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Researcher, clinician, and educator Alex Iantaffi, PhD, joined the faculty at PHS on January 2, 2013.

Iantaffi is an assistant professor and a licensed marriage and family therapist, who originally trained in the United Kingdom as a systemic psychotherapist. Iantaffi has most recently worked on HIV research in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Minnesota. In 2008 he came to the US from the UK to work on his postdoctoral fellowship at PHS, while serving as the project coordinator for the research project All Gender Health Online.

"We welcome Alex back to PHS. He is a great addition to our faculty, strengthening our research program and helping with clinical and teaching activities as well," said Eli Coleman, PhD, director.

Iantaffi is currently principal investigator for a study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, on Deaf Men who have Sex with Men (DMSM), HIV testing, prevention, and technology titled "D-P@RK." This study aims to overcome health disparities to HIV testing for DMSM through the development of Internet-based screening and prevention tools. The long-term objective of this line of research is to improve HIV screening, prevention, treatment, and access for Deaf people, by developing innovative, culturally and linguistically accessible Internet-based methods and interventions. The project has begun recruiting DMSM and individuals who have experience working with DMSM around issues of sexual health and/or HIV prevention, testing, and treatment.

Iantaffi has been the Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Sexual and Relationship Therapy since June 2007, receiving its first impact factor in 2011. His therapeutic work is currently focused on transgender and gender non-conforming youth, and their families; sexuality, and relationships. Iantaffi has conducted research, and published on gender, disability, sexuality, deafness, education, sexual health, HIV prevention, and transgender issues. His scholarly work has been increasingly focused on issues of intersectionality and sexual health disparities. Iantaffi serves on the Transgender Commission leadership team as a past co-chair, as well as vice-chair on the Board of Directors at PFund, host for the GLBT Host Home Program, and core organizer for the newly formed Minnesota LGBTQ Health Collaborative.

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HIV infection among Somalis is increasing in Minnesota. Many Somalis living in Minnesota do not know they are infected and are not getting the medical treatment they need.

In 2009 the University of Minnesota and Midwest Community Development, Inc. launched a project to explore HIV risk and sexual behaviors in Somali women titled "Somali Women's Initiative for Sexual Health (SWISH)." On April 13, 2013, researchers shared their study results with the community.

This study is the first to examine HIV-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of Somali women with the ultimate goal of meeting the critical need to reduce HIV and STD transmission among African-born Americans in Minnesota (and the US) as African-born Americans have the highest HIV/AIDS rates of any ethnic group. Participants were recruited through personal contacts as well as from Somali gathering places. Researchers interviewed 30 Somali women aged 18-40 from the Twin Cities area. Interviews were conducted in English (8) or Somali (22) by the project's bilingual Somali staff.

Key findings of the study include:

•    HIV testing was done at high rates, primarily due to immigration requirements. It is unknown how that may differ for those who were born in US.

•    Condoms are used, primarily for pregnancy prevention rather than disease prevention.  This may be due to a perceived low risk for disease.

•    Despite frequent mentions of prohibitions of many sexual behaviors, women also reported an encouragement within their religious tradition towards sexual pleasure within marriage.

•    Women often spoke of a culture of privacy in which discussions of sexuality are saved for one's spouse.

•    Vaginal intercourse seen as the only permissible form of sexual expression between spouses.

•    The more severe circumcision correlated with reported vaginal pain with intercourse.

•    This population reports a higher rate of pain with vaginal intercourse than the average US population (40% vs. 13%).

•    Generally, women had negative attitudes towards circumcision and would not choose to circumcise their daughters, despite high rates of personal circumcision.

The principal investigator of SWISH, Bean Robinson, PhD, said, "For this project, it was essential that we had strong, engaged community partners. Due to language barriers, we were challenged to develop interview questions that made sense and really got to the heart of what we were asking. For example, there is no Somali word for female or male 'orgasm' and our attempt at a description of an orgasm ended up being 59 words long and few participants understood what we were asking. We were not able to use that data."

