Dr. David Satcher: A man with a sexual health mission 

I am currently the Director of the National Center for Primary Care at the Morehouse School of Medicine and I also serve as Principal Investigator for the institutional grant for the elimination of disparities in health among different racial and ethnic groups. This program is funded by the National Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities Research at NIH. As Director of the National Center for Primary Care, I oversee a program that is geared toward promoting excellence in primary care and community-oriented primary care programs with a special focus on the needs of the underserved and on the elimination of disparities in health.

At the Morehouse School of Medicine I am leading an institution-wide effort that is geared toward taking a three dimensional approach to disparities in health. These three dimensions include, first, a surveillance dimension in which we monitor disparities in areas such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, HIV-AIDS and others. This element of the project looks at disparities in different populations, different age groups and even in different socioeconomic groups. The second dimension looks at the determinants of health and their impact on disparities which include (1) access to care, (2) quality of care provided, (3) lifestyles and (4) environmental qualities. This dimension of the work also includes a look at biology and genetics as they impact responses to different medications in different populations. The third element of our work is a balanced research agenda in which we are engaged in research ranging from basic science and biomedical approaches, to clinical health services research, behavior research and community prevention research.

Our goal is to work with community partners including a consortium of black churches as well as the undergraduate institutions in the Atlanta University Center in order to develop strategies for eliminating disparities in health through a three-dimensional approach. We have also been funded by the Ford Foundation to develop a strategy for improving sexual health and human sexuality discourse in the nation. Areas of sexual health involving problems such as sexually transmitted diseases, disproportionately impact minority populations, so this is a project that is very important to us here at the Morehouse School of Medicine.

The purpose of the National Advisory Council which I am currently developing is to lead a national effort to implement the recommendations of the Surgeon General's 'Call to Action to Promote Sexual Health and Responsible Sexual Behavior.'  This council will evaluate the latest science as it relates to sexual health and human sexuality and work to promote a national discourse that is honest, informed, respectful and engaging. Hopefully, the National Advisory Council will have an impact upon the nature of the discourse in this country around sexual health and influence policies and practices as they relate to sexual health.

The first point from the Surgeon General's Report on Sexual Health would be that there is a need for comprehensive sex education and that it should take place in the home, at school and in churches, and other settings in which people live and work together. We believe that the parent should be the primary sex educator, but we also realize that not all parents are equally prepared emotionally or academically to provide their children with the kind of information that is needed. Therefore, we view the schools as the great equalizers in this respect - a role that they have long served in this country. Every child should be assured of receiving basic comprehensive sexuality education in school in order to augment experiences at home.

The second major point of the Sexual Health Report is that sex education needs to be comprehensive and it needs to include discussions about abstinence and the importance of abstinence when one is not engaged in a meaningful committed relationship. But it also includes information about how one optimally protects oneself and others when sexually active.

A third major point of the Sexual Health Report has to do with sexual orientation. Our report found that all indications are that sexual orientation is established by adolescence. There is no scientific evidence that sexual orientation can be changed and, therefore, there is a need for the American people to come to appreciate diversity in sexual orientation in this country. It is critical that not only comprehensive sex education but sexual health and reproductive health services are made available to people throughout this country. There are major implications for the training of health professionals in dealing with that need.

The National Sexuality Resource Center (NSRC) is a tremendous resource in dealing with issues related to Human Sexuality and Sexual Health. This center will be able to not only conduct research but also to evaluate existing research and the best available science surrounding human sexuality and sexual health. The center will also, of course, be a resource because of its website which will not only feature the best available science but also have the benefit of the Center's assessment of that science -- bridging the gap between science on the one hand, and policies and practice on the other. We are especially pleased that the National Sexuality Resource Center will serve as a tremendous resource for the National Advisory Council on Sexual Health for the United States and, in a sense, the global community.