Sexual Science
The
Newsletter of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality
Autumn
2004
Volume
45 - Issue 3
Nancy Coiro, B.A., Editor
Inside
this issue...
|
Society Announcements |
Opportunity Alert |
46th Annual SSSS Meeting
The 46th Annual Meeting of The Society for the Scientific
Study of Sexuality will be held in Orlando Florida November 4-7, 2004 at the
Wyndham Orlando Resort. This year's theme, "Sexual Science and
Politics: Mutual Interactions" seems very appropriate given the
U.S. elections to be held the day before the opening of the Annual
Meeting. Featured plenary speakers include:
Alan
Leshner, Ph.D, CEO of AAAS
Andrew Mattison,
Ph.D., President of SSSS
Janet Hyde, Ph.D.,
Past President of SSSS
Mitchell Katine,
J.D. Texas attorney who led the fight to strike down the Texas sodomy laws
Frances Shaver,
Ph.D and Chris Bruckert, Ph.D., Canadian Researchers
Leonore Tiefer,
Ph.D., Recipient of the 2004 Distinguished Scientific Achievement Award
Mike McGee, Planned
Parenthood Federation of America
Esther Corona,
Mexican Association of Sex Education.
John Vasconcellos, J.D., California State Senator
Matilde Maddaleno, M.D. Pan American Health Organization
And many more!
Special events include a special advance
screening of the feature film, Kinsey. Join SSSS for poster
sessions, workshops, concurrent sessions, plenary sessions, special events and
lots of C.E. opportunities. Please click on the link below to view the
preliminary program.
http://www.sexscience.org/uploads/media/Preliminary_Program_2004.pdf
Be sure to make your reservations early! Early bird deadline
is October 12th!
From the President
The Call to Action on Sexual Health: Science and Belief - Seeking Common Ground
Dear SSSS members:
On May
24th, the former U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. David Satcher, convened an all day
symposium in Washington, D.C. to move forward with his 3 year old comprehensive
plan to promote sexual health and responsible sexual behavior. As you recall, 3
former SSSS presidents, Eli Coleman, Janet Hyde and Michael Ross, played an
instrumental part in the development of the original document and joined 3
other SSSS presidents and several of our members in Washington to re-examine
this "first step" and continue to make progress in reaching the goals
of the original document.
The
first step began a thoughtful and respectful discussion nationwide about
sexuality. This second step sought to seek common ground especially between the
"communities of science and belief.”
It was a day of presentations and small group discussions among people
and organizations with many different views.
I am
pleased to report that so many of the leadership of SSSS participated in the
planning and were outspoken representatives in integrating the mission
statement and science-based information of our Society.
SSSS Long Range Planning Task Force
Former
SSSS president, Rich Keeling, and Chair Pat Koch facilitated a 5 hour-long
workshop on June 9th in Madison, Wisconsin to develop updated objectives and
future goals for the Society. All members of the task force were present,
including Beverly Whipple, Carol Cassell, Janet Hyde, Sharon McNeely, Herb
Samuels, Walter Bockting, David Fleming, Ron Moglia, Ed Herold, Olga
Perez-Stable-Cox, Brian Zamboni, and Drew Mattison. Our thanks to Pat for her excellent summary of the task force
findings.
For SSSS to thrive,
we need to:
·
Target
membership as our number one priority; building our membership to 1000-1200.
·
Membership
would be strengthened by providing improved services, the most critical being
upgrading the technology that SSSS uses in its various tasks (e.g. the web
page, media available at the meetings, use of the internet for electronic
submissions, list-serves, etc.).
Another important service is the provision of continuing education (e.g.
at the meetings; on-line).
·
Another
priority should be advancing our public presence. Our advocacy activity should be expanded, which is best achieved
through the collaboration with other organizations. Holding joint meetings with other organizations is a
consideration, as well as merging in other ways.
·
In order to
focus on the above priorities, resources would need to be reallocated. Both human and financial resources would
need to be reduced in some other areas.
Things to consider would be restructuring/reducing committees,
disbanding the special interest groups (SIGS), and reducing the number of
regional meetings.
