American Medical Student Association

Sexual Health Scholars Program

This is a sampling of the diverse projects presented by Sexual Health Scholars. We hope you enjoy learning from and using the information presented in these interactive activities, powerpoints, brochures, case-based exercises, etc. If you would like to talk with one of the scholars, please feel free to email shsp@amsa.org.

Teaching About Sex

• BDSM: Boardgame Designed for Sexual Medicine
  Author: Robyn Monckton
  This a game designed for medical students to play to encourage open discussion and interactive learning about sexuality in medicine. It is a lot like Cranium, but much sexier.
  Disclaimer: Please feel free to use or present this project, but Robyn Monckton should be cited. This project may be modified.

• Taking a Sexual History: A Case-Based Session for Medical Students
  Author: Shanthi Ramesh
  This is a module designed for medical students of any year to review the essentials of a detailed sexual history as a large group and practice taking a sexual history in a small group of 4-6 students. It includes a pre-reading assignment of Nusbaum and Hamilton, "The Proactive Sexual Health History." Am Family Physician 2002, a short lecture and three patient cases. My hope is that it will be incorporated into traditional introduction to clinical skills courses, used as lunchtime lecture, or a “Project in a Box” for any interested individuals in their teaching of medical students. Enjoy!
  Please note: The pre-reading assignment, "The Proactive Sexual Health History" by Nusbaum and Hamilton can be accessed here.
  Disclaimer: Please feel free to use or present this project, but Shanthi Ramesh should be cited. This project may be modified.

• Let's Talk About Sex: An Introduction to Sexual Health (mini-elective)
  Author: Laura Taylor
  This project is an overview of an 8-hour mini-elective course organized at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine for first-year medical students. The description contains an outline of the course, some suggestions for creating your own mini-elective, and a few resource ideas used for the class
  Disclaimer: Please feel free to use or present this project, but the author’s name should be cited. This project may be modified.

• Sexual Practices Values Clarification: An Exercise for Health Care Professionals and Students
  Author: Jennifer Kaiser
  The function of this handout is to help health professions students and practitioners examine their own beliefs, values, and attitudes related to different sexual practices. Values clarification exercises help to illuminate our own personal biases and attitudes towards a range of different, often deeply personal, topics. By addressing our internal values, we can then use this insight to provide more thorough, inclusive sexual health care in the clinical setting.
  Disclaimer: Please feel free to use or present this project, but Jennifer Kaiser should be cited. This project may not be modified without the permission of the author (jekaiser7@gmail.com).
  

• Sexual Attitude Reassessment (SAR) for Medical Students
  A How-To Guide for Holding a Successful SAR
  Author: Haleigh Kotter
  SARs are seminars which show Sexually Explicit Material to help participants recognize their reactions, judgments, biases, and emotions in response to different aspects of sexuality. They are also designed to increase participant comfort and confidence in discussions pertaining to sexuality. This project is a template for a SAR created specifically for medical students. It includes a powerpoint presentation, thorough instructions on holding a successful SAR, and access to the sexually explicit videos.
  Disclosure: Please feel free to use or present this project, but Haleigh Kotter should be cited. This project may be modified.

• Educating on Sexual Violence
  Author: Mary Hull
  This presentation describes how to implement in your own school an advocacy, support, and educational program about sexual violence.
  Disclaimer: Please feel free to use or present this project, but Mary Hull should be cited. This project may be modified according to the needs of your school or organization. Please contact Mary at mhull@neoucom.edu if you have any questions.

• How to Talk to Your Patients about Sexual Function
  How to Talk to Your Patients about Sexual Function through Role
  Case Document
  Author: Rebecca Feldman
  This presentation introduces the importance of discussing sexual health and function with patients. It highlights some ways to best approach the topic and suggests a way to divide the participants into groups for role plays. The presentation works through a series of cases relating to various aspects of sexual function, giving participants a chance to play both patient and doctor, forcing them to confront the topic head on. Furthermore, it touches upon sensitive issues that come up in such conversations and how best to handle them.
  Disclaimer: Please feel free to use or present this project, but author’s name should be cited. This project may be modified.

