PLENARY SPEAKERS

GANESAN ADAIKAN (SINGAPORE)

Title of the presentation: Female masturbation: prevalence, characteristics & therapeutic implications

WAS Session: Women and Sex (Wednesday, May 31, 09:00–11:00, room Zenit + Nadir)

Professor P Ganesan Adaikan, PhD, DSc, ABS (USA), FIBioL (UK) is a pioneer in the field of sexual medicine. He held an academic and research position at the National University of Singapore, in the area of Sexual Medicine and Reproductive pharmacology in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. He has extensive experience over 30 years in treating sexual issues and dysfunctions.

Prof Ganesan Adaikan is a world renowned expert in research, education and treatment in the field of sexual medicine and is recognized for his pioneering contributions to the physiopharmacology of penile erection and pharmacological treatment for erectile dysfunction. He has won several international awards that include the prestigious, Ginestie Prize and Diploma with FF200,000 at the 2nd World Congress on Impotence at Charles University in Prague, Czechoslovakia (1986). He has trained many post-graduate students leading to MD, PhD and Clinical MSc in the field of sexual medicine/sexology and has conducted numerous teaching CME lectures, seminars and organized congresses aimed at sexologists, family physicians and specialists both locally and internationally. Currently, he is the President, Society for the Study of Andrology and Sexology, Singapore (SSASS).

Dr Adaikan has published more than 200 articles in peer-reviewed journals and 30 chapters in books; he has also delivered over 650 invited lectures and presentations in the field of sexual medicine around the world.

Prof Adaikan is the Honorary Life President of the Asia Pacific Society for Sexual Medicine (APSSM) and Past President, of the prestigious International Society for Sexual Medicine (ISSM).

Currently, Prof Adaikan is the Secretary General, World Association for Sexual Health (WAS)

TAMARA ADRIÁN (VENEZUELA)

Title of the presentation: A crusade against the “perverse gender ideology” – the new campaign used by fundamentalists to attack trans, intersex, androgynous or gender fluid persons

Plenary Session: Transgender and no-binary focus (Monday, May 29, 11:30–13:00, room Zenit + Nadir)

Tamara Adrián is a Venezuelan lawyer, graduated at the Andrés Bello Catholic University in Caracas, summa cum laude, 1976. She further obtained the Doctorate in Law degree, mention très bien at Paris 2 University, France, 1982, and a Diploma in Comparative Law from the Paris Institute of Comparative Law, this same year. She is a professor of law for undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral degrees at the Central University and at the Metropolitan University of Venezuela, and a retired professor for the Andrés Bello Catholic University.

She is the President for the Committee of the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO-T). She is the Female Co-President of GLISA Gay, Lesbian, Trans, Intersex Sport Association organizers of the World Outgames. She is the President of the Board of Directors of GATE Global Action for Trans Equality. She was the Co-Secretary General Alternate (2013–2015) and the World Trans Secretary (2010–2013) of ILGA. She is member of the Scientific Committee for the Chair Human Rights and Sexuality of the UNESCO. She is member of the Board of Directors of WPATH, and PLAFAM. She is member of the Advisory Committee of HRH and member of the Scientific Committee on Sexuality for the WAS.

DOROTHY AKEN'OVA (NIGERIA)

Title of the presentation: Women, young people, LGBTQI groups, policy advocacy

Plenary Lecture (Tuesday, May 30, 14:30–15:00, room Zenit + Nadir)

Dorothy is a feminist and a sexual rights activist. She grounds her work in the harshly conservative environment of northern Nigeria. Here, cultural conservatism and everyday violations of the sexual rights of women, young people, and sexual minorities are compounded by often autocratic interpretations of Shari'a Law, ineffective legal recourse and protection for those violated and their advocates. Dorothy's hallmarks also include her exceptional ability to meaningfully engage with all actors in this struggle. Dorothy founded The International Centre for Reproductive Health and Sexual Rights (INCRESE) in 2000 as a non-governmental and not-for-profit organization that works at the grassroots and policy levels to reduce resistance to reproductive health and sexual rights in Nigeria. Dorothy is an Ashoka Fellow and the 2014 recipient of the Berlin Soul of Stonewall Award for Resistance.

FEONA ATTWOOD (UK)

Title of the presentation: Pornography use among young people

Plenary Session: Pornography (Wednesday, May 31, 12:00–13:00, room Zenit + Nadir)

Feona Attwood is Professor of Cultural Studies, Communication and Media at Middlesex University, UK. Her work focuses on the changing significance of sex, particularly in relation to culture, technology and the media. Her books include Mainstreaming Sex; the Sexualization of Western Culture (2009) porn. com: Making Sense of Online Pornography (2010) and Sex Media (forthcoming). She is co-editor of the academic journals, Porn Studies and Sexualities.

