What's Happening

By Marcia Quackenbush, MS, MFT, MCHES | January 25, 2015
Senior Editor, ETR

One of my favorite things about ETR’s research staff is that everyone who is a part of the team is committed to mentorship. My colleagues understand that we cannot continue to advance the fields of health research and sexual and reproductive health without an effectively-trained cadre of new professionals joining our efforts.

ETR’s Kirby Summer Internship is the embodiment of that value. It is named after one of the premiere researchers in the field, Douglas Kirby, who, before his death in 2012, was a senior research scientist at ETR. Doug was also one of my favorite people ever. He would have fully approved of this internship program.

By ETR | December 22, 2015

Yes, indeed, 2016 is right around the corner. We've had a fine year with our blog and hope you've enjoyed our posts. ETR and the blog will be taking a break over the holidays. We'll be back in 2016 with more great content from ETR staff and our partners and colleagues in the field. We've got some wonderful posts coming up in January, so be sure to check back.

In the meantime, we wish you, your colleagues, families and communities, a joyous holiday.

By Erin McCarthy | December 18, 2015
National Public Health Sales Representative, ETR

Here’s one of the things I love about my job. Every day, I get to work with people who are passionate about using education to promote healthy behaviors in their communities.

Programs focusing on health and sexuality seek to empower individuals. They want to support healthy sexual choices that reduce sexual risks. The coordination of this work takes dedication, determination and a desire to see positive change. This pretty much sums up Syida Huggins-Richards’ approach to her work.

By Laura Perkins, MLS | December 4, 2015
Project Editor, ETR

PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) for HIV means taking a combination pill to prevention transmission of the virus. The pill, brand name Truvada, has proved to be successful at protecting at-risk individuals. Trials evaluating PrEP among gay and bisexual men, heterosexual men and women, and injection drug users indicate that the risk of getting HIV decreased by up to 92% for participants who took the medicine consistently.

This is phenomenal!

By Marcia Quackenbush, MS, MFT, MCHES | November 24, 2015
Senior Editor, ETR

Thanksgiving is traditionally a time we think of gratitude. This year, as we consider all that has happened and compare our circumstances to others on the world stage, we at ETR are indeed grateful—for personal health, for homes, for opportunities to be with our families.

We continue, through collaboration, inspiration and hard work to change the world in our small and peaceful ways. The opportunity to do so is something I am incredibly grateful for.

So yes, 2015 has been a difficult year in many respects. But it has also been a wonderful year for ETR, one filled with excellence, shared vision, partnership and collaboration. Here are some of the people and organizations we especially want to thank.

By ETR | October 27, 2015

ETR is proud to be offering two new resources on weight and fitness. If you’re offering support to clients or patients on these topics, we hope you’ll take a look.

Each is designed to be a compendium of the most vital information patients need, conveniently assembled in a single, trustworthy resource. The writing is clear and simple without being simplistic. The content has been written and reviewed by health education specialists and topic experts.

By ETR | September 24, 2015

We’ve just learned that ETR’s Alex Williams has been selected to receive the 2015 Dr. Mark Colomb Leadership Award from the Southern Regional Ball/House and Pageant Communities (B/HAP). We spoke with Alex about what receiving this award means to him, and why this type of work is so important. He told us:

This award recognizes a dual effort. First, it speaks to excellence in addressing HIV issues among the highest risk groups in communities of color.

Second, it specifically recognizes HIV efforts within the House and Ballroom community. This is a thriving subculture of the LGBT community which has been little known or recognized by people outside the culture. Historically, it’s also been marginalized and neglected by most HIV prevention programs.

By Marcia Quackenbush, MS, MFT, MCHES | August 27, 2015
Senior Editor, ETR

Heard any good stories lately? Particularly about the work you do and the positive impact your organization has in the world?

Here at ETR, we’ve been thinking about these kinds of stories ever since we read Joan Singson’s blog post on Storytelling for Sustainability. We decided to do an all-staff activity where we explored some of the stories we have to tell about ETR’s work.

By Dan McCormick, MHA | August 3, 2015
Chief Executive Officer, ETR

This has been an exciting few days for ETR as an organization. We’ve officially teamed up with Select Media to become one organization. We’re looking forward to putting the resources of both organizations to work promoting healthy behaviors in communities across the nation.