Reproductive Health

• A Medical Student's Guide: Talking to Women About Pregnancy Options
  Author: Megan Evans
  This document is designed to help medical students successfully counsel women considering abortion with an unbiased and professional approach. In this document, we will examine the use of language in counseling women, review how to best counsel women in regard to their options, and apply this knowledge to several common scenarios.
  Disclaimer: Please feel free to use or present this project, but author’s name should be cited. This project may not be modified without the permission of the author, shsp@amsa.org.

• Sexual Consequences of Infertility
  This presentation addresses the interplay between sex for pleasure and sex for reproduction. Particularly, it focuses on the sexual dysfunction that can result when couples struggle with infertility. It explores some of the psychological and biological reasons behind sexual dysfunction in the setting of infertility and positive ways to support patients facing these challenges.
  Disclaimer: Please feel free to use or present this project, but AMSA National Sexual Health Scholars Program should be cited. This project may be modified.
  

Anatomy

• The Prepuce: Options for Health Professionals and Patients in the USA
  Author: Bethany Rommel
  This project looks at the practice of circumcision and the role of health professionals in counseling patients in the United States. The focus is on the health and care of the prepuce, across the lifespan, for patients who choose to maintain the integrity of the prepuce.
  Disclaimer:Please feel free to use or present this project, but the included sources and Bethany Rommel should be cited. This project may not be modified without the permission of the author (bethany.rommel@jefferson.edu).

Body Image

• Fat Women's Perspectives on Body Image and Sex
  Author: Sayume Romero
  This brief presentation covers different perspectives of fat from the healthcare industry to the pro-fat community and includes data from an informal online survey of women on body image and sexual self image.
  Disclosure: Please feel free to use or present this project, but the author’s name should be cited. This project may not be modified without the permission of the author (sayume.romero@gmail.com).

Transgender Health

• Transgender Health Concerns and Treatment Practices: A Primer for Medical Students
  Author: Teresa Bair
  The goal of this handout is to quickly and easily provide medical students with enough information about the needs, concerns, and standard medical treatments of trans patients, that an initial encounter with a transgender patient will be a positive experience for both the patient and provider.
  Disclaimer: Please feel free to use or present this project, but Teresa Bair should be cited. This project may be modified.

• Transgender Health for Medical Students
  Author: Amy Woods
  This presentation is designed to give medical students a basic understanding of Transgender Health issues. Topics which are covered include terminology, statistics, health disparities, standards of care, and what we can do as medical students. The transgender definitions worksheet, referenced in the powerpoint, can be accessed here.
  Feel free to contact Amy with any questions (amywoods@usc.edu).
  Disclaimer: Please feel free to use or present this project, but Amy Woods should be cited. This project may be modified.

• Sexual Histories: Thinking Outside the (Gender) Box
  Author: Remigio Roque
  This presentation discusses the issue of taking a sexual history from patients who are transgender or are outside of the traditional gender binary and is intended for medical students in the pre-clinical years with some knowledge of both medical/sexual history taking and transgender populations.
  The importance of taking a good sexual history from any patient is reviewed, with special emphasis on some of the important issues facing the trans* community. The bulk of the presentation presents a few case studies for interactive discussion that will allow participants to think about not only what questions they should be asking but what their motivations are for asking those questions and how they approach asking them. Hopefully it will be revealed that most of the skills needed to take a good history of a trans* patient are the same skills already learned, but that the provider may need to re-frame how they ask the questions in order to make the provider-patient interaction most beneficial.
  Disclaimer: Please feel free to use or present this project, but the author should be cited. This project maybe be modified, but this should be stated when giving the presentation. (e.g. "Sexual Histories: Thinking Outside the (Gender) Box", adapted from a presentation by Remigio Roque).
  

• Medically Necessary? Genital Reassignment Surgery for Transsexual Women
  This presentation provides a brief overview of GRS and uses published data to evaluate the procedure in the context of the legal definition of medically necessary procedures.
  Disclaimer: Please enjoy and learn from this project, but please do not use or present it.