KAROLINE BISCHOF (SWITZERLAND)

Title of the presentation: Sexocorporel: why it is important to consider the body in sex therapy

Plenary Session: New Trends in Psychological Interventions (Sunday, May 28, 14:00–15:30, room Zenit + Nadir)

Dr. Bischof works in Switzerland as sex therapist and gynecologist at the Zurich Institute for Clinical Sexology & Sexual Therapy ZISS and at the Center for Interdisciplinary Sexology and Medicine ZiSMed, which she directs. As ISI certified trainer and supervisor of sexual therapists, she is chief instructor of Sexocorporel training programs in Switzerland and Germany, and head of the ISI clinical research group. One of her current projects is establishing a Sexocorporel training program in English. 

JOHANNES BITZER (SWITZERLAND)

Title of the presentation: Sexual medicine – bringing somatic medicine and psychotherapy together

Plenary Session: Sexual Medicine (Monday, May 29, 09:30–10:30, room Zenit + Nadir)

Johannes Bitzer is ex-chairman and professor emeritus of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University Hospitals of the University of Basel. He was President of the European Society of Contraception and Reproductive Health during 6 years and Past President of the International Society of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology. He gave more than 200 invited lectures all over the world and published more than 150 peer reviewed papers.

DOORTJE BRAEKEN (THE NETHERLANDS)

Title of the presentation: “Fulfil!”: A guide to translate young people's sexual rights into practice

WAS Session: Sexual Rights (Tuesday, May 30, 15:00–16:30, room Zenit + Nadir)

From 2002 until January 2017 Doortje was Senior Adviser Adolescents, Gender and Rights at IPPF. Over that period she continuously ensured to 'translate' sexual and reproductive rights for young people. She produced the document Exclaim!; a translation for young people of IPPF's Declaration of Sexual Rights. In collaboration with WAS she started the initiative and was the co-author of Fulfil! A guidance document for policy makers and providers to implement the sexual rights of young people. In 2013 she was awarded with an honorary fellowship at the University of Brighton for her work in education. In July 2015 she was awarded with the Golden Medal of the World Association of Sexual Health for her achievements and contributions to promote the sexual rights of young people.

JAQUELINE BRENDLER (BRAZIL)

Title of the presentation: Mapping what increases sexual arousal in heterosexual women

WAS Session: Women and Sex (Wednesday, May 31, 09:00–11:00, room Zenit + Nadir)

Gynecologist specialized in human sexuality, certification in sexology. More than 80 articles published, invited as a speaker in more than 260 scientific events. Former president of the Brazilian Society of Studies in Human Sexuality (SBRASH), President of WAS's Congress (2013). Currently belongs to Advisory Committee of WAS, is vice-president (second) of FLASSES (Latin American Federation of Societies of Sexology and Sexual Education), member of the International Academy of Medical Sexology (AISM) and the Deliberative Council of SBRASH.

SUE CARTER (USA)

Title of the presentation: The healing power of love: an oxytocin hypothesis

Plenary Lecture (Tuesday, May 30, 11:00–11:30, room Zenit + Nadir)

Dr. Sue Carter is currently Director of the Kinsey Institute and Rudy, Professor of Biology at Indiana University, a position she accepted in 2014. Dr. Carter is a neurobiologist, known for her research on the biology of social bonding and the development of the prairie vole as a model for studying the behavioral and physiological actions of peptide hormones. Her current research interests focus on the protective effects of love and oxytocin.

The presentation will discuss the hormonal and neural mechanisms that support the beneficial and healing effects of loving relationships. Love is deeply biological. Love also has profound effects on our mental and physical state, pervading every aspect of our lives. Without loving relationships or in isolation, humans fail to flourish, even if all of their other basic needs are met. As such, love is clearly not just an emotion. The neuropeptide, oxytocin and related molecules are at the heart of the biological substrates for love and the consequences of the presence or absence of relationships. Embedded in this system are ancient hormones and receptors capable of regulating the capacity for a sense of safety, which in turn allows social cognition, social bonding, social support, growth and restoration. Oxytocin regulates the functions of the autonomic nervous system, with effects on vagal and sympathetic pathways. Oxytocin also has direct antioxidant and anti-inflammatory consequences for tissues throughout the body. The oxytocin system is influenced by early experience, and oxytocin can epigenetically alter the expression of its own receptors. The capacity of oxytocin to regulate these systems helps to explain the pervasive adaptive consequences of social experiences for emotional and physical health across the lifespan. Knowledge of the pathways through which oxytocin and related molecules act offers a new perspective on the healing power of love.

ANTÓN CASTELLANOS-USIGLI (MEXICO/USA)

Title of the presentation: “Fulfil!”: A guide to translate young people's sexual rights into practice

WAS Session: Sexual Rights (Tuesday, May 30, 15:00–16:30, room Zenit + Nadir)

Antón Castellanos Usigli is a public health professional, consultant, advocate and blogger focusing on sexual and reproductive health and rights. As an activist, he started promoting sex education in Cuernavaca, Mexico, where he organized the first sex education Conference having 19 years old. He is the Chair of the Youth Initiative and Member of the Advisory Committee at the World Association for Sexual Health (WAS). As a consultant, he has worked for the Northern Manhattan Perinatal Partnership (NMPP), for RNW Media, the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), among others. Currently, Antón is the Program Manager of HIV/STIs Prevention at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York. He has a Masters of Public Health (MPH) from Columbia University in New York City and he has been a speaker in Congresses across ten countries. 

