Our Current Students

Eric Encarnacion 

 

Vanessa Gore, PhD student

I am conducting a study exploring the effectiveness of sexuality knowledge assessment tools for people with an intellectual impairment. The research will identify how clinicians use the information gathered from the administration of a sexuality knowledge assessment tool to inform the development of a sexual health education  program. Social constructionism will be used to investigate how sexual access for people with an intellectual impairment is constructed by sexuality knowledge assessment tools, clinicians and sexual health education programs. It is envisaged that the results of the study will be used to inform the development of future sexuality knowledge assessment tools that better meet the needs of people with an intellectual impairment and the professionals supporting them.

 

 

Dr Vijayasarathi Ramanathan, PhD student

I am a medical doctor from India who completed Masters in Medicine (STI/HIV) and now doing part-time PhD. The research title is 'Sexual Health of South Asian Migrants Living in Australia'. The research will explore issues like the knowledge, attitude and values related to human sexuality, service utilisation and help seeking behaviour for sexual health of South Asian (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh) adult migrant men living in Australia. The first stage is a qualitative research using focus groups and the next is development of a questionnaire based on focus group, literature and expert opinion. The final stage would be an online questionnaire survey.  At present, the research is stage 2 after a successful completion of focus groups with 25 men involved. For more information, contact me on vram4831@usyd.edu.au

My Supervisors are Dr Gomathi Sitharthan, Dr Patricia Weerakoon and Dr Russell Shuttleworth and this research would have come to this level without their extreme support and advice.

 

Natalie Hamam

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saul Isbister - Masters by research

My research will explore the experiences of men and women with cerebral palsy, who live in supported accommodation in New South Wales, who have accessed sex worker services. Conversational style in-depth interviews will be used to gather qualitative data on the participants’ reasons for accessing sex workers, barriers they may have experienced, strategies to overcome barriers, and subsequent changes they may have noticed regarding their sense of self, enjoyment of life or relationships with others.

The Graduate Program in Sexual Health at University of Sydney was an obvious choice for me as it is the only graduate level training and research institute in Australia in the area of sexual health. My supervisors and other faculty staff have been active in supporting me in my journey as a student researcher. I have found that the Sex Research Group also provides valuable opportunities to share information and ideas with a
wide-range of other students and researchers.

 

Rachel Wotton - Masters in Applied Science (Biomed.Sc) - by research

This project aims to find out the extent to which sex workers, working in NSW, provide services to clients with a disability via an online quantitative survey.

The data gained from this exploratory research project will allow me to gain a greater understanding about the extent to which sexual service provision of NSW based sex workers is provided to clients with a disability.  In addition, it will be an opportunity to: learn more about where such service provision occurs, the frequency of such services, the type and range of services provided, if clients arrange their appointments themselves and / or  need the assistance of a third party, and to explore if there are any barriers to sex workers providing these services.

It is anticipated that the final results can be used to educate and influence the future development of training and awareness workshops for sex workers, disability services providers, clients with a disability, academics, policy makers and the general public.

 

Elizabeth Riley, Ph.D. student

Elizabeth Riley's PhD research is titled "Gender Variant Children: Views of Professionals, Parents  and Transgender Adults" and is an online survey with separate sections for Professionals, Parents and Transgender Adults. The aim of the survey is to ascertain the needs of gender variant (gv) children and their parents by asking, professionals who work with the transgender community, parents who have a gv child and transgender individuals about their experiences, challenges and needs, both currently and retrospectively.

 

Tinashe Dune, Masters by Research

In Western societies, there is a pervasive myth that sex should be spontaneous and that planning for sex is in a word - unsexy. How might this cultural myth affect disabled mens' sexual sense of self and sense of desirability? How might this myth affect their perceptions of possibilities for sexual relationships? In my research I propose to investigate the ways in which men with moderate to severe cerebral palsy perceive the Western 'myth of sexual spontaneity' and the affect this perception has on their sexual self-concept, sense of desirability and body image. I will further examine their perception of the myth as a contributing factor in the difficulty men with cerebral palsy may experience accessing sexual relationships.

I chose to work with the University of Sydney and particularly the Disability and Community Faculty Research Group due to the diversity of supervisory staff, the international awareness and acceptance. As a postgraduate student in the Faculty of Health Sciences I feel that me and my research matter.

 

 

Jennifer Bostock, Masters by Research

'I will be investigating the health and quality of life issues for neurotypical (NT) women who are in a committed relationship with an Asperger (Aspie) male partner.  A neurotypical (NT) woman is a woman who does not have Asperger Syndrome.  An 'Apsie' male is a male with Asperger Syndrome.  Specifically I will explore how the symptom expression/behavioral characteristics of the Aspie male partner impact on/intersect with the emotional, physical, psychological, intellectual and/or mental health characteristics of his NT female partner and the longer term implications of these interactions for the NT women's health, functioning, wellbeing and overall quality of life.  The sexual and reproductive health of the NT women will be of particular interest within this project.'

 

Frances D'Arcy -Tehan, PhD student

Greetings - I am psychologist and clinical sexologist in private practice in Victoria http://www.sexcounsellor.com.au/ .  I am also Secretary of the Victorian Branch of Australian Society of Sex Educators Researchers and Therapists (ASSERT) http://www.assertnsw.org.au/ 

I completed the Masters program in Sexual Health and now I am enrolled as a PhD student.  My research thesis is:  The Effects of Genital Image and Body Image on Sexual Functioning in Women.  Here is the link to the online survey:

www.fhs.usyd.edu.au/sexualhealth/genitalimage

As a clinician and researcher I am interested in assisting individuals and couples to enhance the quality of their relationships.  I envisage my research will contribute to our understanding of the psychosexual issues involved in relation to genital image and body image and comfort during sex.

The Graduate Program in Sexual Health has offered me so much in terms of developing research and clinical skills as well as networking with those in the sexology community.