Across the Lifespan

• Talking to Your Child about Sex: A Guide for Parents and Caregivers of Children 6-8
  Sources and Description of Project
  Author: Arija I. Weddle
  A short pamphlet designed to be displayed in a pediatrician's office that gives parents and guardians of early elementary-aged kids some ideas about how to start the conversation about sex and sexuality. Written in an easy-to-read style, the pamphlet answers common questions adults have about the sex talk, and provides further valuable resources (books, videos, and websites) to help parents broach this topic with their curious children.
  Disclaimer: Please feel free to use or present this project, but Arija I. Weddle should be cited. This project may not be modified without the permission of the author (arija.weddle@gmail.com).

• Adolescent Health: A White Coat Card
  Author: Carolyn Kay
  A white coat card to keep with you on the wards! This card provides information for adolescent general and sexual health. Includes general tips on conducting the history and physical, information specific to male and female patients, and further web resources.
  Disclaimer: Please feel free to use or present this project, but the author’s name should be cited. This project may be modified.

• Teen Centered Sexual Education: A Primary Care Approach | PowerPoint
  Author: Alisha Liggett
  Primary care providers have an important role in shaping the sexual health of adolescents. Yet many are ill-equipped to discuss sexual health issues. This project in a box addresses this need. It includes an evidence-based paper entitled "Teen Centered Sexual Education in the Primary Care Setting: Defining the provider's role." It also includes a powerpoint presentation of slides. The slides are designed to facilitate teen centered care in the clinical setting. Slides include poster art that can be used to decorate clinics, handouts for providers, teens, and parents.
  Disclaimer: "Please feel free to use or present this project, but the author’s nameshould be cited. This project may not be modified without the permission of the author: alisha_liggett@yahoo.com.

• Talking to Teens About Sexual Pleasure
  Author: Kyle Ragins
  This primer is intended for clinicians to expand the discussion of sex with teens beyond safe sex practices to pleasure enhancement. It includes a systematic way to talk to teens about sex and introduces the CLEWS model for talking about sexual pleasure.
  Disclaimer: Please feel free to use or present this project, but Kyle Ragins should be cited. This project may be modified.
  

Global Health & Cultural Competency

• Sexual Health History Taking: An International Perspective
  Authors: Nicola Brodie, David Kawior
  The ability to take a proper and thorough sexual health history can offer a wealth of information to effectively treat and care for a patient. Yet, very often, physicians are ill equipped to take an effective sexual health history, and just as often, patients are not forthcoming with their information. This can be even more difficult when interacting with patients of different faiths, cultures, and geographies. Our final project first defines sexuality and offers a path for physicians themselves to become better acquainted with their own proclivities and biases. Afterwards, the project offers a dynamic and sensitive approach to taking a proper sexual health history, keen to the diversity of patients and places where physicians might be practicing medicine.
  Disclaimer: Please feel free to use or present this project, but David Kawior and Nicola Brodie should be cited. This project may not be modified without the permission of the author [nicbrodie@gmail.com, david.kawior@gmail.com].

• Cultural Competency in Sexual Health Practice
  Author: Nilofer Khan Habibullah
  By 2007, ethnic minorities comprised nearly 35% of the US population. Numerous studies have concluded that lack of understanding of cultural mores surrounding sexual and reproductive health can form barriers to immigrants in need of health care, often leading to patient dissatisfaction with the health provider, underutilization of health services, and poorer health outcomes for immigrants and their families. A culturally sensitive method of sexual history/physical that promotes an attitude of respect (even when the patient's cultural mores contradict your own) and demonstration of wanting to know their cultural values in order to help communicate their care better, is integral to fostering patient trust. This final project on fostering cultural competency is a white coat card comprising two sections: General Pointers When Dealing With Culturally Diverse Groups and a Step-by Step Guide on Performing a Pelvic Exam.
  Disclaimer: Please feel free to use or present this project, but author’s name should be cited. This project may not be modified without the permission of the author [nilo.metalrex@gmail.com]

• El Control: Birth Control in Latin America
  Author: Dara Mendelsohn
  This lecture is a survey of different methods of birth control put into the context of different countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. The learning objectives include (1) discuss common birth control methods used in Latino countries (2) contextualize uses and repercussions of specific birth control methods (3) organize popular forms of contraceptive on a country-to-country basis (4) introduce Spanish translations of common forms of birth control and reproductive anatomy.
  Disclaimer: Please feel free to use or present this project, but Dara Mendelsohn should be cited. This project may be modified.
  