ELI COLEMAN (USA)

Title of the presentation: Impulsive/compulsive sexual behavior – a sex positive and integrated model of treatment

Plenary Session: New Trends in Psychological Interventions (Sunday, May 28, 14:00–15:30, room Zenit + Nadir)

Eli Coleman, PhD is professor and director of the Program in Human Sexuality, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis. He holds the first and only endowed academic chair in sexual health. He is the author of numerous articles on impulsive/compulsive sexual behavior. He is one of the past-presidents of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, the World Association for Sexual Health, the International Academy for Sex Research and the President of the Society for Sex Therapy and Research.

ESTHER CORONA-VARGAS (MEXICO)

Title of the presentation: Women in WAS. The historical struggle for gender equality

WAS Session: Past, Present and Future of Sexology (Sunday, May 28, 16:00–17:30, room Zenit + Nadir)

Mexican. Trained as clinical psychologist. Has worked in sexuality education, sexual and reproductive health and gender for over 50 years. Founder (1972) and President of the Mexican Association for Sexuality Education (AMES), first NGO in the field in Mexico and pioneer institution in Latin America

Ex-President of the Latin American and Caribbean Committee for Sexuality Education. First Vice President of the Mexican Federation of Sexology and Sex Education (FEMESS). President of the Latin American Federation of Sexology and Sex Education Associations (FLASSES) during 1998–2002. Has been associated with WAS since its founding and has been a member of its Executive and Advisory Committees in several administrations. She is currently Co-Chair of the International Liaison Committee. International Consultant for United Nations Agencies as well as international and national NGOs.

CORINNE DETTMEIJER-VERMEULEN (THE NETHERLANDS)

Title of the presentation: Tackling sexual violence against children

Plenary Lecture (Tuesday, May 30, 17:00–17:30, room Zenit + Nadir)

Corinne Dettmeijer is the Dutch National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings and Sexual Violence against Children. The Rapporteur's main task is to report on the nature and extent of human trafficking and sexual violence against children in the Netherlands, and on the effects of the government policies pursued. The reports contain information on relevant regulations and legislation, as well as information on prevention, criminal investigations regarding human trafficking and sexual violence against children, prosecution of perpetrators and victim support. They also contain policy recommendations aimed at improving the fight against human trafficking and sexual violence against children.

Corinne Dettmeijer has for many years been a judge at the district court of The Hague, from 1995 until 2014 she served as vice president of the court. As a judge, she handled cases in juvenile, criminal, family and migration law. She has been a member of several (international) professional bodies and advisory committees in the field of juvenile law. After finishing her law degree at Leiden University, she started her career as a public prosecutor in Rotterdam.

MARYANNE DOHERTY (CANADA)

Title of the presentation: Sexual health professional development at Harbin Medical University China: lessons learned

Plenary Lecture (Tuesday, May 30, 18:00–18:30, room Zenit + Nadir)

PAUL FEDOROFF (CANADA)

Title of the presentation: Paraphilias and paradigms

Plenary Lecture (Monday, May 29, 14:00–14:30, room Zenit + Nadir)

Dr. Fedoroff is Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Ottawa with cross-appointments to the Faculties of Criminology and the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law. He is Head of the Division of Forensic Psychiatry at the University of Ottawa. He is also Vice Chair of the Royal Ottawa Research Ethics Committee. He is Past-President of the Canadian Academy of Psychiatry and the Law (CAPL). He is an appointed member of the Ontario Review Board (ORB). He was the first Director of Forensic Research Unit at the University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research (IMHR) and Chair of the Sex Offender Committee of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law (AAPL) where he now a Counsellor. In 2014 the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons honored him as "Specialist of the Year" in Ontario and Nunavut. He is a Past-President of the International Academy of Sex Researchers (IASR). In 2015 the Sexual Behaviours Clinic, of which he is Director, was given the Gold Award, the highest honour of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) for any outpatient academic clinical research program.

Dr. Fedoroff's primary clinical and research interests are in the assessment and treatment of men and women with problematic sexual behaviors, especially those with intellectual disabilities. He has published over 100 papers and chapters in these areas and has provided consultations locally, nationally and internationally. His publications support the proposition that with modern methods, paraphilic disorders can not only be successfully treated but also prevented.