Pat Koch will
continue as chair of the Long-Range Planning Task Force monitoring the progress
of implementation of action items.
Members of the Task Force will work with specific areas and/or
committees to help with implementation.
The long-range
planning goals and action steps will be further reviewed and edited and will be
made available to the members on our website after approval by the Board of
Directors.
I want to thank personally all of the
members of the task force for their dedication, which resulted in an excellent
program. Of course, we will need the
support and active involvement of our members to successfully reach our goals.
Andrew Mattison
President, Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality (2003-2004)
Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, University of California at San Diego
School of Medicine
Additional
Message from Andrew Mattison:
Dear
SSSS Friends and Colleagues,
I have
had consultations with my new oncology team, including thorough review and
discussions of my case with the UCSD Tumor Board. (I am now a case!) I
will undergo major surgery on August 27. After recovery I will begin
chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
On a
brighter note, my new medical team did give me permission to travel to
our state Capitol earlier this week to meet with Assembly Member Mark Leno
(D, SF) to win his support for implementing a State Sexual Health Initiative
following the recommendations of former US Surgeon General David Satcher’s Call
to Action on the Promotion of Sexual Health. Members of Mr. Leno
and Senator Vasconcellos' staffs were present with
SSSS colleagues including Gil Herdt. It was a most productive initial
step with follow-up actions and meetings.
I trust we all agree
that the Orlando Preliminary Meeting Program is first class all
the way - from its upgraded color graphics to the stellar line up of plenary speakers. We have very
good presentations and posters from our membership. Our Program Co-Chairs,
Rafael Mazin and Eleanor Maticka-Tyndale as well as David Fleming and Mandy
Peters and Sharon McNeely and others on the lead team deserve the lion's
share of the credit for this truly outstanding program.
I am facing
this new challenge with a winning attitude, otherwise good general health, and a
sense of humor. I am most appreciative and fortunate in having the love and
support of family and my SSSS friends and colleagues.
Best
wishes to all,
Drew Mattison
President, SSSS
Sexuality
in the News
U OF M Establishes Nation’s First Endowed
Chair in
Sexual Health
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (May 24, 2004) — The
University of Minnesota announces the nation’s first endowed chair in sexual
health. The chair is part of an ongoing initiative within the University’s
Program in Human Sexuality to provide research, education, and patient care in
this field of public health. Over 260 donors have pledged over $1 million
toward the endowed chair.
Former United States Surgeon General David
Satcher today applauded the University’s commitment at a symposium on sexual
health in Washington, D.C. “The University of Minnesota’s endowed chair in
sexual health offers an important contribution in the field of public health. By
providing science-based research, I believe we can work toward promoting sexual
health and responsible sexual behavior.”
In 2001, Satcher released The Surgeon
General’s Call to Action to Promote Sexual Health and Responsible Sexual
Behavior.
Eli Coleman, Ph.D., program director of the University’s Program in Human Sexuality in the Medical School’s department of family medicine, participated in today’s symposium and said, “The Program in Human Sexuality at the University of Minnesota has been on the cutting edge of producing research, education, and patient care for 35 years. While Minnesota cultural traditions have been of modesty, we also have a tradition of strong public health which is informed by science and is guided by principles of equity and social justice.” He added that the program is one of the oldest, largest, and well-recognized human sexuality centers in the country.
One of the donors, Michael Ross, Ph.D.,
M.P.H., M.H.P.Ed., professor of public health at the University of Texas,
agrees with Coleman. “The field of sexuality has become a mainstream one in
psychosocial and medical research and this endowed chair, in one of the most
prestigious programs in human sexuality in the world, sets the arena and the
standards for other universities to follow.”
Update on Sexuality Education Efforts in
Turkmenistan
Dr. Ruslan Artykov, featured in the Spring 2004 issue of Sexual Science, sent an update on his efforts to initiate sexuality education in his homeland of Turkmenistan. Dr. Artykov recently held sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention classes for English teachers from all the parts of the Lebap velayat region. Fifty four teachers were given basic instruction on STIs prevention. Evaluation at the end of the conference showed that this information was new and useful for them, and almost 35% of them said that class was the only source of this information they had ever encountered. Many stated they are not yet comfortable initiating discussions of sexuality with students, although most asked that the class be offered again next year.
