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So what does the New Year hold for the future of sexual health? Can we be optimistic? I think so. There are four broad reasons to feel optimistic.

1.  As governments struggle with the complexities of the sexual problems and declining resources to commit to alleviate the myriad of problems, they will have no choice but to create broad strategies to promote sexual health. We have a public health imperative. We have an opportunity to use an evidence-based approach to public policy. Public health policies recognize that there is no choice but to address the barriers and opportunities for all citizens to enjoy the right to sexual health. They also recognize more and more that sexual health is a function of the recognition of basic human rights for all citizens.

2.  Sexual Health has taken root in public health policy and sexual science will be needed to guide it. Now is the time of a unique opportunity in history of which we must take advantage.

3.  The field of sexology has clearly established itself as a key player in the effort to promote a healthier society in the new millennium. The HIV pandemic alone continues to drive home the need to understand human sexuality in its full complexity--from the interdisciplinary perspective of sexology. Now sexologists are being asked to come to the table and help direct public policy by sharing our knowledge, research, and expertise.

4.  Public health officials recognize more than any other time that comprehensive sexuality education is essential. They need to support sexuality research and we see a flourishing of funding that is rooted in sound theory and scientific methodology. We see an increase in research publications which add to our knowledge and legitimacy of our scientific field.

In the United States, we have seen major developments that are guiding lights for the future of sexual health. There have been 5 major developments which will have a major impact in the coming year.

1.  In 2010, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) held a sexual health consultation to develop a broad consensus of how we could develop a strong, comprehensive, broad and integrated approach to sexual health. The meeting report was published in 2011. After another year of further consultation, the CDC is about to publish a white paper outlining the basic and fundamental strategies for the coming decades. The CDC adopted its own sexual health definition that could guide its work in this area.

2.  In 2010, the office of the President of the United States published a National HIV Strategy - the first comprehensive national strategy since the beginning of the epidemic! In this strategy, there was a strong statement that we must move away from thinking that one approach to HIV prevention will work, whether it is condoms, pills, information or prevention programs. Instead, we need to develop, evaluate, and implement effective comprehensive prevention strategies and combination therapies. While obvious, it was stated clearly that all Americans should have access to a shared base of factual information about HIV - a revival of the basic premise that US Surgeon General Koop stood upon in disseminating frank and scientifically accurate information to all households in the mid-1980s. Finally, this new strategy outlined a public health approach to sexual health that includes HIV prevention as one component. This was the first time the term sexual health was used in public policy in the United States. The President and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have called for a concerted approach to creating an AIDS-free generation.

3.  In 2011, the office of the US Surgeon General released a report that was developed by the National Prevention Council. This report was the first national strategy on prevention that called for us to work together to improve health and quality of life by moving from a focus on sickness and disease to one based on prevention and wellness. Reproductive and sexual health is one of the seven targeted priorities. Many of these recommendations have been incorporated and will be funded by the Affordable Care Act.

4.  In 2011, a report commissioned by the Secretary of Health and Human Services and conducted by the Institute of Medicine, was released on the health of gay, lesbian, and transgendered individuals. This report called upon more understanding and research on these marginalized populations and outlined a broad strategy to promote the health and wellbeing of these American citizens. This report has already had profound positive impact on public policies and public attitudes.

5.  In 2011, the Department of Health and Human Services set broad health goals for the coming decade entitled --Healthy People 2020. In this broad health strategy "Reproductive and Sexual Health" was clearly identified as a leading health indicator. The outcomes of the recent national elections have ensured that these broad strategies to promote sexual health will go forward with commitment, leadership, and essential funding.

So, I think we can look forward to 2013 with a sense of optimism. We cannot be complacent, but we can ride this wave of renewed commitment to the promotion of sexual health for all Americans.

The Program in Human Sexuality will do its part - but it will be made easier by this social and political climate that shares our ideals of creating a sexually healthier climate and overcoming barriers to sexual health.

Thank you all for your support of the Program's activities and we wish you the very best in the coming year!

Eli Coleman, PhD
Director and Professor
Chair in Sexual Health

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A recent summit hosted by PHS gathered key medical school educators and sexual health experts to discuss the challenges and opportunities for ensuring physicians are properly trained to address the sexual health needs of their patients.

