Amy Schalet, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, worked with the Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health Education Program (through Physicians for Reproductive Health) in New York City. ASA asked Schalet about her work:
What is the mission of Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health Education Program? From website description: Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health Education Program (ARSHEP) is our comprehensive, evidence-based curriculum. It is a unique educational tool for residency programs, youth-serving health professionals, and self-guided learning.
From website of PRH: Physicians for Reproductive Health unites the medical community and concerned supporters. Together, we work to improve access to comprehensive reproductive health care, including contraception and abortion, especially to meet the health care needs of economically disadvantaged patients.
Could you describe the project? I worked very closely with the staff and pediatricians and other medical professionals to develop an educational module that the organization makes freely available on its website for downloading. It is used in medical and community education on adolescent sexual health. The module, titled “Beyond Abstinence and Risk: a New Paradigm,” can be found here:
What sociological knowledge and/or skills did you use? This module was based on the research and analyses from my book, Not Under My Roof: Parents, Teens, and the Culture of Sex (University of Chicago Press 2011). It used my skills as a cultural sociologist, sociologist of the family, sexuality, and gender, qualitative methods.
How did you connect with the ARSHEP? They invited me to give a presentation. I had been at a medical school for a postdoc and published an article in an online medical journal, titled “Must We Fear Adolescent Sexuality,” that circulated very widely (100,000 readers).
Is there anything else you would like to share about this work? It was very rewarding, and I collaborated a great deal with the physicians in this organizations, giving many joint presentations for broader publics, doing radio shows together etc. I believe that there is a lot of potential for great synergy between sociologists and (progressively minded) physicians/specialists!