New Awards Established
The
Society for Sex Therapy and Research (SSTAR) has established two new awards to
be given to the author(s) or editor(s) of the best works published in English
related to the understanding and treatment of sexual disorders: one addressed
to the public, and the other to health professionals. The awards will be
named: The SSTAR Book Award (Consumer) and The SSTAR Book Award (Health
Professional). Details concerning the awards have been posted to the
SSTAR Web site (http://www.sstarnet.org)
SIECUS
Releases State Profiles on Abstinence-Only and Sexuality Education Programs
SIECUS State
Profiles represents the most complete portrait ever assembled of
abstinence-only-until-marriage programs and their intersection with sexuality
education programs in the United States. This publication includes individual
profiles for every state and the District of Columbia that are intended to
serve as a guide and major resource for advocates, policymakers, and other
interested parties. This first edition includes information from federal fiscal
year 2003, which encompasses October 1, 2002 to September 30, 2003. For more
information and to view the state profiles, please see www.siecus.org/policy/states/index.html
"California Reduces Teen Birth Rate Through Sex
Education"
Associated Press (05.10.04)
(excerpted from the
CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News)
California's teen birth rate has fallen from 11th nationwide in 1991 to 21st in 2002. The drop of more than 40 percent is attributed to a state-sponsored program that provides information about abstinence and birth control. The pregnancy figures cited by California Wellness Foundation, which runs a statewide teen pregnancy initiative, were included in a brief the foundation gave California lawmakers last week in Washington. The drop exceeds the 30 percent decline in teen pregnancies nationally during the same period.
The decline surpassed all other states except Alaska, said
Claire Brindis of the Center for Reproductive Health Research at the University
of California-San Francisco. Births
fell from 73 to 41.1 per 1,000 teens ages 15-19, she said, citing state
Department of Health Services data. The national teen birth rate is 43 per 1,000
teens. The state saved some $1 billion in taxpayer money and over $2 billion in
community costs associated with social services for teen moms and their babies.
California sex education programs in schools are required to teach that abstinence is the only 100 percent effective method in preventing both pregnancy and STDS. But, with parental approval, the programs also provide information on contraceptive methods.
California is the only state that refuses to accept federal sex education money, a stipulation of which requires public schools to teach only abstinence and avoid providing contraception information. Sex-education advocates are worried that the state's budget constraints will force California to accept $7 million in abstinence grants and shift to abstinence-only instruction.
Ed Herold’s Thoughts on being elected as SSSS Fellow
(SSSS International Member
Ed Herold recently sent this article about having been elected an SSSS fellow.
He was recognized at the SSSS Annual Meeting in November.)
I was delighted and deeply honored to be elected as a
Fellow of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality. I am most
appreciative to the SSSS Board of Directors for their confidence that my
scholarly achievements were worthy of this prestigious award. In San Antonio I
was deeply touched when Bill Yarber, a close colleague, discussed his reasons
for having nominated me for the award.
The occasion was all the more meaningful for me
because I have been very much involved with Society for more than 25 years.
Many of my research articles have been published in The Journal of Sex Research and I have presented numerous papers at
Society meetings. In addition to having served as a consulting editor to JSR
for 15 years, I have also been the International Representative and Treasurer
on the Board of Directors as well as co-Chair of the annual meeting which was
held in Toronto. I especially valued my role as editor of the SSSS-sponsored
series What do Sexual Scientists Know
that was aimed at explaining sexual science topics for the general public.
I am glad to have served the Society because it plays
a key role in developing our knowledge of sexual science. I feel very passionate about the valuable
contribution that the Society makes in supporting sexuality research and in
particular its support of beginning scholars. Certainly, the Society has been
most supportive of my research over the years and has been extremely helpful in
my own career advancement.
Most importantly, I have very much appreciated the
warm, welcoming climate that the Society displays. I feel that this is so important in attracting new members to our
organization. Personally, I have developed many friendships in SSSS so that
going to our meetings is like a homecoming for me.