Participants included former US Surgeons General Joycelyn Elders, MD, and David Satcher, MD, PhD, as well as representatives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Medical Association, the Association of American Medical Colleges, the American Medical Student Organization, and a wide range of medical schools, universities, and organizations. The summit's premise was based upon a series of recently published papers, covering the state of sexual health education in the US and Canada and recommended curriculum changes. Invited speakers shared their perspectives in a think-tank format culminating in a working group session. A meeting report will be prepared and shared with interested parties and key stakeholders.

Eli Coleman, PhD, the event organizer said, "It is our hope that this summit and meeting report will serve as a catalyst for re-invigorating the necessary sexual health curriculum to meet the needs of physicians of the future."

During the summit participants heard from educators, students, and researchers, including many of the authors whose articles were used for background. Educators from a range of medical schools shared information about their sexual health curricula and training programs. On Tuesday morning participants gathered into work groups around the topics of curriculum placement, evaluation, faculty development, inter-professional education and training for integrated care, and cooperative strategies and partnerships.

The event was held on December 3 - 4, 2012, at the Commons Hotel in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The event was made possible through funds from the Joycelyn Elders Chair in Sexual Health Education and the University of Minnesota Medical School through support of a Herz Grant and the Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity.

PHOTO: summit participants; credit Duane Rost

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Michael Miner, PhD, will be the principal investigator on a new five-year research grant from the National Institutes of Justice of the Department of Justice totaling $1.5 million. The aim of the project is to conduct a rigorous analysis of the utility of a newly developed, dynamic risk factor assessment for sexual offenders, Sex Offender Treatment Intervention and Progress Scale (SOTIPS).

For over a decade, risk detection for sexual offenders has been the domain of static actuarial instruments. By adding dynamic factors to a risk assessment, specifically ones that have been linked to risk of reoffending and are amenable to treatment, has the potential to greatly improve our ability to assess risk, and changes in risk, over time. At the same time, it can improve treatment by systematically tracking progress, and identifying areas for intervention.

"This project could result in a major step forward in sex offender management, in that we may identify an empirically valid method for tracking changes in risk status. This will allow for a more nuanced strategy toward sex offender management, since intervention intensity could be modified as predicted offender risk changes over time," said Miner.

On January 2, 2013, researchers at the PHS will begin working with sex offender treatment and management systems in New York City, NY, and Maricopa County, AZ, to collect data on 500 sexual offenders in treatment at each location, interview directors of treatment programs, and conduct focus groups with treatment providers and probation/parole agents. Follow-up data will assess sexual recidivism, non-sexual violent recidivism, any recidivism, returns to confinement, and violations of conditional release (parole or probation).

Miner's research team includes Bean Robinson, PhD (co-investigator), Chris Hoefer (project coordinator), Cathy Strobel (research staff), Karl Hanson, PhD (consultant from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada), and David Thornton, PhD (consultant from Mauston, Wisconsin).

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Katie Spencer, PhD, assistant professor, is the new coordinator of Transgender Health Services at PHS. Spencer is eager to continue to bring the program in line with current best practices in transgender care, increase operational transparency, and deepen community collaborations.

Spencer believes that, "In recent years there has been a huge and welcomed shift in health care for transgender and gender nonconforming individuals. Across the nation and locally more physicians and mental health providers are being trained to provide quality care for transgender and gender nonconforming patients, which increases access for trans clients. Part of our role is to continue to engage in cutting-edge research, training, and clinical service to break down barriers to competent care for trans clients. We have also seen a ground swell in community organizations that provide support to individuals across the gender spectrum. It is an exciting time to be in transgender health care, with multiple opportunities for collaboration, capacity building, and expanding the framework of how we provide trans clients the best holistic health care."

Over the last month Spencer has started to systematically incorporate the recommendations from the revised Standards of Care for the Health of Transsexual, Transgender, and Gender Nonconforming People as well as science-based research on trans health into the operations of the Center for Sexual Health. This process includes updating staff and patient materials as well as clinical procedures. She is also meeting with community organizations, community health care providers, and colleagues in the region to discuss possible collaborations and partnerships. Spencer will be reviving a community advisory board to focus on the Transgender Health Services program. Spencer's longer-term goals include developing a patient peer mentor program, revamping the group therapy model, and creating a community support space for patients and families that would include a library or resource materials on health, legal, and social support issues.