The community presentation event was part of the Community Dialogue Series co-hosted by the University of Minnesota's Program in Health Disparities Research and the Center for Health Equity. The research project was funded by the Program in Health Disparities Research, the University's IDEA Multicultural Research Award, and the UCare Fund. The information gathered during this pilot study will be used to secure a larger grant to further study the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to HIV/STD transmission and prevention within the Somali community. Ultimately the group will translate this knowledge to develop interventions for Somali women.

The research team included Bean Robinson, PhD, principal-investigator; Amira Ahmed, BA, co-investigator, founder and executive director at Midwest Community Development Inc.; Jennifer Connor, PhD, co-investigator, St. Cloud State University; Shanda Hunt, BA, project coordinator; Fatah Ahmed, BA, interviewer and recruiter; Amanda Ciesinski, MS, volunteer, Megan Finsaas, BA, volunteer; Fatima Noor, volunteer translator, and Professional Interpreting Inc.. The project's Community Advisory Board assisted and advised the research team in study development, recruitment, and data analysis and interpretation.

Community report in English

Community report in Somali

If you would like printed copies of the community report, please contact phsresearch@umn.edu

Photo: Bean Robinson, PhD, presenting; seated left to right: Amira Ahmed, BA; Shanda Hunt, MPH; Amanda Ciesinski, MS; Megan Finsaas, BA; Jennifer Connor, PhD


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Since the first of the year, PHS faculty and postdoctoral fellows have been busy giving presentations, participating in expert consultations, and publishing articles.

Presentations
In January, Alex Iantaffi, PhD, presented "Some health disparities in HIV: transgender populations, Men who have Sex with Men (MSM), and Deaf MSM," at the HIV/AIDS Awareness Week, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN

In March Michelle van Ryn, PhD, MPH, along with Sean Phelan, PhD, and Diana Burgess, PhD presented "Influence of environmental, interpersonal, and individual factors on clinician bias in health care encounters," at the Physicians' Racial Bias and Discrimination Symposium hosted by the Society of Behavior Medicine at their annual meeting in San Francisco, CA

Sara Mize, PhD, presented two version of her workshop "Body-Oriented and Mindfulness Exercises for Treating Women's Sexual Health Concerns in Couples and Groups:  An Experiential Workshop," at the Minnesota Sexual Health Consortium in Minneapolis, MN, and the Meeting of The Society for Sex Therapy and Research in Baltimore, MD

In April, Alex Iantaffi, PhD, presented the keynote address "Gender Fluidity," at the MCPA Inclusion Institute: Supporting Gender Fluidity: Navigating Students' Identity Development, Anoka Ramsey Community College, Coon Rapids, MN

Michael Miner, PhD, presented a keynote address and workshop on the topic of technology "Issues at the Digital Divide," and "Issues at the Digital Divide:  How Adults Use and View Computers, the Internet, and Cell Phones," in Brooklyn Park, MN

Alex Iantaffi, presented "Recruiting Deaf MSM Online to Assess HIV Testing, Prevention, and Care Needs at Youth+Tech+Health Live in San Francisco, CA

Bean Robinson, PhD, gave two presentations on her research "Somali Women's Initiative for Sexual Health (SWISH), Presentation of Results to Community," at the Brian Coyle Center, Minneapolis, MN, and "Somali Women's Initiative for Sexual Health (SWISH)," Institute for Diversity, Equity, and Advocacy, Diversity Through the Disciplines, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN

In May, Michael Miner, PhD, presented "Treatment of Juveniles with Sexual Behavior Problems," at the annual conference for the Dallas County Juvenile Department, Dallas, TX

Expert Consultations
Eli Coleman, PhD, recently participated in two expert consultations. First the International Classification of Diseases-11 Consensus Meeting for World Professional Association for Transgender Health in San Francisco, CA, in February; the second consultation was on the Blueprint for the Provision of Comprehensive Care to Transgender and Transsexual Persons and Their Communities in Latin America and the Caribbean for Pan American Health Organization and International Association for Physicians in AIDS Care, Port of Spain, Trinidad, in April.