Sexual Violence & Abuse

• Childhood Sexual Abuse
  Pocket Guide
  Author: Andrea Clark
  What medical students need to know about this important topic! Includes information on prevalence, physical exam findings, and reporting of abuse. This project includes a powerpoint that can be used as a self-learning module or a presentation. It also includes a pocket card of basic tips.
  Disclaimer: Please feel free to use or present this project, but Andrea Clark should be cited. This project may be modified.
  
  Please also see the above section, "Teaching about Sex" for a project about "Educating on Sexual Violence".

Additional Sexual Health Topics

• Cancer & Sexuality
  Author: Altaf Saadi
  This presentation discusses how concerns relating to a patient's sexuality can arise when working with patients diagnosed with cancer or undergoing cancer treatment. It highlights common problems from surgery, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, and chemotherapy, presents easy-to-use models on how a physician can broach the subject of sexuality in the "cancer context," and provides practical suggestions to give to patients. It's a great mix of education for the provider and suggestions for the patient! This presentation is also a great way to demonstrate how the topic of sexuality is relevant to a variety of specialties.
  Disclaimer: Please feel free to use or present this project, but the author’s name should be cited. This project may be modified.

• Learning More About Sex Therapy & Physician’s Guide to Talking to Female Patients about Sexual Desire and Arousal
  Author: Jennifer Wiessner
  Many physicians are uncertain how to begin a conversation with their patients about sexuality for various reasons. The primary purpose of this brochure is to educate physicians on sexual health, the complexity of women’s desire and arousal and the importance of open, non-judgmental communication. The brochure assists physicians by giving them practical ideas and resources on how to discus sexual health with women, particularly issues relating to female desire and arousal. As a sex therapist, I believe arousal and desire dysfunction is mostly psychologically-based, particularly in pre-menopausal women. The brochure’s secondary goal is to familiarize physicians with the concept of sex therapy, when it is appropriate to refer to a sex therapist and to provide resources that inform practitioners about what sex therapy can provide to their patients.
  Disclaimer: Please feel free to use or present this project, but the author’s should be cited. This project may not be modified without the permission of the author, shsp@amsa.org.

• SSRIs and Sexual Dysfunction: Beyond Wellbutrin/Bupropion is "better"
  Author: Farah Ahmad
  Most medical school curricula teach that SSRIs can cause sexual dysfunction. However, very few go beyond telling students that Wellbutrin/Bupropion is an alternative that causes less dysfunction. After reading this presentation, students should better understand what types of sexual dysfunction can occur in people taking anti-depressants, relative rates of various anti-depressants, what the research shows about adjunctive medication to treat SSRI-induced dysfunction, areas for further research and a number of other related topics. The slides and Notes can be used by individuals who want to learn more about this topic or adapted for a larger medical student audience.
  Disclaimer: Please feel free to use or present this project, but Farah Ahmad should be cited. This project may be modified.
  

• Sex Toys and Sexual Health
  Author: Perry Tsai
  This presentation describes the various types of sex toys, how they can be used to improve the sexual health of your patient, and the various risks involved.
  Disclaimer: Please feel free to use or present this project, but the author’s should be cited. This project may be modified; if so, then it should be stated when giving the presentation. (For example, "Sex Toys and Sexual Health, adapted from a presentation by Perry Tsai.")

• Beyond Whips and Chains: What Medical Students Need to Know About BDSM (14MB)
  Beyond Whips and Chains (PDF Version, 2MB)
  Author: Sara Thorp
  If the only thing you know about kinky sex is from late night cable television or internet searches gone awry, then you're not ready to care for all of your future patients! Though an estimated 10% of the population participates in consensual activities like role play, bondage, whipping, or domination, virtually no medical schools adequately prepare students to interact with this patient population. This presentation will introduce you to these types of activities and communities, answer questions about motivations and mental health, help you understand common safety practices, offer practical tips for providing patient-centered care and distinguishing consensual kink from abuse, and point you to excellent resources to learn more about this common and creative form of consensual sexuality.
  Disclaimer: Please feel free to use or present this project, but author’s name should be cited. This project may not be modified without the permission of the author (beyond.whips.and.chains@gmail.com).
  Note: The presentation is large, so please be patient in downloading it.