Spencer believes in empowering patients to have more say in their own and their community's care, revising our model of care to reflect patient-centered, patient-informed, and collaborative models of care, consistent with feedback from trans health care advocates and research on best outcomes for patient care. Spencer said, "My goal is to build on our successes in developing innovative research and public policy in the area of transgender health and incorporate these principles into a strong and cohesive framework that supports all aspects of our work in clinical care, new research, and community advocacy."

In addition to her clinical work, Spencer works with multiple community organizations working to educate about LGBT healthcare issues and primarily transgender healthcare. She works with the Minnesota Trans Youth Support Network on the Community Hormone Access Project, partnering with community advocates and trans youth to develop community based hormone protocols for transgender care, in hopes to increase access to competent care and hormone provision for trans youth. She recently participated in the development of a theatre educational project for high schools on transgender youth issues. Spencer provides training, education, and consultation on sexual health and transgender issues, and has worked with the Family Tree Clinic, Face to Face Health and Counseling Services, Fairview Clinics, the University of North Dakota, and the Minneapolis Veterans Administration. Spencer often speaks about the intersections of LGBT rights and impact on wellbeing, and recently presented a First Friday Forum for the Minnesota Psychological Association on the psychological research on same sex marriage.

Spencer received her MA and PhD in counseling psychology from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She received her BA in women's studies and psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her internship was completed at the University of Illinois-Chicago Counseling Center, and she was a postdoctoral fellow at PHS. She has a strong interest social justice, and education and training of therapists and medical providers in sexual health and transgender health care competency. Her primary clinical practice is working with transgender and gender non-conforming, adolescents, and adults, women's sexual health, and LGBT sexual health and wellbeing. She co-facilitates several groups, including the gender exploration group for youth and their families, the women's sexual health group, and transgender adult interpersonal groups. She has experience working with compulsive sexual behavior and general sexual dysfunction concerns. Her research and clinical interests focus on cultural competency in working with LGB and transgender populations, LGBT sexual health, sex therapy with LGBT couples, trans youth, and feminist embodied approaches to sexual health.

Spencer became coordinator of Transgender Health Services in October 2012, when the former coordinator Walter Bockting, PhD, joined the Initiative for LGBT Health a new program at the New York Psychiatric Institute and the Columbia University.

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Thanks PHS donors, this year has been filled with new and exciting projects to advance sexual health in our communities.

•    The endowed Chair in Sexual Health continues to provide key support at PHS for the director and faculty to promote sexual health in Minnesota, the nation, and the world. This year the Chair supported a productive faculty retreat which focused on improving our postdoctoral fellowship program. The Chair also supported staff training and faculty participation in sexual health policy consultations.

•    Funding from the Joycelyn Elders Chair in Sexual Health Education endowment allowed us to convene an important summit on sexual health education for medical schools. Over 50 professionals attended this historic and critical meeting including leaders in sexual health education from 24 medical schools and universities and representatives from 25 organizations including the American Medical Association and the American Association of Medical Colleges.

•    We were very excited to commission a new play and theatrical production based on the stories, experiences, and perspectives of transgender and gender non-conforming youth in high school. Faculty members developed educational materials for the play, all of which will be made available to high schools and community groups across the country without charge. It is our hope that educators and peers will re-create the play to develop an increased understanding and appreciation of the issues that transgender and gender non-conforming youth face.

•    This fall two of our researchers started a new preliminary research project on sexuality and aging with a focus on mindfulness and the body in "women of a certain age."

•    Through our faculty and appreciation fund, we have been able to give faculty and staff awards and reward outstanding contributions and help fund small initiatives to foster their work.

Thank you for providing our faculty with the resources to start these important projects.

Please help us to continue to positively impact the sexual health of individuals, couples, families, and communities by making a year-end gift to PHS today!

The faculty at PHS are committed to bringing science-based and sex-positive solutions to sexuality education, clinical care, research, and public policy. Please become our partner in these important efforts by making a generous year-end donation of $100, $250, $500, or more to one of the funds listed below.

Thank you for your continued commitment to change the direction of sexual health in this country and around the world. BECAUSE OF YOU we are helping individuals, couples, and families lead more sexually healthy lives.

Chair in Sexual Health
Supports the Director to advance the field of sexual health and provide the infrastructure to attract, retain, and support top faculty and staff at PHS

Joycelyn Elders Chair in Sexual Health Education
Provides support to advance sexual health education for every person regardless of age, ethnic background, sexual or gender identity or socioeconomic status and to ensure that professionals are equipped to address the sexual health needs of the people in their care.