ALAIN GIAMI (FRANCE)

Title of the presentation: Sciences of sexuality: history and perspectives

WAS Session: Past, Present and Future of Sexology (Sunday, May 28, 16:00–17:30, room Zenit + Nadir)

Alain Giami (PhD) is currently Research Professor at the Inserm (National Institute of Health and Medical Research) in Paris, where he coordinates a research unit on Gender, Sexuality, and Health. He has been a full member of the International Academy of Sex Research since 1994 and a member of the Advisory Committee of WAS since 2009. He served as President of the WAS Scientific Committee between 2009 and 2012. He is also a member of the International Association for the Scientific Study of Culture & Sexuality (IASSCS). He was a member of the Advisory Committee of the French AIUS (Association Inter-Hospitalière de Sexologie) (2008–2012) and a member of the board of the French Federation of Sexology and Sexual Health (2010–2016). He founded and coordinated the Network: «Research in social sciences in sexuality» at the French Association of Sociology (2003–2013). He has served also as an expert in various task force at the World Health Organization, UNESCO, and the French Supreme court (Conseil d'Etat) and the French Ministry of Health. He created and developed a University Diploma on "Sexual health and Public Health at Paris University (Paris 5 and Paris 7) (2007–2014). He is Associate Editor of "Sexologies : European Journal of Sexology and Sexual Health (Elsevier) and a member of the editorial committee of the Archives of Sexual Behavior and of the International Journal of Sexual Health. He served as Scientific Director at the Unesco Chair in Sexual health and Human rights (2010–2014).

In research, he has founded and organized the Euro-Sexo group which carried sociological research about the Sexologist profession in 8 European countries and 7 seven Latin-American countries.

He has published several books including: "Infirmières & Sexualité: entre soins et relations" (Nurses & sexuality: between care & relations", 2015 with Emilie Moreau & Pierre Moulin; "Sexual revolutions" (in collaboration with Gert Hekma), Palgrave 2014; "Des sexualités et des handicaps: questions d'intimité" (Sexualities and disabilities: issues of intimacy) in collaboration with Bruno Py and Anne Marie Toniolo (Presses Universitaires de Lorraine, 2013); "L'expérience de la sexualité chez de jeunes adultes" (The experience of sexuality among young adults) (Inserm, 2004). He has also published about 100 papers in peer reviewed journals in English, French and Portuguese and more than 50 book chapters.
He is currently coordinating an international network on "Citizenship and Health among trans persons" (France, Brasil, Italy, Norway) and working on a book about the history and perspectives of "sciences of sexuality".

RICHARD GREEN (UK)

Title of the presentation: How sex changed: Europe 1930s, US 1950s

Plenary Lecture (Monday, May 29, 11:00–11:30, room Zenit + Nadir)

Medical training: Johns Hopkins, Legal training: Yale (US). Psychiatry training: University of California, Los Angeles and National Institute of Mental Health (US). Positions held: Professor of Psychiatry and Faculty of Law, UCLA, Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology, State University of New York, Stony Brook (US). Visiting Professor, Medical Psychology, Imperial College, Departments of Psychology and Law, University of Cambridge (UK). Founding President, International Academy of Sex Research, Founding Editor, Archives of Sexual Behavior, 1971–2001. Fulbright Scholar, Kings College, London and University of Cambridge.

CATHERINE HAKIM (UK)

Title of the presentation: Sexual markets and erotic capital in the 21st century: the impact of the internet

Plenary Lecture (Wednesday, May 31, 11:30–12:00, room Zenit + Nadir)

Professor Catherine Hakim is a pioneering social scientist, currently Professorial Research Fellow with Civitas, a London think tank. Her professional experience spans central government, consultancy, and academia. She is a regular commentator in the media. As a Senior Research Fellow in the London School of Economics she developed a thesis on the social and economic value of Erotic Capital. She is an internationally recognized expert on women's employment, social policy, and related issues. She has also done research on voluntary childlessness and the male sexual deficit. Her publications include over 100 papers published in academic journals, numerous books and research monographs.

RUBÉN HERNÁNDEZ (VENEZUELA)

Title of the presentation: Human sexual rights: where we are 20 years later (1997–2017)

WAS Session: Sexual Rights (Tuesday, May 30, 15:00–16:30, room Zenit + Nadir)

