U of M Professor Awarded the Gold Medal Award 2007

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (April 24, 2007) -- University of Minnesota Medical School professor Eli Coleman received the Gold Medal Award 2007 at the XVIII World Congress of the World Association for Sexual Health.  He was presented with the award during the opening ceremony of the conference, which took place in Sydney, Australia April 15 to 19, 2007.

Coleman is the director of the Program in Human Sexuality at the Medical School and a psychologist at the Center for Human Sexuality.  He has published numerous books and articles about topics such as sexual orientation, compulsive sexual behavior, along with psychological and pharmacological treatments of many sexual disorders.  He is the current and founding editor of International Journal of Sexual Health.  He also founded the International Journal of Transgenderism.  He has served as the past president of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and the World Association of Sexology (re-named the World Association for Sexual Health).

Coleman graduated from Marquette University and received his doctoral degree in counseling psychology in 1978 from the University of Minnesota.  He has been on the faculty of the Program in Human Sexuality since that time and became the Director of the Program in   1991.

The World Association for Sexual Health (WAS) was founded in order to bring together experts of Human Sexuality from around the world and become the leading authority in the field.  They strive to promote the field of sexology and serve as a prominent voice surrounding sexual rights matters.  Along with their world-wide membership, WAS is in official relations with the World Health Organization.

The Academic Health Center is home to the University of Minnesota’s six health professional schools and colleges as well as several health-related centers and institutes. Founded in 1851, the University is one of the oldest and largest land grant institutions in the country. The AHC prepares the new health professionals who improve the health of communities, discover and deliver new treatments and cures, and strengthen the health economy.

Contact: Sara E. Buss, Academic Health  Center, 612-624-2449
Amy Devore, Academic Health Center, 612-626-4784