Sexuality and Aging Research
Providing resources for faculty in the Program in Human Sexuality to conduct research on sexuality and aging.

Ashley Rukes Transgender Health Fund
Provides support for transgender health services for the uninsured.

Program in Human Sexuality Faculty Appreciation and Research Fund
Provides support for PHS faculty and their projects in research, education, and clinical service.

Program in Human Sexuality General Fund
Provides unrestricted support where is it most needed

PHOTO: play production Trans/formations: Addressing Gender Issues in School

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Eli Coleman, PhD, received the award for Distinguished Service to the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality (SSSS) at the organization's annual meeting in Tampa, FL, on November 10, 2012.

Award presenter, William Yarber, HSD, of the Kinsey Institute, said of Coleman, "Very few members have served SSSS for so long and with such effectiveness. He has provided leadership and guidance, with diplomacy, through many organizational challenges. He is well-respected, a good listener, and he is most skillful in helping people reach a consensus. Certainly SSSS is stronger and more effective because of Dr Coleman's superior leadership." Coleman has continuously served SSSS for almost three decades including terms as president (1989-0990), mid-content president (1988), member of the Personnel Committee (2003-2005), and chair of the Membership Committee (2007-2011).

In his award acceptance Coleman said, "SSSS has been very critical to the growth of my professional career. It provided me with the base on which I received collegial support, guidance, new ideas, and feedback on my own work. SSSS launched me into the international arena of sexual health. Being involved in the governance has sharpened my administrative skills, and I have used those skills to assist a number of other sexological organizations. It has been easy to keep giving back to the organization that I love and that gave me so much." Coleman also thanked the faculty at PHS for supporting his work with SSSS, which has made it possible.

The Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality is dedicated to advancing knowledge of sexuality. To acquire that knowledge the Society requires freedom of inquiry, support for research, and an interdisciplinary network of collaborating scholars. The Society believes in the importance of both the production of quality research and the application of sexual knowledge in educational, clinical, and other settings. The Society also sees as essential the communication of accurate information about sexuality to professionals, policy makers, and the general public.

PHOTO: Eli Coleman, PhD, and William Yarber, HSD

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Walter Bockting, PhD, professor, researcher, and clinician at the Program in Human Sexuality in joined the faculty of Columbia University on October 1, 2012.

Bockting has been nominated to the position of Professor of Medical Psychology (in Psychiatry and Nursing) and to the tenure track in the Faculty of Medicine at Columbia University. "Walter Bockting is an esteemed colleague who has made major contributions to the recent launch of our new Initiative for LGBT Health," noted Anke A. Ehrhardt, Ph.D., Director of the Division of Gender, Sexuality, and Health at the New York State Psychiatric Institute and the Columbia University Department of Psychiatry. "We look forward to Dr. Bockting playing a leading role in the Initiative for LGBT Health, which focuses on research, clinical care, education, and public policy analysis with regard to the health and mental health of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender population."

Bockting joined PHS as a postdoctoral fellow in 1988. Soon after completing his studies, he became a member of the faculty at PHS. Recently he was promoted to the rank of full professor. Bockting has been the coordinator of the University of Minnesota Transgender Health Services, a graduate faculty member of Gender and Sexuality Studies, and a co-founder of the University's Leo Fung Center for CAH and Disorders of Sex Development. He has mentored a number of postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty and has collaborated on many research initiatives with his colleagues. Most recently he has served as the Director of Research for PHS.

Assistant Professor Katie Spencer, PhD, will be talking over the coordination of Transgender Health Services. The research project led by Bockting, All Gender Health Online, will remain at the University of Minnesota until its completion in January 2013. Bockting will continue to collaborate with faculty and staff through his volunteer appointment as adjunct clinical faculty.

Bockting's research interests have included gender identity development, transgender health, sexuality and the Internet, and HIV prevention, and his work has been supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the American Foundation for AIDS Research, and the Minnesota Department of Health. Besides his numerous publications, he is the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Transgenderism. He is past-president and fellow of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality and past-president of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health.

"There is no question that Dr. Bockting has made significant contributions to the growth and stature of the Program in Human Sexuality nationally and internationally," said Eli Coleman, PhD, director of PHS. "He will be sorely missed by his colleagues, but we look forward to continued collaboration. No doubt he will continue to make significant contributions to LGBT health and our field of human sexuality."