Foundation for the Scientific Study of Sexuality
FSSS and You
Did you know that
since 1989, the Foundation for the Scientific Study of Sexuality has
contributed more than $15,000 to SSSS to support the major plenary addresses at
the Annual Meetings? Each year, the FSSS Julius H and Naomi Winer Fund for
Sexual Science and Public Policy underwrites the cost of this event by
providing travel funds and an honorarium so that a distinguished scholar can be
chosen to make these outstanding contributions at the Annual Meeting.
FSSS
Announces Annual Best Book Prize
The Foundation
for the Scientific Study of Sexuality has announced the creation of Bonnie
and Vern L. Bullough Award. The Award will be given annually to the
author(s) of the most distinguished book written during the preceding year for
the professional sexological community. The purpose of the Award is to
encourage and to recognize outstanding scholarship in the field of sexology. A
prize of $500 and a plaque will be given to the recipient. The Award is
supported by the FSSS Bonnie Bullough Endowment Fund.
Authors,
publishers, or individuals wanting to bring recognition to a book they have
read may submit nominations for the Award. Details concerning the nomination
procedure may be obtained from FSSS by contacting the FSSS office at 317
Scott Ave., Syracuse, NY 13224 or sending an e-mail to Clive Davis at cmd@psych.syr.edu.The winner of each year’s
award will be announced in July, and the official presentation will occur at
the Annual Meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality.
FSSS Memorial
Giving Program
The FSSS
Memorial Giving Program provides a mechanism for honoring the memory of a
loved one or a deceased colleague. It is also a means for honoring a living
person on a birthday, anniversary, retirement, or other special occasion. When
you make a donation, the person you designate receives a memorial card
indicating that a contribution has been made to FSSS in honor of the identified
person and, as appropriate, the occasion.
FSSS and You
Did you know that a
major focus of the Foundation for the Scientific Study of Sexuality is
the support of SSSS student members? Each year, FSSS provides the
financial support for at least two student research proposals. It is a priority
of FSSS to expand its support for students as additional funds become
available. Contributions to FSSS can be designated to support the SSSS
student research awards.
To make a
contribution to FSSS or to obtain more information, contact the FSSS office at
317 Scott Ave., Syracuse, NY 13224 or send e-mail to Clive Davis at cmd@psych.syr.edu. A minimum contribution
of $10 is requested. The donated funds are deposited in the general endowment
of FSSS unless otherwise designated.
There
are millions of career paths available, yet somehow Quad S members choose to
devote their energies to sex research and/or education. Why? What made you choose
this path? This edition’s contribution is from former Sexual Science Editor
Erica Neuman.
Why
I am a Proud SSSS Member
By Erica C. Neuman, MS (SSSS member since 1992)
I attended my very first SSSS meeting in 1992 -- it was a Mid-continent
Regional meeting in Big Rapids, Michigan. I was an undergrad at Michigan State
with plans to go to law school when I met a "sex educator" while
coordinating events for sexual assault awareness week on my campus. He told me
about SSSS and some graduate school programs I might be interested in if I
wanted a career in human sexuality. I was quite shocked to learn that there was
such a field of study. I had heard of sex therapists and at the conference I
learned that there were also sex educators and sex researchers (i.e., as paid
professional careers!). I had been an HIV/AIDS volunteer educator with a local
nonprofit but never thought I could get paid to work in the field.
I went to that first SSSS meeting and met some amazing people and learned so
much about the latest sex research and how to apply it as an educator. I became
so excited about the field of sex research -- much more so than I ever was
about the law, that I decided to switch my education and ultimately my career
path.
I
chose the Indiana University Masters program in Applied Health Science because
I could take many electives in sexuality education. While I loved sex research
I knew that my personality and talents were better aligned for direct sexuality
education. I knew that I had a knack for connecting with an audience on sexual
health and responsibility, developing training and education curricula and
backing it all up with the latest in sex research.
SSSS truly opened their arms to me and other motivated students who were new to
the organization and the field. In 1996, encouraged by SSSS member Stephanie
Sanders, I organized and submitted a student symposium presentation, which was
accepted. Five graduate students presented papers on female sexuality to a
packed room at an early Sunday morning session in Houston, Texas. (If you've
been to a conference you'll know how amazing that is!) The support and
encouragement from SSSS members only continued to grow as my career
developed.
