About Us : Interdisciplinary Sexuality Research Collaborative

About Us

We apply research to shape innovation in sexuality education.

At the Interdisciplinary Sexuality Research Collaborative (ISRC) at Widener University, we are devoted to supporting, enabling, and producing a rich and comprehensive body of scientific research in human sexuality at the intersection of varied theoretical approaches. Our focus is on the application of research to shape innovation in sexuality education and sex therapy, with an eye on the effectiveness of cutting-edge approaches and their cultural-responsiveness.

ISRC’s unique interdisciplinary approach to investigation looks to Dennis Dailey’s (1981) Circles of Sexuality Model as its source of inspiration and the conceptual framework to guide our inquiry. The five areas of focus are: Sensuality, Intimacy, Sexual Health and Reproduction, Gender Identity, and Sexual Agency, with Culture and Spirituality incorporated across all of the five areas.

Key faculty and researchers at the Collaborative represent a wide variety of disciplines, namely social work, psychology, anthropology, cultural studies, gender studies, public health, and education. This interdisciplinary approach aims to shift the focus of sexuality research away from targeting only the complications and problems in sexuality (e.g. dysfunctions and public health problems) to pursuing a more complex understanding of the many facets of sexuality (e.g. the nuances of intimacy, pleasure, spirituality, and culture).

Researching in this manner allows the various disciplines to inform one another on matters of sexuality, thereby broadening the scope of knowledge and informing practice in an array of fields. Student researchers, who are MEd and PhD students at Widener’s Center for Human Sexuality Studies, learn to apply these new lenses to the study of a wide variety of topics in sexuality. A final arm of the Collaborative’s research agenda includes the application of research to shape the clinical practice of sexuality education and sex therapy, as well as research about the effectiveness of treatments and educational programs.

Key Faculty and Researchers

Justin A. Sitron

Director

Widener University Bio

Dr. Sitron is an Associate Professor in Widener’s Center for Human Sexuality Studies. He began his career in South Philadelphia as a teacher of Spanish, and English for speakers of other languages (ESOL), and also spent 3 years at Abington Junior High School teaching Spanish and advising the school’s Gay-Straight Alliance. For two years he worked for Planned Parenthood of Bucks County (PA) as a Male Involvement Community Health Educator and Coordinator of LGBTQ Services, after which he worked for a time as an adjunct professor before joining the Center for Health Behavior and Communications Research (CHBR) at the University of Pennsylvania in as an Intervention Specialist, under the direction of Dr. John Jemmott. The CHBR specialized in developing health behavior interventions for African-American populations, including additional work in Southern Africa. Dr. Sitron joined the Widener faculty as an adjunct in 2005 and full-time in 2008.

Education

PhD Human Sexuality,
Widener University

BA Spanish Language and Literature; B.S. Education,
Villanova University

Certified Sexuality Educator,
AASECT

Diplomado, Monitor de Educación Sexual y Especialista en Terápia Sexual,
Sociedad Sexológica de Madrid

Brooke Wells

Associate Director

Widener University Bio

Dr. Wells is a social psychologist who joined the Center for Human Sexuality Studies at Widener University in 2015. Her research broadly focuses on substance use and abuse, the connections between substance use and sexual behavior, social and cultural changes in sexuality over time, sexuality in the media, and alternative sexual communities (kink, swinger, and sex party communities). Dr. Wells also supports student research across a range of sexuality topics.

Education

PhD Social Psychology,
The Graduate Center of the City
University of New York

MA Psychology,
San Diego State University

BA Psychology,
Knox College

Randal Brown

Researcher

Widener University Bio

Dr. Brown received his PhD in social psychology from the University of Nevada, Reno. Prior to his graduate studies, he earned his bachelor’s in psychology with an interdisciplinary minor in human sexuality at Eastern Michigan University. His research interests center around sexuality within romantic relationships, with an emphasis in sexual communication. Specifically, his research examines what leads people to talk about, or avoid talking about, sexual topics with their romantic partners.

Education

PhD Social Psychology,
University of Nevada, Reno

MA Social Psychology,
University of Nevada, Reno

BS Psychology, Human Sexuality
Eastern Michigan University

Ahyana King

Clinical Research Educator

Ahyana King is a Master’s level clinical counselor whose passion for reexamining, redefining, and reimagining mental health and wellness in marginalized populations brought her to Widener University as a research educator in the spring of 2018. Ahyana’s work has ranged from serving youth in the Philadelphia foster care system, individuals impacted by and living with HIV/AIDS, and to those navigating life with a history of sexual abuse and sexual assault.