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Long-time advocate of PHS, June LaValluer, MD, was honored with the University of Minnesota Board of Regents' Alumni Service Award on October 11, 2012.

An 18-year faculty member in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's Health, the now-retired LaValleur is a proponent of lifelong sexuality education and a dedicated advocate for mature women's sexual health. She served on the Medical School's admissions committee for more than 20 years and offered special support for nontraditional students; she herself had entered medical school at age 41.

LaValleur is a 1987 graduate of the University of Minnesota Medical. She has dedicated her life to the University through striving for excellence in education and research, engaging alumni and teaching students, and advocating and fundraising for women's health. In addition to her long-time commitment to the Admissions Committee, LaValleur has served as a member of the University of Minnesota Alumni Association National Board, a member of the Medical Alumni Society Board Scholarships and a member of the Medical Education Fundraising Committee. In addition, she has been a major force in fundraising efforts for the Program for Human Sexuality (PHS) and she served as chair of the PHS Leadership Council. Her commitment and dedication to PHS and to the Powell Center for Women's Health have strengthen their foundations and helped to ensure their long-term sustainability.

In 1998, she received the Medical Alumni Society's first Alumni Recognition Award. Throughout her illustrious career, she has mentored numerous medical students, sharing her expertise in women's health and patient care, and continues to teach students beyond her retirement.

You can learn more about LaValleur from the PHS Newsletter article, "June LaValleur, MD, champion of women's sexual health has retired," posted November 19, 2009

PHOTO: Kent Horsager (Chair, U of M Alumni Assoc. National Board), June LaValleur, MD, Mark Paller, MD (Vice Dean, U of M Medical School), Linda Cohen (Chair, Board of Regents); credit: Patrick O'Leary

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Sharon Satterfield was born July 15, 1944, and passed away on September 15, 2012, in Charleston, West Virginia. Satterfield was loved by many and will be dearly missed by all friends and family. A memorial services were held in Charleston, West Virginia; Belfast, Maine; and Pine Ridge, South Dakota.

Satterfield served as Director of the Program in Human Sexuality from 1979 - 1986. She served at a critical time when PHS administratively moved from the Medical School Dean's Office to the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. She brought many new innovations to the program and areas of focus. It was during her leadership that PHS focused on the issues of cardiac health and sexuality, family sexual abuse, and sexuality and religion. She greatly improved the size and scope of the clinical services at PHS. Most notably, she brought the transgender program from the Department of Psychiatry into the umbrella of sexual health services at the PHS.

She was extremely proud of her work serving the transgender community Satterfield championed support and acceptance of transgendered people on programs such as The Phil Donahue Show and 60 Minutes, as well as throughout her own community.

After leaving the University of Minnesota, she worked at Vermont State Hospital, Monadnock Family Services in Keene, New Hampshire, and as the Medical Director at Silver Spring Halfway House. Most recently she worked at Pen Bay Psychiatric / Mid Coast Mental Health in Belfast, Maine.

She recently celebrated her 50th high school reunion at South Charleston High School. She graduated from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and completed her medical degree at University of Michigan Medical School in 1970.

Memorial website Never Gone: Sharon Satterfield, MD


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Jeremiah McShane, a distinguished educator at the Program in Human Sexuality, recently died at the age of 63 of an infection. McShane was a Minnesota State Wrestling Champ for De LaSalle High School. He also lettered in wrestling at the University of Minnesota. On September 9, 1971, McShane broke his neck skydiving. After the accident, Jeremiah continued to inspire so many people. He campaigned for accessibility for the disabled and served as part of the faculty in the Sexuality and Disability Sexual Attitude Reassessment (SAR) seminars at PHS. He served as a small group leader facilitating discussions regarding the issues of sexuality among disabled individuals. He often served as a panelist during SAR seminars sharing his own person story as a means of educating and inspiring many people to optimize their sexual health no matter what the barrier.

McShane is survived by his long-time partner Jeannie O'Connor; mother, Helen; brothers Jimmy, Tom and Daniel; and a sister, Shannon Burns.

A celebration of McShane's life will be held on Dec. 21, 2012 (a day very important to Jeremiah) at Silverwood Park, the Great Hall at the Park Visitors Center, 2500 County Road East, St. Anthony, from 5 pm to 10 pm. Memorials to donor's choice.