• MEDICO CIRUJANO, Central University of Venezuela. Caracas. l968
• Psychiatrist. Central University of Venezuela./ Maudsley Hospital. London University. 1973
• MsC Criminology and Penal Sciences. Central University of Venezuela. 1975
• Founder Member of WAS. Rome 1978'
• Past President Venezuelan Society of Sexology, 1986–1990 / 2000–2004
• Past Chief of Mental Health Division. Ministry of Health. 1978–1983
• Professor Forensic Psychiatry and Legal-Medical Sexology. Universidad Central Venezuela 1974–present
• Past General Secretary and Vice President College of Physicians Miranda State.1974–1980
• Past Doctrine Secretary, General Secretary and Vice President. Medical Federation of Venezuela.1981–1991
• Past President WORLD ASSOCIATION FOR SEXUAL HEALTH.1993–1997, Member of the Advisory Committee, since 1978–present.
• Councilman and Vice President CARACAS CITY COUNCIL, by popular election.1993–2002. El Hatillo.
• President of the IX World Congress of Sexology. Caracas 1989
• President of the World Congress on VIOLENCE. 1998
• Founder and 1st Chair Psychiatry and Human Sexuality Section. WORLD PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATiON.1997–2007
• Founder and 1st President INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY OF MEDICAL SEXOLOGY.2002–2006
• Past President of FLASSES. Latin-American American Federation of Sexual Health and Education. 2006–2010.
• Honorary Member SASH, SOCOSEX, FESS, APA, SVSM
• President of the WAS Commission on HUMAN SEXUAL RIGHTS. VALENCIA. 1997
• Creator of WAS Gold Medal WAS WCS Yokohama 1995 and Recipient in WAS WCS. La Habana. 2001
• President of 17Th International Symposia Human Sexuality. Caracas. From 1978 to 1997.
• Author, Co-author of 18 Books on Human Sexuality. Director of SHEP WPA. 56 Papers, 9 Chapters and Keynote Addresses in Medical Congresses
• Prize JOSE M VARGAS (FMV) and RICARDO CAVALCANTI (FLASSES), ORDEN FRANCISCO FAJARDO, ORDEN MERITO AL TRABAJO.
• WHO researcher on Paraphilias and Violence against Children and Adolescents.
• Producer and Medical Presenter. TV Programs CLIMAX, MOMENTUM. GLOBOVISION. Caracas. VENEZUELA.

YUKO HIGASHI (JAPAN)

Title of the presentation: Re-examining the impact of the health-based approach on SOGIE and human rights movement in Japan

Plenary Session: Transgender and no-binary focus (Monday, May 29, 11:30–13:00, room Zenit + Nadir)

Professor Yuko Higashi is the deputy director of Women's Studies Center at Osaka Prefecture University in Japan and teaches Social Work and Gender Studies, especially Sexual Health/Rights. She has devoted herself to studying issues surrounding sexual diversity, working with LGBT communities in Japan, and providing sexuality education and consultation on SOGIE related issues. She is a member of the Advisory Committee and a co-chair of the Sexual Rights Committee for WAS and on the Advisory Committee of Asia-Oceania Federation of Sexology (AOFS). In Japan, she founded Sexuality Education and Empowerment (SEE) and helped start Trans-Net Japan, served as a consultant for the Guideline Committee of the Japanese Association for Psychiatry and Neurology, and is also a member of Japan Federation of Sexology, Japanese Association for Sex Education, Nijiiro (Rainbow) Diversity, Rape Crisis Network (RC-Net), and other domestic organizations.

ERICK JANSSEN (BELGIUM/USA)

Plenary Session: Relationships and Sexuality (Tuesday, May 30, 11:30–12:30, room Zenit + Nadir)

Erick Janssen, PhD, is Professor at the Institute for Family and Sexuality Studies, Department of Neurosciences, at the University of Leuven, Belgium, and Senior Research Fellow at The Kinsey Institute at Indiana University, USA. He has published extensively on the topics of sexual psychophysiology, sexual dysfunction, risky sexual behavior, sexual aggression, sexual compulsivity, and sexuality in close relationships. Together with John Bancroft, MD, he developed the Dual Control Model of Sexual Response. This model, with its focus on individual differences in the propensity for sexual excitation and inhibition, has opened up a new research agenda with wide relevance and is being used and tested by researchers around the world. He has received a number of awards, including twice the Hugo G. Beigel Award and, with his students, the SSTAR Award, the IASR Best Student Manuscript Award, and the Reiss Theory Award. He is past President of the International Academy of Sex Research (IASR), founder of international networks of sex researchers in Europe (EuroSex) and of researchers around the world in the field of sexual psychophysiology (SexLab), and currently serves as Track Leader for Basic Sciences of the Scientific Committee of the World Association for Sexual Health.

OSMO KONTULA (FINLAND)

Title of the presentation: Determinants of female sexual orgasms

WAS Session: Women and Sex (Wednesday, May 31, 09:00–11:00, room Zenit + Nadir)

Osmo Kontula, Ph.D., is a Research Professor at the Population Research Institute of the Family Federation of Finland. He has authored more than 350 publications, of which more than 50 are books. Osmo Kontula is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Sex Research (JSR), Past President of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality (SSSS), and a Member of Advisory Committee and a Chair of Sexuality Education Committee in the World Association for Sexual Health (WAS). 

KIRSTIN MITCHELL (UK)

Title of the presentation: Sexual function and wellbeing in young people

Plenary Lecture (Tuesday, May 30, 18:30–19:00, room Zenit + Nadir)

Kirstin Mitchell, Ph.D., is a Senior Research Fellow at the MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow, where she leads a theme of research on Families and Intimate & Sexual Relationships. She led the sexual function and wellbeing component of the third British National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal-3), designing the first measure of sexual function specifically tailored to population surveys. A social scientist by background, her work focuses on social, cultural and behavioural influences on sexual health, and on identifying public health focused solutions to preventing and addressing sexual health problems. This work has spanned both UK and Africa, where she has lived for many years.

