Advancing Science-based Sexual Health Education

The Program in Human Sexuality is positioned to make the next important advances in sexual health and will begin to do so with the creation of the Joycelyn Elders Chair in Sexual Health Education. The faculty member who holds the endowed faculty position at the University of Minnesota Medical School shall focus their efforts on the following:

Improve Education for Health Care Educators and Providers

The Chair holder will improve and expand the Program in Human Sexuality’s sexuality course for medical professionals that strives to increase the understanding of future healthcare providers on the importance of sexual health and the diverse manifestations of sexuality in their future patients. The Chair holder will seek to create a “template” program that could be modeled by other medical schools and health profession educators.

Creation of Comprehensive Life-long Sexuality Education Curricula

The Chair holder will create age-appropriate sexual health education that will work to promote sexual health throughout every stage of human life, from adolescence through adulthood and beyond, creating a sexually “literate” society that is educated about sexuality and able to make informed decisions.

Promote Public Policy Supporting Science-based Sexuality Education

The Chair holder will promote change in public policy through community engagement, editorial publication, legislation, and other means to help create an informed sex-positive public and direct government policy towards the creation of a sexually healthy society.

Expand Scientific Research in Sexuality Education

The Chair holder will serve as a catalyst for the creation of new research initiatives that study the effectiveness, efficiency, cost, and goals of sexual health education with the goal of unlocking new scientifically-sound understandings of sexuality and creating more effective teaching methods for disseminating this information.