Publications
Bockting, W.O., Miner, M.H., Swinburne Romine, R.E., Hamilton, A., & Coleman, E. (2013). Stigma, mental health, and resilience among an online sample of the U.S. transgender population. American Journal of Public Health, 103(5), 943-951. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2013.301241

Burgess, D. J.; Gravely, A. A.; Nelson, D. B.; van Ryn, M.; Bair, M. J.; Kerns, R. D.; . . . Partin, M. R. (2013). National study of racial differences in pain screening rates in the VA Health Care System. Clinical Journal of Pain, 29(2),118-23 February 2013 - Volume 29 - Issue 2 - p 118-123. doi: 10.1097/AJP.0b013e31826a86ae

Cantor, J. M., Klein, C., Lykins, A., Rullo, J. E., Thaler, L., & Walling, B. R. (2013). A treatment-oriented typology of self-identified hypersexuality referrals. Archives of Sexual Behavior. Published online ahead of print March 2, 2013. doi:10.1007/s10508-013-0085-1

Coleman, E., Elders, J., Satcher, D., Shindel, A., Parish, S., Kenagy, G., Bayer, C. R., Knudson, G., Kingsberg, S., Clayton, A., Lunn, M. R., Goldsmith, E., Tsai, P., & Light, A. (2013). Summit on Medical School Education in Sexual Health: Report of an Expert Consultation. Journal of Sexual Medicine, 10(4), 924-938. doi:10.1111/jsm.12142

Deutsch, M., & Feldman, J. (2013). Updated recommendations from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health Standards of Care. Editorial in American Family Physician, 87(2), 89-93.

Douglas, J. M., Jr., & Fenton, K. A. (Guest Eds.), Bolan, G., Coleman, E., Hook, E. W., III, & Keefe, M. (Contributing Eds.). (2013). Understanding Sexual Health [Special Issue]. Public Health Reports, 128(Supplement 1).

Eckman, P.M., Dhungel, V., Mandras, S., Brisco, M.A., Emani, S., Duval, S., Lindenfeld, J., Sulemanjee, N., Sokos, G.G., Feldman, J. (2013). Sexual Function After Left Ventricular Assist Device, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 61(19), 2021-2022. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2013.02.022

Grey, J.A., Robinson, B.E., Coleman, E., & Bockting, W.O. (2013). A Systematic Review of Instruments that Measure Attitudes Toward Homosexual Men.  Journal of Sex Research, 50(3-4), 329-352. doi:10.1080/00224499.2012.746279

Miner, M.H., & Coleman, E. (2013). Compulsive sexual behavior and its relationship to risky sexual behavior. Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity: The Journal of Treatment & Prevention, 20(1-2), 127-138. doi:10.1080/10720162.2013.768133

Mize, S., & Iantaffi, A. (2013). The Place of Mindfulness in a Sensorimotor Intervention to Improve Women's Sexual Health. Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 28(1-2), 63-76. doi:10.1080/14681994.2013.770144

Nuttbrock, L., Bockting, W., Rosenblum, A., Hwahng, S., Mason, M., Macri, M., & Becker, J. (2013). Gender Abuse, Depressive Symptoms, and HIV and Other Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Male-to-Female Transgender Persons:  A Three-Year Prospective Study.  American Journal of Public Health, 103(2), 300-307. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2011.300568

Phelan, S. M., Griffin, J. M., Jackson, G. L., Zafar, S. Y., Hellerstedt, W., Stahre, M., . . . van Ryn, M. (2013), Stigma, perceived blame, self-blame, and depressive symptoms in men with colorectal cancer. Psycho-Oncology, 22(1), 65-73. doi: 10.1002/pon.2048

Robinson, B.E., Galbraith, J.S., Swinburne Romine, R.E., Zhang, Q.C., & Herbst, J.H. (2013). Differences between HIV-Positive and HIV-Negative African American Men who have Sex with Men in Two Major U.S. Metropolitan Areas. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 42(2), 267-278. doi:10.1007/s10508-011-9891-5

Rosser, B.R.S., Smolenski, D.J., Erickson, D., Iantaffi, A., Brady, S.S., Grey, J.A., Hald, G.M., Horvath, K.J., Kilian, G., Traeen, B., Wilkerson, J.M. (2013). The effects of gay sexually explicit media on the HIV risk behavior of men who have sex with men. AIDS and Behavior. Published online ahead of print, April 6, 2013.  doi:10.1007/s10461-013-0454-8

Strassberg, D.S., McKinnon, R., Sustaita, M., & Rullo, J.E. (2013). Sexting by High School Students:  An Exploratory and Descriptive Study. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 42(1), 15-21. doi:10.1007/s10508-012-9969-8


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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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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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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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PHS researchers will soon begin working on sexuality, mindfulness, and the body in "women of a certain age."

