of complaints involving a physician.
- 2015
National conference on transgender health is held
[1]Fenway's National LGBT Health Education Center hosts an early medical conference dedicated specifically to transgender health.
- 2013
LGBT Aging Project and AIDS Action Committee join Fenway's family
[1]Fenway expands its organizational network by adding two established community and advocacy organizations.
- 2009
Ansin Building opens
[1]Fenway opens its ten-story headquarters and clinical facility at 1340 Boylston Street in Boston.
- 2004
Transgender Health Program begins
[1]Fenway creates a dedicated program for transgender and gender-nonconforming patients.
- 2001
The Fenway Institute is launched
[1]Fenway establishes an interdisciplinary research, education, policy, and advocacy division focused on LGBTQ health.
- 1994
Selected for early HIV vaccine clinical-trial recruitment
[1]The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases selects Fenway as one of eight recruitment sites for initial HIV vaccine trials.
- 1985
Alternative-insemination program records first birth
[1]Fenway's reproductive-health program records its first reported birth after providing alternative-insemination services to lesbians.
Products and positioning
Fenway Health positions itself as an affirming, community-oriented healthcare and research organization with particular expertise in LGBTQIA+ health, HIV prevention and care, transgender health, culturally competent clinical practice, and health-equity advocacy.
Clinical services
Primary and specialty healthcare
Fenway provides community-based medical care, including primary care and services tailored to LGBTQIA+ patients and other underserved populations. Its clinical model combines routine care with attention to sexual health, HIV prevention, gender-affirming needs, and barriers created by discrimination or inadequate access.
Mental healthcare
Behavioral Health
Behavioral-health services form part of Fenway's integrated care offering. The organization uses an LGBTQIA+-affirming approach and connects mental-health support with primary care, health navigation, violence recovery, and other social and medical services.
Gender-affirming healthcare · 2004
Transgender Health Program
Established in 2004, the Transgender Health Program serves transgender and gender-nonconforming patients through dedicated clinical and support services. It was created to address the substantial access barriers and lack of culturally competent care experienced by many transgender people.
HIV services
HIV Counseling, Testing & Referrals Program
This program provides HIV counseling, testing, referrals, and related navigation support. It reflects Fenway's long-standing role in HIV/AIDS treatment, prevention, research, and community advocacy dating to the early 1980s.
Healthcare education
National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center
The National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center develops educational programs, practical resources, and consultation for healthcare organizations. Its purpose is to improve culturally competent, effective, and cost-conscious care for LGBTQIA+ and other sexual and gender minority patients.
Research and policy · 2001
The Fenway Institute
The Fenway Institute is Fenway Health's research, training, education, policy, and advocacy division. It conducts and supports work intended to improve LGBTQIA+ health outcomes and influence clinical practice, public-health policy, and professional education.
Reproductive healthcare
Alternative Insemination Program
Fenway operated one of the early US alternative-insemination programs designed to provide reproductive services to lesbians. The program recorded its first birth in 1985 and represented an expansion of affirming reproductive care for same-sex couples and LGBTQ patients.
Controversies
2017
Workplace harassment complaint controversy and CEO resignation
Fenway faced a leadership and workplace controversy after complaints alleged that physician Harvey Makadon sexually harassed and bullied staff. CEO Steven Boswell was criticized for his handling of the complaints, including reportedly not following an independent law firm's recommendation to terminate the physician. Boswell resigned in December 2017, and the board appointed M. Jane Powers as interim CEO.
Marketing campaigns
- 1999Audre Lorde Cancer Awareness Brunch
United States
Fenway launched an annual brunch honoring Audre Lorde and focusing on women of color and supporters affected by cancer.
Outcome. The program became a recurring awareness and community-support event.
- 1992Fenway Dinner Party
United States
Fenway began its annual Dinner Party as a fundraiser for Fenway Women's Health. The event developed into a prominent LGBTQIA+ community gathering and fundraising occasion.
Outcome. The event became one of Fenway's best-known recurring community and fundraising programs.
Brand decisions
2020
Adapt services for the COVID-19 pandemicStrategyBackground
The pandemic disrupted in-person medical and behavioral-health delivery while increasing demand for testing and public-health support.
Action taken
Fenway moved much of its medical and behavioral-health care to telehealth, operated testing sites in Boston and Everett, and joined the NIH-backed COVID-19 Prevention Network.
Aftermath
Fenway remained operational during the pandemic and participated in a Phase 3 Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine efficacy trial.
2013
Add the LGBT Aging Project and AIDS Action CommitteeM&ABackground
Fenway sought to broaden its community-service and advocacy network beyond its core clinical operations.
Action taken
The LGBT Aging Project and the AIDS Action Committee joined the Fenway family.
Aftermath
Fenway expanded its reach into aging services, HIV advocacy, and related community programs.
2009
Open the Ansin BuildingOtherBackground
Fenway needed a larger facility to support its expanding clinical, research, and educational operations.
Action taken
The organization opened a ten-story facility at 1340 Boylston Street in Boston.
Aftermath
The building became Fenway's principal headquarters and was described as the largest LGBT health and research facility in the United States at the time.
2004
Launch the Transgender Health ProgramStrategyBackground
Transgender and gender-nonconforming people faced significant barriers to affirming and comprehensive healthcare.
Action taken
Fenway created a dedicated Transgender Health Program to provide more focused care and support.
Aftermath
The program expanded into one of Fenway's prominent clinical services and continued to grow in response to community demand.
2001
Create The Fenway InstituteStrategyBackground
Fenway sought to extend its impact beyond direct patient care and contribute to research, medical education, health policy, and advocacy concerning LGBTQ health.
Action taken
The organization launched The Fenway Institute as a national interdisciplinary center combining research, evaluation, training, education, policy, and advocacy.
Aftermath
The institute became a central part of Fenway's national health-education and policy profile and later housed the National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center.
Recent events
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