While most SSSS members hold PhDs and are college professors, I decided to take
a different path. I was more interested in educating the masses directly and
not having to worry about tenure. Pursuing a career specifically in sexuality
education is very limiting but I've managed to have a diverse range of
positions.
Since
graduating from IU in 1996, I have been the director of a statewide sexual
assault organization, a professional trainer for a Planned Parenthood, a senior
sexuality producer for a TV network, founder and author of an advice column for
parents and the executive producer of a sensual enhancement and education
e-commerce company. My volunteer positions with SSSS have included being the
Mid-continent Region membership chair, the Students & Young Professionals
SIG co-chair, the editor of Sexual Science and the Western Region treasurer.
Throughout my varied positions I have always enjoyed the support of SSSS
members. I have since joined other professional sexuality and media
organizations related to my career but I have never missed a SSSS meeting
because SSSS is my first love. SSSS members were my first system of
support, my first mentors, and my first professional friends. I may have many
other positions in the field of human sexuality throughout my career, but one
constant will be my membership to the Society for the Scientific Study of
Sexuality. Thank you "Quad S" for always being there.
Who Inspired You?
Do you have a mentor, an unsung hero? Who
inspired you to become a sex researcher, educator or therapist? What about them
inspired you? This is your opportunity to publicly recognize that important
guide on your professional path. Tell us who they are, what they meant to you,
and how they impacted your life. If you are interested in sharing the story of
your mentor, please contact the editor at ncoiro@yahoo.com.
List Mentor as the subject heading.
Research
Funding
The
Isis Fund For Sex-Based Biology Research
The Society for
Women’s Health Research provides funding for research on the impact of sex
differences. They seek to establish interdisciplinary research networks between
scientists working in diverse areas. Currently, the funding streams cover two
topic areas: neuroscience and metabolism.
Please note that membership in the networks is by invitation only. For
further information, contact Vivian Simon at Viviana@womenshealthresearch.org
Job
Opening at SEICUS
The Sexuality
Education and Information Council of the United States is seeking a Director of
International Programs. This position requires a Masters Degree;
international family planning, sexuality education, or related health education
experience; 3-5 years of progressively responsible management experience; oral
and written fluency in Spanish and excellent writing, speaking, and
publications skills.
To
apply for this position, mail or fax cover letter and resume to: Human
Resources, International Department, SIECUS, 130 West 42nd Street, Suite 350,
New York, NY 10036; Fax: 212/819-9776.
Upcoming Events, Meetings, etc.
National
Meetings:
SSSS 46th Annual Conference
Sexual Science and Politics: Mutual Interactions
November 4-7, 2004, Orlando, FL.
Information is available at www.sexscience.org
Sage VI
The 6th Annual Sex and Gene Expression Conference (SAGE) will be
held
March 17-20, 2005 in
Winston-Salem, NC. SAGE is
sponsored by the Society for Women’s Health Research. The focus of the
conference will be exploring the
molecular mechanisms underlying sex differences. More information is
available on their website at www.womenshealthresearch.org
SSTAR 2005: 30th Annual Meeting
The 30th Annual Meeting of the Society for Sex Therapy and Research
will be held on April 7-10, 2005, at the Hyatt Regency Cambridge in Cambridge,
MA. Information is available at http://www.sstarnet.org/upcomingMeetings.cfm.
37th Annual AASECT Conference
The 37th Annual AASECT Conference will be held on May 11-15,
2005, at the Portland Downtown Marriott in Portland, OR. Information is
available at http://www.aasect.org/annualcon.cfm.
International Meetings:
The 8th International
Conference of the International Association for the Treatment of Sexual
Offenders (IATSO), will be in Athens, Greece, from
October 6-9, 2004. The conference will include information on paraphilias,
sexual offenders, sexual violence, and sexual abuse. The conference web address
is http://www.iatsoathens.gr/.
The 31st Annual Canadian Sex Research
Forum will be in Fredericton, New
Brunswick on October 7-9. 2004. Conference planning is still in process.