There is a paucity of research designed to explore the impact of mindfulness and body oriented approaches to the treatment of sexual concerns in older individuals. The goal of this new pilot project is to gather baseline qualitative and quantitative data on women's sexual functioning, sexual satisfaction, mindfulness skills, interest in mindfulness, and general quality of life. The project will include a literature review, focus groups, and an online- survey of women over the age of 50. Researchers Sara Mize, PhD, and Alex Iantaffi, PhD, (Epidemiology) will begin their work in August.

Mize said, "We believe that this formative data could provide the foundation for larger grants to further develop this important area of study, in particular, constructing mindfulness and body-based interventions for individuals and couples with sexual issues or for those without sexual issues who desire to enhance and deepen their sexual lives."

Through a strategic visioning process faculty identified a research priority in the area of sexuality and aging. We are grateful to the donors who also identified this as an area of interest and made this pilot project possibly through their gifts.

Pilot projects are the first step for faculty to secure University support for new clinical and educational programs or acquire larger research grants.

 

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Drs. Duane Rost and June LaValleur have made a gift of $5,000 and an additional challenge gift of $5,000 to support faculty research in sexuality and aging at the Program in Human Sexuality. Thank you, Duane and June!

We have already raised $3,250 towards the challenge of $5,000. Now, we need an additional $1,750 in new gifts committed to sexuality and aging research by June 30, 2012, to secure the $5,000 challenge gift.

By making a tax-deductible gift today, you can help to secure the $5,000 challenge gift. Please consider a gift of $100, $500, $1,000, or any amount that you might be able to afford.

If we reach our goal, we will have a total of $15,000 dedicated to a pilot research project on sexuality and aging at PHS. Pilot projects are the first step for faculty to secure University support for new clinical and educational programs or acquire larger research grants.

Your continued commitment to the Program in Human Sexuality will help to broaden the understanding of human sexuality which affects all of us. Thank you.

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The PHS research project All Gender Health is now recruiting participants to assist in the evaluation of a transgender health promotion program.  This is the culmination of a multi-year project funded by the National Institutes for Health (NIH) to look at the health and well-being of transgender people and their partners.  This is one of the first projects to look at the community as a whole, surveying people across the gender spectrum, and targeting health promotion to those who need it most.  All Gender Health will be enrolling participants through May 24, 2012.

All Gender Health is a web-based research project examining the effectiveness of an online activity-based sexual health intervention.  Previous phases of the All Gender Health project involved qualitative and quantitative data gathered from a national sample of the transgender population as well as the male partners of transgender people, which informed the development of the current and final phase.  This final phase is the evaluation of a website comprised of 22 different topics in 8 different modules developed by community members across the country.  Designed to meet users where they are, www.allgenderhealth.org allows each participant to identify goals around topics such as identity, community, resilience, , dating and relationships, and sexual health negotiation. Users then craft a plan toward those objectives in a simple, individualized way.

Over the past few years, a research team led by Walter Bockting, PhD, has worked closely with software engineers to custom build a research and intervention platform for this project.  Project coordinator, Chris Hoefer, describes the intervention as, "What used to be an all-weekend, two-day seminar with high level presentations and smaller group discussions has now been transformed into an interactive web-based experience that anyone anywhere can visit at their leisure in the comfort of their own home.  You only need access to a computer and the internet and you can draw on the knowledge and experiences of a broad collection of educators, entertainers, physicians, therapists, advocates, and community members."

Hoefer sees access as a huge advantage to the online format of health promotion.  Another advantage is the ability to upload new content and intervention modules as new knowledge becomes available. 

