Advocacy

Comprehensive sexual health cannot be achieved without comprehensive sexual rights. PHS faculty work to raise awareness of sexual rights as an inherent part of universal human rights based on freedom, dignity, and equality.

From serving as expert advisors and leaders of international organization to offering legal consultation and workplace education, PHS faculty members are able to advocate for individuals who may not be able to advocate for themselves. The knowledge we gain from our endeavors in research, education, and clinical service helps to inform our advocacy.

Promoting HIV Prevention

Community Health and Policy Advocate. Bean Robinson, PhD, advocates for HIV Prevention in the African American community.

Expert consultant, WHO, UNAIDS, CENSIDA, PAHO meetings in Washington DC, Acapulco, Mexico, Panama, and Geneva, Switzerland. Eli Coleman, PhD, collaborated on HIV/AIDS/STI assessment, prevention, and treatment for emerging and re-emerging epidemics of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections among men who have sex with men and transgender individuals around the world.

Promoting Sexual Health

Policy review. Eli Coleman, PhD, is working with World Association for Sexual Health and WHO to review the sexual diagnoses in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). Efforts are underway to revise definitions/classifications on the basis of evidence from the field of sexual health.

Sexual Health Advisory Board, Sinclair Intimacy Institute. Eli Coleman, PhD, serves as the chair of the Advisory Council which helps guide the development of Sinclair sexual educational films and to ensure each video reflects the concerns and needs of healthy individuals and couples who want to enhance their intimacy.

Sexual Health for the Millennium. Eli Coleman, PhD, served as project coordinator and senior editor for the development of the World Association for Sexual Health technical document and advocacy trainings in Latin America (Ecuador) and Africa (Kenya), Europe (United Kingdom), and Asia (Vietnam) to promote sexual health in alignment with the UN Millennium Development Goals, a project funded by the Ford Foundation.

Trojan Sexual Health Advisory Committee. Eli Coleman, PhD, is the co-chair of the group working to develop a strategy to promote sexual health and responsible sexual behavior, increase awareness of scientific-based knowledge of factors to improve sexual health including comprehensive sexuality education and increase condom use.

Promoting Sexual Offender Treatment and Prevention

American Psychological Association Interdivisional (37/41) Task Force on Child Maltreatment Prevention. Michael Miner, PhD, is a member of the task force that supports and promotes scientific inquiry, training, professional practice, and advocacy in the area of child maltreatment. The Child Maltreatment section is the only permanent organization within the APA specifically developed to address issues related to child abuse and neglect.

Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers. Michael Miner, PhD, serves as the representative-at-large on the Board of Directors as well as the chair of the Education and Training Committee. The organization works to foster research, facilitate information exchange, further professional education and provide for the advancement of professional standards and practices in the field of sex offender evaluation and treatment.

Promoting Transgender Health

Advocate. Dianne Berg, PhD, on behalf of transgender individuals through consultation/training with elementary and high schools, universities, professional organizations and the workplace.

American Psychological Association Task Force on the Treatment of Gender Identity Disorder in Children, Adolescence, and Adults. Eli Coleman, PhD, is a member of subcommittee examining the treatment of adults. The group is working to examine current practices and possibly suggest revisions to guidelines based on the best evidence in the field.

Expert consultant to the health insurance industry, Walter Bockting, PhD, advocated on behalf of transgender individuals to insurance companies for coverage of transgender-specific health care, including surgery (2008).

Expert consultant to the State of Oregon. Walter Bockting, PhD, consulted on changing gender markers for transgender individuals on driver’s licenses and other state documents (2008).

World Professional Association for Transgender Health. Bean Robinson, PhD, is the current executive director of the international multidisciplinary professional association whose mission is to promote evidence based care, education, research, advocacy, and public policy in transgender health.

World Professional Association for Transgender Health. Walter Bockting, PhD, is the current president of the international multidisciplinary professional association whose mission is to promote evidence based care, education, research, advocacy, and public policy in transgender health.

World Professional Association for Transgender Health. Dianne Berg, PhD, is a member of the Disorders of Sexual Development Committee that works to educate and provide consultation on the current state of knowledge, research, and clinical practice regarding individuals born with sex-atypical variants of internal and external sex differentiation to professionals and the lay public.

World Professional Association for Transgender Health, Standards of Care Committee. Eli Coleman, PhD, is serving as the chair, and Walter Bockting, PhD, and Jamie Feldman, MD, PhD, are participating in reviewing the evidence base informing the next revision of the Standards of Care for Gender Identity Disorders, promoting the highest quality of care for transgender persons around the world.

World Professional Association for Transgender Health, Transgender Medicine and Research Committee. Jamie Feldman, MD, PhD, is the chair of the group working to develop transgender health guidelines. She has served as a consultant on a number of legal cases that have been setting precedent for health care rights to effective care for transgender persons, as well as training other health professionals in transgender health issues.

Eliminating Health Disparities

Melpomene Institute. Bean Robinson, PhD, serves on the Board of Directors for the organization that seeks to eliminate health disparities in Minnesota by empowering women and girls to lead active, healthy, full lives.

Improving the Quality of Health Care

Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians. Jamie Feldman, MD, PhD, is on the Research and Quality Improvement Committee which promotes clinical research by family physicians, residents, and students; organizes an annual research forum; and works with MAFP Research Network to encourage practice-based research efforts.

Psychology Standards Committee. Anne McBean, MA, serves the University of Minnesota Medical Center at Fairview on the committee dedicated to certification standards.

Legal Consultation and Expert Witness Testimony

When called upon, PHS faculty provide scientific-based information in legal settings. We provide information on behalf of transgender individuals, individuals with intersex conditions, and as well as cases dealing with sexual abuse and sexual offending. From the Minnesota State Legislature and the Minnesota Department of Corrections to elementary schools and workplaces, we provide accurate information to increase understanding, set precedents for sexual rights, and reduce social stigma.

Media Consultation

In an effort to share accurate information with the general public, our faculty frequently consult with major news organizations such as the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, ABC News, WCCO News, and Minneapolis Star Tribune.