SARA NASSERZADEH (IRAN/USA)

Title of the presentation: Genital practices around the world – cultural norms vs. popular trends

Plenary Lecture (Wednesday, May 31, 15:30–16:00, room Zenit + Nadir)

Sara Nasserzadeh, PhD DipPST, is a social psychologist, a COSRT Accredited Psychosexual Therapist and AASECT Certified Sexuality Counselor and Approved Provider. Dr. Nasserzadeh is an award-winning author, BBC show host and consultant. She has worked globally (across 30 countries) consulting various organizations including international NGOs, academia as well as fortune 500 companies in the capacity of a thought leader in the sociocultural, political as well as clinical aspects of human sexuality and effective communication with hard-to-reach groups including adolescents and socially marginalized groups. For the World Association for Sexual Health (WAS), Dr. Nasserzadeh is an elected member of the Advisory Committee and Chairs the Middle East Sexual Health Committee. Dr. Nasserzadeh served at the Board of Directors at AASECT as well as at the nominating Committee at ISSWSH. Dr. Nasserzadeh has been a keynote speaker at various conferences and the recipient of numerous awards including the World Association for Sexual Health runner up award for Excellence and Innovation, for her international work in the area of sexuality education and sociocultural sensitivity (Sydney, 2007). She received the BBC World Service Award for "Innovation of the Year" for her program on sex and relationship issues (London, 2007). The book she co-authored on Orgasm with three esteemed colleagues was granted the AASECT Book Award Honorable Mention in 2011.

PEDRO NOBRE (PORTUGAL)

Title of the presentation: New treatment approaches for sexual dysfunctions: how to increase sexual thoughts and positive emotions

Plenary Session: New Trends in Psychological Interventions (Sunday, May 28, 14:00–15:30, room Zenit + Nadir)

Pedro Nobre is Professor of Psychology and Director of the Laboratory for Research in Human Sexuality (SexLab) at Porto University and Research Fellow at the Kinsey Institute (USA). He is also responsible for various research projects on sexual health, has published more than 70 papers in international journals and is a member of the editorial board of several journals in the field. Moreover he received several international prizes for scientific merit. Pedro Nobre is Past-President of the Portuguese Society of Clinical Sexology (2008–2011) and was President of the 10th Congress of the European Federation of Sexology (2010) and Co-chair of the IASR meeting in 2012. He is currently Chair of the Scientific Committee of the World Association for Sexual Health (2013–2017) and member of the WAS Advisory Committee.

LUCIA O'SULLIVAN (CANADA)

Title of the presentation: Romance, rapture, rift, repeat: the trials and tribulations of intimate relationships of young people

Plenary Session: Relationships and Sexuality (Tuesday, May 30, 11:30–12:30, room Zenit + Nadir)

Lucia O'Sullivan is a Professor of Psychology at the University of New Brunswick in Canada, and Director of the Experimental Psychology Program. She held a Canada Research Chair in Adolescents' Sexual Health Behaviour from 2006–2016. Her research addresses the interface of sexuality and intimate relationships, including the impact of new digital technologies, with a primary focus on adolescents and young adults. She has published over 100 peer-reviewed scientific articles and chapters, co-edited a book on sexual coercion in dating relationships, and serves on nine editorial boards. She is Associate Editor of both the Journal of Sex Research and the Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality.

TOMMI PAALANEN (FINLAND)

Title of the presentation: Sex education by comics. A light medium for heavy issues

Plenary Session: Sexuality Education (Tuesday, May 30, 09:30–10:30, room Zenit + Nadir)

Tommi Paalanen (MA, DSocSci) is a Finnish Philosopher and Ethicist, whose major interests are philosophical sexual ethics, professional ethics, philosophy of law, human & sexual rights and sexual politics. He works as the Executive Director in the Sexpo Foundation, which specialises in training sexologists, providing counselling and therapy and engaging in sexual politics in order to advance sexual wellbeing and freedom.

Tommi's other notable positions are the Chair of the Sexual Rights Committee of The World Association for Sexual Health, the Chair of the Ethical Committee of the Nordic Association for Clinical Sexology, and the Chair of the Committee on Sexual Ethics of the Finnish Association for Sexology among other positions of trust. Tommi is very fond of political activism to advance positive, open and liberal culture towards sexuality and diversity in society.