As with all things web-based, unforeseen challenges arose as study participants worked through the project. This means that Hoefer and his team must occasionally act as technology support when users find themselves using incompatible web browsers, video players and device hardware. "A unique challenge to a project like this is the rapid change in technology," says Hoefer. "Some of the elements built just a few years ago have already needed updates and the hardware being used to access it is obviously different. Nobody even knew what an iPad was when we began this process. But that's one of the inspiring  questions: how can we use these tools to bring sexual health information to people where they're able to absorb it?"

Findings from this study will be used to develop further online interventions to promote the health and well-being of transgender people and their partners.

The All Gender Health research team includes Walter Bockting, PhD (principal investigator), Eli Coleman, PhD, Jamie Feldman, MD, PhD, Cesar Gonzalez, PhD, Stephanie Hengst, Chris Hoefer (project coordinator), Keith Horvath, PhD (epidemiology), Michael Miner, PhD, Bean Robinson, PhD, , Rebecca Swinburne Romine, PhD, and David Valentine, PhD (anthropology).

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August 1 - 5, 2011, Jae Sevelius, PhD, visited PHS to meet with one of her project advisors, Walter Bockting, PhD, and to learn about our transgender research and transgender health clinic.

Bockting is working with Sevelius on her NIH/NIMH-funded K-Award project to assess HIV risk behaviors and protective factors among transgender women of color to develop a culturally specific HIV prevention intervention for this high-risk, underserved population. 

The current focus of her K research is examining how the need for gender affirmation (a psychosocial dimension that refers to transgender women's desire for validation and support of their gender identity and expression) interacts with access to gender affirmation (their access to this type of validation and support) to promote or protect against risky health behaviors.  Sevelius is in year 3 of a 5-year grant.

Sevelius presented her research project to PHS faculty and staff.  She said, "I am passionate about promoting health and wellness within transgender communities. That certainly includes addressing health disparities, such as the egregious rates of HIV among transgender women of color, but also includes bringing resources to trans communities to support overall sexual health, mental health, holistic well-being, and spirituality."

She added, "One of the most rewarding aspects of my work so far has been witnessing the direct impact of the sexual health promotion intervention that I am developing for transgender women of color." Sevelius and two research assistants, Danielle Castro and Angel Ventura, conducted a pilot study of the intervention this year.  Sevelius said that she was, "astounded by the intensity of the positive response we got from participants. It is a peer-led intervention so I was just an observer, but there were many moments that I was brought to tears by what I witnessed during the course of these small-group sessions. The participants shared so much of themselves, supported one another through difficult disclosures, and struggled together to find connection and love through the traumas they have faced and continue to face in an ongoing way, even in a place that is as reputedly liberal as San Francisco. The participants were so grateful for the opportunity to come together in that way and learn from each other and the wonderful facilitators."

Sevelius is an advocate for systematic change for the wellness of the transgender community. She is hopeful that an increased visibility for the community will lead to an increased commitment to address the severe inequities and systemic transphobia that are pervasive. Sevelius said, "Unfortunately, I think we still have a long way to go here in the US in that we still do not collect trans-inclusive data that provides us with the essential big picture perspective that would allow us to really frame the issues accurately.  Health care providers are not adequately educated about the needs of trans people, and violence and discrimination are absolutely rampant. We need to start by acknowledging the existence of trans people on a national level by capturing their unique circumstances and needs in a systematic way."

Sevelius is an Assistant Professor with the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS) in the Department of Medicine at the University of California San Francisco, and Co-Principal Investigator of the Center of Excellence for Transgender Health, which promotes increased access to culturally competent health care for transgender people through research, training, and advocacy. With funding from the California HIV/AIDS Research Program, building on work of the Transitions Project and in collaboration with API Wellness' TRANS:THRIVE program, Sevelius is also working to adapt and evaluate the evidence-based HIV prevention intervention SISTA (Sisters Informing Sisters about Topics on AIDS) for transgender women of color.  Another CHRP-funded project of Sevelius' is a qualitative investigation of the barriers to HIV treatment engagement and adherence among transgender women living with HIV. 