Select Media has been a publisher and distributor of a number of the evidence-based programs on the list provided by the Office of Adolescent Health. Now, all of these resources will be available through ETR’s online store, along with the evidence-based programs ETR has been developing and distributing for more than three decades.

By ETR | July 23, 2015

We’re excited to introduce three new designs in our popular condom holder series. If you distribute condoms through your clinic or program, you can now wrap them up in a packet that promotes a great health message.

By Laura Perkins, MLS | July 9, 2015
Project Editor, ETR

Laws on the legalization of marijuana in the U.S. are changing rapidly. Since 1996, 23 states and Washington, D.C. have legalized the use of marijuana to treat some medical conditions. A number of states have decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana. And now Colorado, Washington, Alaska and Oregon have legalized the recreational use of marijuana for adults over 21. The public health implications within this changing landscape are only just beginning to emerge.

By ETR | June 11, 2015

ETR extends an enthusiastic welcome to this year’s Kirby Summer Interns. Monica Sun and William Spatafora both hail from the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at Tulane University. They will be spending the summer working directly with ETR researchers, gathering and analyzing data. Each will co-author a paper for submission to a professional journal. 

By Annika Shore, MPH | June 1, 2015
Professional Development Consultant, ETR

Are you a trainer, professional development provider or sexuality educator? Do you deliver trainings for educators on evidence-based adolescent sexual and reproductive health programs (EBPs)? Then we’re looking for you!

ETR is offering it’s research-based Training of Trainers—Evidence-Based Programs this coming September 15–18. This training provides an opportunity for you to become skilled in delivering Trainings of Educators for one of these three programs: Draw the Line/Respect the Line (DTL/RTL), Reducing the Risk (RTR) or Becoming a Responsible Teen (BART).

The training will help you bring a new level of energy, understanding and skill to your work. 

By ETR | May 22, 2015

Our partners at Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts (PPLM) will be holding a regional Training of the Educator for the Get Real Middle School curriculum in Denver, Colorado. The two-day training is scheduled for July 31-August 1.

By Julie Adams | May 14, 2015
Research Assistant, ETR

A five-mile run has never felt so good! ETR members had the pleasure of participating in the 35th annual Human Race Walkathon and Fun Run this past weekend in Santa Cruz, CA. Together we helped raise funds for the Digital NEST, a non-profit in Watsonville, CA, that seeks to create a safe space for under-represented youth while encouraging them to explore and pursue an entrepreneurial spirit. We are huge supporters of the NEST and everything they do to ensure rural youth in Silicon Valley have access to the technologies needed to thrive in this increasingly digital world.

By Shukun Ma | May 1, 2015
Candidate for MBA, University of Michigan Ross School of Business

I believe opportunity and possibility make life exciting, and that education transforms life.

For me, earning my MBA and doing an internship with ETR has helped provide a pathway to my DREAM.

I was literally shaking with thrills when I received the offer to attend the MBA program at Ross School of Business. I saw this as a huge step closer to realizing my career aspiration—using business acumen to empower people. At the same time, it made me look back at my own trajectory. I could not have advanced as I had without resources of various types which had been offered to me and which, I realized, I had been taking for granted.

By Jason Jackson Wallace | May 1, 2015
Candidate for MBA, University of Michigan Ross School of Business

As a little kid, I spent a lot of my time reading and dreaming about space exploration. Often I would read about NASA’s future plans and envision myself as a future astronaut exploring Mars. It seemed like a sure thing to me.

I expected that by the time I’d be old enough to fly, we’d already have a colony on Mars. The idea of exploring and living on another planet would be read about in textbooks rather than science fiction novels.

Disappointingly, my imagination outstripped reality. However, that dream motivated me to continue pursuing science and mathematics throughout my education.

By Cary Klemmer | April 29, 2015
MSW/PhD Student, University of Southern California

Being able to attend a national health summit for transgender folks is one amazing thing in and of itself. Being able to present and share the narratives of transgender youth at that conference is another!

Last April 17-18, I had the great honor of both attending and presenting at the National Transgender Health Summit 2015 in Oakland, California. This event was made possible due to the diligence and hard work of the conference staff, including the UCSF Center of Excellence for Transgender Health and ETR, which co-sponsored the event.