Advances in Sexual Health: From
Evidence to Practice
The European Federation of Sexology (EFS), the editor of the European Journal
of Sexologies, and the Société Francophone de Médecine
Sexuelle (SFMS) have organized an international meeting to serve the growing
number of practitioners in the field of sexual health, and give researchers and
clinicians of all the disciplines concerned with sexuality the opportunity to
share their knowledge and engage in friendly debates in a truly
multidisciplinary environment. The conference will give practitioners the
opportunity to update themselves on the latest basic and clinical scientific
findings, as well as developments in the management of sexual dysfunction, in
an open, friendly and international environment. This meeting will be held
January 23-28, 2005 on Mauritius Island. For more information concerning this
conference, please email the
Scientific Secretary: Dr M. Bonierbale, at a.bonechi@nha.fr.
Dr. Beverly Whipple and Jacque Buvat will co-chair this meeting.
The annual meeting of the International Academy of Sex
Research (IASR) will be held July 6-9, 2005 in Ottawa, Ontario. Contact the Secretary/Treasurer of IASR, Lucia O'Sullivan,
Ph.D., at LFO2@columbia.edu
for more information. Please note that in the email address, the letter F
is followed by the letter O, not by a zero.
Women and the New Sexual Politics:
Profits vs. Pleasures will be held
July 9-10, 2005, in Montreal, Quebec, at Le Nouvel Hotel. The keynote speaker
will be Barbara Ehrenreich. The conference is sponsored by the Campaign
for a New View of Women’s Sexual Problems. Leonore Tiefer, Ph.D. is the
conference chair. The conference committee is currently being formed. More
information can be found at http://www.fsd-alert.org.
17th World Congress of Sexology The World Congress will be held July 10-15, 2005, at
the Montreal Convention Centre. Preliminary program information is available at
www.montrealsexo.com
Papers are now being accepted for review for the 30th Annual Meeting of the Society for Sex Therapy and Research (SSTAR). SSTAR meetings are devoted to understanding and treating sexual disorders such as sexual dysfunctions, gender identity disorders, and paraphilias. Presentations may include hypothesis driven research or theoretical formulations. Information is available at http://www.sstarnet.org/
Advances in Sexual Health: From
Evidence to Practice has submitted a call for abstracts. Information is
available from the Scientific Secretary of the conference at a.bonechi@nha.fr
Wired! Sexuality
Websites of Interest
http://watson.apa.org/cprpublicpetition/cprpublicpetition.cfm
This website link is vitally important to the continued funding of the sexuality research projects of SSSS members. At this address, you can add your name to the petition to be presented to Congress in support of sustained funding. The petition is sponsored by the Coalition to Protect Research, of which SSSS is a charter member.
Over the last year, scientific organizations have been working to defend the
research priorities of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the agency that
funds nearly $28 billion in public health research each year. At the same
time, there has been a marked increase in Congressional concerns about the
appropriateness of NIH funding decisions for grants that were approved through
NIH's rigorous merit review process, the gold standard for determining research
funding allocations worldwide.
In July 2003, the House of Representatives even voted on an amendment that
would have cut off funding from five specific peer-reviewed grants that some
members of Congress decided were not scientifically relevant or deserving of
federal funds. While the vote failed, congressional pressure on NIH to change
its funding decisions continues.
In response to congressional inquiries, NIH Director Elias Zerhouni
conducted a comprehensive review of the NIH's human sexuality research
portfolio. He concluded that the research projects in question were
appropriately reviewed and that NIH's human sexuality portfolio, the main
target of congressional inquiries, is not funded disproportionately to the
public health burden of diseases linked to sexual behavior and sexual function
such as HIV/AIDS, STIs or infertility. Further, there is abundant
evidence of the importance of behavior in the prevalence and severity of some
of our major, and most costly chronic diseases (including STIs), and
understanding better how to influence behavior is urgently needed.
Take the time to sign your name to this petition. The
sanctity of the peer-reviewed research process is at stake.
REMINDER!!!!!!!!!
Deadline for submissions for the next edition is
November 19, 2004. Please send all submissions to: ncoiro@yahoo.com. Please write Sexual
Science in the subject heading.