Read more about McShane in a tribute in the Star Tribune

EXCERPT:  Obituary: Skydiving accident remade Jeremiah McShane's life
Written by Paul Walsh, Star Tribune, and reprinted with permission from the author

Jeremiah McShane can thank his elite wrestling career for giving him an extra 40 years of life.
McShane was a state high school champion wrestler whose skydiving accident a few years later left him a quadriplegic. From there, he turned tragedy into opportunity, campaigning for accessibility for the disabled in every way possible. McShane died Nov. 13 from an infection. The Minneapolis resident was 63.

Friends and family will remember McShane during a gathering next week, when a movie he appears in about disability access will be shown.

McShane was a state private-school champion wrestler while competing at 160 pounds for DeLaSalle in Minneapolis. He went on to letter in the sport at the University of Minnesota, and "he also loved skydiving," said Jeannie O'Connor, his longtime partner.

On a September day in 1971, the U senior and others were at Howard Lake, west of the Twin Cities, skydiving from a small plane. McShane jumped from a few thousand feet. His main chute failed. He activated his reserve chute, but it tangled with the first one, slowing his descent to a little more than 100 miles per hour.

Yet he survived.

Read more

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Robert T. "Bob" Francoeur, PhD, ACS, was one of the most important sexologists of our time. A fellow of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, he was professor emeritus of human sexuality at Fairleigh Dickinson University, Madison, New Jersey, where he taught from 1971 to 1998 in the Biology and Allied Health Sciences department. In 2003, Francoeur joined the National Advisory Council for implementation of the former US Surgeon General David Satcher's Call to Action to Promote Sexual Health and Responsible Sexual Behavior 2001. He was also adjunct professor in the doctoral program in human sexuality at New York University and professor in the New York University "Sexuality in Two Cultures" program in Copenhagen, Denmark. Francoeur was honored with numerous accolades throughout his career, including the Sunoco Science Seminarist award (National Science Teachers Association, 1974), the annual award by the Educational Foundation For Human Sexuality (1978), Fairleigh Dickinson's Distinguished Faculty Award for Research and Scholarship (1992), the Public Service Award (The Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, 1999), and the Golden Brick Award (Center for Family Life Education, 2007). In 2008 he was awarded the Magnus Hirschfeld Medal by the German Society for Social-Scientific Sexuality Research (DGSS) in the category of sexual reform. He served on the editorial advisory board for both the American Journal of Sexuality Education and the Journal of Sex Research. Francoeur was a teacher who believed the unfettered inquiry and sharing of knowledge related to human sexuality. With that knowledge came the potential for full individual development.

Francouer died on Oct. 15, 2012, from complications of Parkinson's. He is survived by his wife, Anna (Kotlarchyk) of Rockaway; his daughters, Nicole Francoeur of Sparta, New Jersey, and Danielle and son-in-law, Joseph Murray of Newark, Delaware. He also leaves behind two young grandchildren, Aeryn Noelle and Nicholas Brisco Murray. In addition, he is also survived by his brother, George Russell Francoeur of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

An ordained Catholic priest, Francouer received permission to marry Anna in 1967 without being laicized. Francoeur received a BA in philosophy and English at Sacred Heart College in 1953; an MA in Catholic theology at Saint Vincent College in 1957, and was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in the Diocese of Steubenville, Ohio, in 1958; an MS in biology at the University of Detroit in 1961; a PhD in experimental embryology at the University of Delaware in 1967, and the ACS (American College of Sexologists) certification in sexology at the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality (IASHS) in 1979. Francoeur's main work was to synthesize and integrate the findings of primary sexological researchers. He was the author of 22 books; a contributor to 78 textbooks, handbooks, and encyclopedias; the author of 58 technical papers on various aspects of sexuality, and editor-in-chief of The Complete Dictionary of Sexology (1991, 1995). He considered his last work, the award-winning Continuum Complete International Encyclopedia of Sexuality (2004), which he edited with Ray Noonan, to be his legacy that would live on. Its crowning achievement was that the entire book was made available to students and scholars worldwide for free and open access at the website of The Kinsey Institute for research in sex, gender, and reproduction.

He is also credited with helping to introduce and popularize the controversial French philosopher and Jesuit priest, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, to American audiences. He wrote the forward to the first English translation of Teilhard's writing, The Appearance of Man, in 1965. He founded The American Teilhard de Chardin Association in 1964, and served as its first president.

