About

My Training and Background

I am a behavioral health scientist with an academic background in psychology and public health and a research interest in sexuality and romantic relationships. I hold the Joycelyn Elders Endowed Chair in Sexual Health Education and I am a tenured full professor at University of Minnesota Medical School. I’m the Director of Education in the Institute for Sexual and Gender Health, housed within the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. I am also Affiliate Research Faculty at the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University. I study many aspects of sexual health including, but not limited to: women’s sexual health, sexual desire and desire discrepancies, sexual satisfaction, sexual well-being, sexual functioning, and sexuality education. I am particularly interested in the way all of these topics impact sexual pleasure and intertwine with dynamics of the couple relationship. I earned a PhD in Health Behavior at Indiana University with a concentration in Human Sexuality from the Kinsey Institute. I also completed an MPH in Biostatistics at Indiana University, an MS in Human Development at University of Guelph, and an undergraduate degree in Psychology with a certificate in LGBT Studies at Queen’s University. I am involved with the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, the Society for Sex Therapy and Research, and I am an elected member of the International Academy of Sex Research. I serve on the Advisory Council for the World Association for Sexual Health and am vice chair of their Scientific Committee. I am also a certified sexuality educator through the American Association for Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists. My research is widely published in several academic journals such as Journal of Sexual Medicine, The Journal of Sex Research, and Archives of Sexual Behavior and I have presented my work at over 100 academic conferences. I am regularly relied upon to provide expert opinion about sex and relationships for writers and producers of broadcast, print, and online media and I value the opportunity to translate sex and relationship science to the public through these means.

My Guiding Sexual Health Principles

Sex is a natural part of human development

Although much of the world views sex as a taboo subject, it shouldn’t be. Sexual development is part of human development and should be treated as such. I take a straightforward approach to discussions of sex and sexuality in one of many attempts to create an environment where people begin to feel more comfortable talking about sex and getting medically accurate answers about this essential part of health they deserve.

Sexual pleasure is a human right

Everyone has the right to experience sexual pleasure and freedom of sexual expression. It is a human right to experience this free of judgment, coercion, and stigma. In many parts of the world, including the United States, there are barriers in place preventing this from being a reality. These barriers include, but are not limited to, gender inequality, sexual violence against women and other gender minorities, and a lack of acknowledging sexual health as a health issue rather than something embarrassing or shameful.

Sex is the main thing that distinguishes your partner from your roommate

This is one of the main reasons it is so important to study how to maintain sexual desire in long-term relationships. Our research and the research of others has consistently shown that sexual desire ebbs and flows throughout one’s life. Learning how to best make it through to the other side of the ebbs and make the most out of the flows is one of my primary research questions of interest.

Everyone has the right to comprehensive sex education

Comprehensive and inclusive sex education is not widely accessible. Arguments against having it in schools often center around this being an issue for families to discuss internally. Yet many parents are not comfortable talking to their children about sex. The politics of sexuality education gets in the way of real education taking place. Spreading the word about the benefits of comprehensive inclusive sex education and extending that to include pleasure-based approaches is part of my mission to help bring this human right to more individuals at developmentally appropriate ages.