LUIS PERELMAN (MEXICO)

Title of the presentation: Family acceptance and support to win the fight against homophobia and transphobia

WAS Session: Sexual Rights (Tuesday, May 30, 15:00–16:30, room Zenit + Nadir)

Sexuality Educator and activist in sexual rights, sexual diversity, family acceptance of LGBT children and non-discrimination in Mexico, Latin America and Jewish communities. Co-director of El Armario Abierto, bookstore specialized in sexuality that received the WAS honorary prize for sexuality education. Former president of Federación Mexicana de Educación Sexual y Sexología FEMESS. Member of the Advisory Committee of WAS since 2009

JIM PFAUS (CANADA)

Title of the presentation: Brain mechanisms of sexual desire, pleasure, and inhibition

Plenary Lecture (Sunday, May 28, 13:30–14:00, room Zenit + Nadir)

Jim Pfaus (Ph.D.) is a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Concordia University in Montréal QC Canada. His research on the behavioral, cognitive, neuroanatomical, neurochemical, and molecular mechanisms of sexual arousal, desire, pleasure, and inhibition in rats and humans has been cited widely in both scientific and popular media. This work has formed the basis for rational pharmacotherapies for sexual disorders and furthered our understanding of the epigenetic changes within different neurochemical systems induced by sexual pleasure that stimulate sexual desire and create sexual partner preferences. His research spans over 200 papers and chapters, and has been funded by operating and infrastructure grants from CIHR and NSERC (Canada), FRQS (Québec), and NIH (USA). He is the current President of the International Academy of Sex Research and is a fellow of the International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health. He also serves as a member of the Standards Committee for the International Society for Sexual Medicine, and was co-Chair of the preclinical research committees for the 2010 and 2015 International Consultations in Sexual Medicine.

EUSEBIO RUBIO-AURIOLES (MEXICO)

Title of the presentation: The sexologist standpoint: on the need to adopt the transdisciplinary model

WAS Session: Past, Present and Future of Sexology (Sunday, May 28, 16:00–17:30, room Zenit + Nadir)

Obtained his M.D. at Universidad La Salle in Mexico City (1978) México D.F., and his Ph.D. in the Program of Human Sexuality at New York University. (1988). He completed the post-doctoral training course in sex therapy at the Department of Psychiatry of the Mount Sinai Hospital of New York City (1983).

Since 1984 he is professor at the Departamento de Psiquiatría y Salud Mental de la Facultad de Medicina de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Since 2008 he also teaches at Hospital Fray Bernardino Alvarez to psychiatric residents, and since 2014 he is also professor at the Medical Scholl of Universidad La Salle.

In 1987 he founded the Asociación Mexicana para la Salud Sexual, A.C. where he is the director and professor of a training process in psychosexual therapy and clinical sexology.

ELNA RUDOLPH (SOUTH AFRICA)

Title of the presentation: Female sexual pain disorders: it's no longer only in their heads!

WAS Session: Women and Sex (Wednesday, May 31, 09:00–11:00, room Zenit + Nadir)

Dr Elna Rudolph is a medical doctor and Sexologist working exclusively in the field of sexual medicine. She is the clinical head of My Sexual Health – a multidisciplinary team of Sexual Health Professionals in Pretoria, Johannesburg, and Cape Town. She has a Higher Diploma in Sexual Health and HIV Medicine through the Colleges of Medicine in South Africa and obtained a Master's Degree in Sexual Health through the University of Sydney, Australia. She is a Fellow of the European Committee for Sexual Medicine, an Honorary Fellow of the Council of Sex Education and Parenthood (International) as well as an Executive Board member of the South African Sexual Health Association (SASHA) and a member of the Advisory Committee for the World Association for Sexual Health (WAS). She is also involved in STI research in collaboration with the University of Pretoria.

ALEKSANDAR ŠTULHOFER (CROATIA)

Title of the presentation: Effects of pornography use on adolescents' sexual debut and condom use: a longitudinal assessment

Plenary Session: Pornography (Wednesday, May 31, 12:00–13:00, room Zenit + Nadir)

Aleksandar Štulhofer is professor of sociology and the head of Sexology Unit at the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, Croatia. A full member of the International Academy of Sex Research and a member of the Scientific Committee of the European Federation of Sexology, he serves on the editorial board of the Archives of Sexual Behavior, Journal of Sex Research, Sexuality and Culture, and Sexualization, Media, & Society. In 2016, he was awarded a Gold Medal from the European Federation of Sexology for contribution to European Sexual Health.

NADINE TERREIN-ROCCATTI (MEXICO)

Title of the presentation: Emotional and psychological expressions of the elements included in sexuality

Plenary Lecture (Tuesday, May 30, 17:30–18:00, room Zenit + Nadir)

Nadine Terrein-Roccatti is a psychologist, psychotherapist and sexual therapist with a PhD on psychology research. She is a member of the Advisory Committee of the World Association for the Sexual Health (WAS) and co-chairs the World Sexual Health Day Committee. She teaches on sexual health program at the Durango University (UAD), she is member of the Mexican Sexology Bar (Colegio Mexicano de Postgraduados en Sexología) Chairing the commission for Social Service. She is the writer of "Mi diario erótico" (My erotic journal) a manual for the erotic development of women. She also host a vlog about sexuality and sexual health on YouTube.