Francoeur was a great friend, colleague, and supporter of the Program in Human Sexuality.

"Tout ce qui monte, converge" - Pierre Teihard de Chardin "The future is what we decide to make it. We are all co-creators of the world to be." - Robert T. Francoeur.

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PHS welcomes the newest additions to our team: Lauren Fogel, PsyD, Jo Gulstad, PsyD, Saera Cook, and Anne Person.

Lauren Fogel, PsyD, has joined PHS as a postdoctoral fellow. She received her MA and PsyD in clinical psychology at the Arizona School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University in Phoenix, AZ. Her clinical training has included experience in private practice, community mental health, and inpatient settings. Fogel's doctoral research examined the literature on compulsive sexual behavior. Her clinical interests include compulsive sexual behavior, assessment and treatment of sexual offenders, sexual health, and gender and sexual identity development.

Jo Gulstad, PsyD, has joined PHS as a postdoctoral fellow. Gulstad received her BA in clinical psychology from the University of Minnesota, and her PsyD from the Minnesota School of Professional Psychology. She is trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). She has a broad interest in the area of human sexuality, with experience in its clinical, forensic, and research arenas. Her honors thesis was a unique study that examined sexual psycho-physiological responses of lesbian women in relation to their subjective ratings of sexual arousal. Her doctoral dissertation examined construct validity of the MMPI-2 Restructured Clinical Scales. She has conducted psychological evaluations to address disability, competency, and vocational placement. Gulstad coordinated mental health services for a California juvenile correctional facility, and conducted research, program evaluation, and program development for Minnesota Department of Corrections Behavioral Health. She volunteers at a local community mental health "drop-in" clinic serving a range of clients with varying ethnic, socio-economic, gender, and sexual orientations. Gulstad's clinical interests include: gender identity exploration and development; sexual orientation exploration and development; difficulties of sexual arousal or sexual functioning; recognition and treatment of compulsive sexual behaviors and relationship concerns; and assessment and treatment of sexual offending patterns. She employs cognitive-behavioral and systemic therapy approaches to help clients recognize distorted beliefs about themselves and self-defeating patterns, and engages their strengths in developing more functional approaches to their self-image and how they interact with others.

Saera Cook is the new Patient Representative at the Center for Sexual Health. She joined the PHS team on October 8, 2012. She has spent the last ten years dedicated her education and to homeschooling her 4 children. She is currently working on a degree in Nursing and would like to one day become a Certified Nurse Midwife. Cook believes in what the Center for Sexual Health stands for and is very proud to have been offered the position. She hopes to grow personally and professionally with the faculty of PHS.

Ann Person is a research assistant on Michael Miner's grant Sexual Compulsivity and HIV Risk. She is a master's student in the School of Social Work at the University of Minnesota. She is currently working towards dual license in addiction counseling and clinical social work. Ann completed her undergraduate degree in Family Social Science at the University of Minnesota and also holds an associate of applied science in Culinary Arts. Ann worked as a pastry chef for the D'Amico company in Minneapolis for several years before making the decision to return to school. After college, Ann worked for the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Minnesota as a research coordinator for a P20 Center Grant in the Laboratory for Neuropsychiatric Imaging. Ann has also worked as an independent living skills provider, offering supportive services in the community to individuals with SPMI and physical disabilities. Ann is glad to be back working in research and currently serves as a Graduate Research Assistant for both PHS and the Department of Psychiatry. Outside of school and research, Ann is an avid Argentine tango dancer and a novice teacher of this complex dance form. She also serves on the board of Eat for Equity, a non-profit that raises money and awareness for causes that address inequities in health, environment, education and opportunity, and relief and development.

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The faculty of the Program in Human Sexuality invite you to explore the latest in sexual health research. PHS faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and research collaborators will present their work at our monthly faculty research presentations.

Join us: Noon-1 pm at PHS, 1300 South 2nd Street, Room 142, Minneapolis, MN 55454.

Reserve your seat today--email phsresearch@umn.edu

January 9, 2013
Bean Robinson, PhD

"Tech Tools for Sex Research: Audio Computer-Assisted Self Interviewing Technology/Methods (ACASI)"

Bean Robinson, PhD, will describe the costs, benefits, and limitations of audio-computer assisted self interviewing (ACASI) methods - which have been thought to be especially helpful for collecting truthful information on sensitive topics from respondents with literacy challenges.

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