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PHS welcomes the newest additions to our team:  Jordan Rullo, PhD, and Cathy Strobel

Jordan Rullo, PhD, received her BA in psychology from Indiana University-Bloomington and her MS and PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. Her training has included completion of a psychology Honors Thesis at the Kinsey Institute for Sex, Gender, and Reproduction, as well as completing an APA-accredited internship at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto, Ontario, with a specialization in the sexual behaviors and forensic track. She received an APA Division 44 Scholarship Award to conduct her dissertation research on the subjective and objective sexual arousal/interest of bisexually-identified men and women. Rullo's clinical interests include: compulsive sexual behavior/hypersexuality, gender identity and sexual orientation development, relationships and sexual functioning, and paraphilias. She employs interpersonal reconstructive and cognitive-behavioral treatment modalities in her clinical work in order to help clients learn to recognize their patterns and where they came from, as well as make a decision about which patterns to change and how to develop new and more adaptive patterns.

Cathy Strobel is the new project coordinator for the Compulsive Sexual Behavior and HIV risk study. She earned her Bachelor's degree from Winona State University and has taken MBA coursework including completion of the Mini MBA for Nonprofit Organizations from St. Thomas University. Strobel worked for the Minnesota AIDS Project for the past 10 years as the program manager for the agency's three HIV prevention programs that targeted gay and bisexual men and injecting drug users. Her programs routinely referred program participants to PHS counseling services and the Man2Man program. She also served on a community advisory committee for the Community PROMISE project where she met Bean Robinson, PhD. Before entering the HIV field, Strobel worked for nine years at the Minnesota State Legislature and was a steering committee member of the It's Time Minnesota, the statewide grassroots coalition that organized to add sexual orientation to the state Human Rights Act in 1993.

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Researchers need to proactively engage lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in health studies and collect data on these populations to identify and better understand health conditions that affect them, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM).

The scarcity of research yields an incomplete picture of LGBT health status and needs, which is further fragmented by the tendency to treat sexual and gender minorities as a single homogeneous group, said the committee that wrote the report.

The historic report, The Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People: Building a Foundation for Better Understanding, provides a thorough compilation of what is known about the health of each of these groups at different stages of life and outlines an agenda for the research and data collection necessary to form a fuller understanding.

"Based on a thorough review of the science, this report recommends a research agenda to better understand the characteristics of the LGBT population, assess their unique health needs, and to identify the factors that either compromise or promote their health and well-being," said Walter Bockting, PhD, IOM committee member and professor at the Program in Human Sexuality, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Minnesota Medical School. "The report recognizes that the LGBT population is diverse in terms of gender, age, race, and ethnicity, and calls for intervention research that addresses the needs of those with documented health inequities."

LGBT individuals make up a minority of the population, therefore researchers face challenges in recruiting sufficient numbers of these individuals in general population surveys to yield meaningful data. Stigma experienced by gender and sexual minorities can make them reluctant to disclose their orientation, worsening the problem. Moreover, it is difficult to synthesize data about these groups when studies and surveys use a variety of ways to define them.

Demographic data provides the foundation for understanding any population's status and needs, federally funded surveys should proactively collect data on sexual orientation and gender identity, just as they routinely gather information on race and ethnicity, the new report says. Information on patients' sexual orientation and gender identity also should be collected in electronic health records, provided that privacy concerns can be satisfactorily addressed, the committee said.

The National Institutes of Health should support the development of standardized measures of sexual orientation and gender identity for use in federal surveys and other means of data collection.

In addition, the National Institutes of Health should provide training opportunities in conducting research with LGBT populations. Training should engage researchers who are not specifically studying LGBT health issues as well as those who are. The agency also should use its policy on the inclusion of women and racial and ethnic minorities in clinical research as a model to encourage grant applicants to address how their proposed studies will include or exclude sexual and gender minorities.

Throughout his tenure at the University of Minnesota, Bockting has conducted research on the health disparities found among transgender people.

Bockting said, "This Report recognizes that we have much to learn about the health of this subgroup of the LGBT population, and calls for research to improve access to quality, evidence-based transgender care. The acknowledgment of this still largely invisible population and the attention the Report draws to their specific health needs is enormously validating and holds the promise of new initiatives to promote transgender health."

The study was sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. Established in 1970 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine provides independent, objective, evidence-based advice to policymakers, health professionals, the private sector, and the public. The National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council make up the National Academies.

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