FREDERIC TOATES (UK)

Title of the presentation: An incentive motivation and hierarchical model of sex – 2017

Plenary Lecture (Wednesday, May 31, 15:00–15:30, room Zenit + Nadir)

Frederick Toates is Emeritus Professor of Biological Psychology at the Open University, UK, having also taught undergraduate students in France, Germany, Denmark, Romania, Moldova, the Netherlands, Sweden and the USA. His research is on motivation and he is responsible for developing the incentive motivation model, as well as applying it to sexual motivation. His most recent book is How Sexual Desire Works: The Enigmatic Urge (Cambridge University Press, 2014), which won the Association of American Publishers 'Book of the Year Award' in 2015 in the category of 'Psychology'.

LINDA VIGNOZZI (ITALY)

Title of the presentation: Metabolic syndrome and BPH: the intriguiging role of inflammation and sex steroids balance

Plenary Session: Sexual Medicine (Monday, May 29, 09:30–10:30, room Zenit + Nadir)

Professor Linda Vignozzi is researcher at the Sexual Medicine and Andrology Research Unit, Department of Clinical Physiopathology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy and MD at the Sexual Medicine and Andrology Unit of Careggi Hospital; accredited training center of the European Academy of Andrology, reference regional center for diagnosis and therapy of erectile dysfunction, reference regional center for semen cryopreservetion. At the University of Florence she received the MD and the PhD degree in Endocrinology and metabolic diseases. Since February 2009 she is Assistant Professor of Endocrinology at the Medical School of the University of Florence. Professor Linda Vignozzi was a member of the Scientific Committee of the Italian Society of Andrology and Sexual Medicine (2009–2012), now she is member of the Executive Committee of the Italian Society of Andrology and Sexual Medicine.

SAM WINTER (AUSTRALIA)

Title of the presentation: WHO's in the spotlight? Interrogating sexuality and disorder in ICD-11

Plenary Session: Transgender and no-binary focus (Monday, May 29, 11:30–13:00, room Zenit + Nadir)

Sam Winter is an associate professor and sexology research lead at Curtin University School of Public Health in Perth in Australia. Before moving to Australia in 2015 he was in the Faculty of Education at the University of Hong Kong. Dr Winter's interests include sexuality education; and sexual and gender diversity, rights, health and development. A psychologist by training and professional experience, he has researched and published extensively in trans* health and rights, as well as working with trans* clients. He currently has around 50 publications in this area. He authored UNDP's 2012 Lost in Transition report, and was commissioned lead author for two of the four papers in the recent groundbreaking Lancet series on global transgender health. He is a board member of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) and is one of the authors of their most recent Standards of Care (SOC-7). He has worked with numerous UN agencies, including with WHO and UNAIDs HQs in Geneva, and with the Asia-Pacific regional offices of UNAIDS, UNDP, WHO, UN Women and UNESCO. He was one of the members of the WHO Working Group on Sexual Disorders and Sexual Health which made the current proposals for ICD revision. He has publicly opposed the proposal for a Gender Incongruence of Childhood diagnosis for children under the age of puberty. He has done community advocacy work regionally and worldwide, working extensively with Global Action for Trans* Equality (GATE); Asia-Pacific Transgender Network (APTN); APCOM (Asia-Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health); and others.

KEVAN WYLIE (UK)

Title of the presentation: Relationships, ageing and equality

Presidential Lecture (Sunday, May 28, 11:30–12:00, room Zenit + Nadir)

Kevan qualified in medicine MB ChB in Liverpool in 1985, obtained his Masters in Leeds (1991) and the Diploma in Therapy with Couples (1993) and Diploma in Sexual Medicine (1994) at the University of London. He completed his highest university degree at Doctorate MD level researching couples and sex therapy for erectile dysfunction in 1999 and has worked full time clinically in sexual and gender medicine for the UK National Health Service from June 1999 across two hospital trusts in Sheffield. 

EKUA YANKAH (GERMANY/GHANA)

Title of the presentation: Comprehensive sexuality education: origins, evidence and the future

Plenary Session: Sexuality Education (Tuesday, May 30, 09:30–10:30, room Zenit + Nadir)

Ekua Yankah is an Afro-German social scientist and activist based in Berlin, Germany. She is a former Programme Specialist with the Section on HIV and AIDS at UNESCO headquarters in Paris where she initiated and lead UNESCO's Global Programme on Sexuality Education including the development and publication of the United Nations Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education in 2009. Since 2010 she has been working as an independent consultant for various United Nations agencies, international NGOs and the Federal Centre for Health Education in Germany. She is a member of the International Editorial Board of the UK Journal Sex Education where she guest co-edited a special issue dedicated to the late Doug Kirby and commentaries on the Standards for Sexuality Education in Europe. Ekua holds a Ph.D. in Social Epidemiology from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, University of London, United Kingdom and a Masters degree in Public Health from George Washington University, USA. Ekua is academically affiliated with the Centre for Social Research in Health at the University of New South Wales (Australia) and the Centre for Sexualities, AIDS & Gender at the University of Pretoria (South Africa).