Education

MS- Mental Health Counseling,
Walden University

BA- Human Development and Family Science,
Messiah College

Lindsay Lock

Research Assistant

Dr. Lindsay Lock, who also goes by Li, received their PhD in Human Sexuality Studies from Widener University. Their research interests include sex and substances, sexological worldview development, consensual non-monogamy, and gender development and identity. Their dissertation research explores psychosocial predictors of varying sexual behavior and subjective sexual effects people report while experiencing the effects of cannabis. Before beginning the PhD program, they worked as a research assistant at Brown University’s Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies. Li has been a research assistant at the ISRC since beginning their matriculation at Widener in Fall 2014.

Education

PhD Human Sexuality,
Widener University

MEd Human Sexuality Studies,
Widener University

MS Human Development & Family Studies (Specialization: Couple and Family Therapy),
University of Rhode Island

BS Psychology; A.B. Classical Culture,
University of Georgia

Tyler Burns

Research Assistant

Tyler is currently a PhD level student in the Human Sexuality Studies program at Widener University. Their research interests include LGBT+ issues, non-monogamies, and the intersection of technology and sexuality. They have held several teaching assistant positions, across a broad range of psychological topics including Theories of Learning and Cognition as well as Biological Psychology. They have also held a position as an Administrative Assistant at the University of Central Oklahoma’s Learning and Behavior Clinic.

Education

MEd Human Sexuality Studies,
Widener University

MA Counseling Psychology,
University of Central Oklahoma

BA Psychology,
University of Central Oklahoma

Affiliate Staff

Don Dyson

Principal Investigator, Sex Talk Study

Widener University Bio

Dr. Dyson is an AASECT-certified sexuality educator and an associate professor at Widener’s Center for Human Sexuality Studies. His research interests include best practices in the training of sexologists, intercultural issues in sexuality education, and identity intersections in sexuality. He is currently also the Principal Investigator of the Sex Talk Study, which seeks to examine the unique ways in which 18-24 year-olds think and talk about sex and relationships.

Education

PhD Human Sexuality,
University of Pennsylvania

MSS Clinical Social Work,
Bryn Mawr College

BA Communications: Speech and Theater,
Eastern University

Linda Hawkins

Co-Investigator, Accelerate

Widener University Bio

Dr. Hawkins is an Adjunct Professor with Widener’s Center for Human Sexuality Studies. Her work focuses on counseling and sexuality education in the medical setting. She works predominantly with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and has a strong passion for the education and sexual health of adolescents and young adults.

Education

PhD Human Development & Human Sexuality,
Widener University

MSEd Psychological Services,
University of Pennsylvania

BS Speech and Hearing Sciences,
University of Washington

Javontae L. Williams

Applied Research Scientist

Widener University Bio

Javontae Lee Williams is an applied research scientist at Interdisciplinary Sexuality Research Collaborative. Supported by the largest active grant given to Widener University, his team translates theoretical perspectives about LGBT communities into curricula. Through a community-based participatory research approach, this work aims to reduce men’s risk for HIV, improve communication between provider and patient and reduce stigma by educating communities most impacted by HIV. He brings to the ISRC more than 10 years of healthcare experience in various nursing and clinical capacities. He graduated from Temple University with honors distinction in Sociology and earned a Master’s of Public Health at West Chester University.

Education

MPH,
West Chester University

BA Sociology,
Temple University

Practical Nursing,
Florida State College

Tracie Gilbert

Research Scientist

Dr. Gilbert is an educator, writer and researcher, with nearly 25 years’ experience working with urban youth, young adults, and their advocates. She received her PhD with the Center for Human Sexuality Studies at Widener University while serving a 6-year tenure as the Health Resource Center Coordinator at the Family Practice & Counseling Network, in Philadelphia. Her dissertation was a grounded theory on the lived experience of sexuality among African Americans, from which she created a multi-layered, culturally-centered epistemological model of sexiness development. Generally, her research explores sexuality and its intersections with race and other African American social phenomena.

Education

PhD Human Sexuality,
Widener University

Past Staff

Tara Johnson

Administrative Coordinator

Tara Johnson, M.Ed. (she/her/hers), is a sexuality educator based in Washington State and specializing in comprehensive sexuality education and raising awareness about the experiences of people with diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. While working for the ISRC at Widener University, Tara developed and facilitated Askable Adults, a professional development training series for youth-serving professionals on how to effectively engage with youth on an array of sexuality-related topics. Tara currently holds a full time position at Washington State University as a Health Promotion Specialist focusing in Sex- and Gender-Based Violence Prevention. In addition to this work, as an ally trainer for the Transgender Training Institute, Tara co-facilitates Ally/Advocate Training Camp courses and provides quality training and curriculum review to clients across the U.S.

Education

MEd Human Sexuality Studies,
Widener University

BS English Language Arts Education,
Auburn University

Hannah Boes, BA

Research Assistant

Hannah Boes is a clinical psychology and human sexuality graduate student at Widener University. Her past work focuses on health education and promotion, sexual violence prevention and intervention, curriculum development, and HIV support services. Her current research focuses on facilitating self-awareness and confrontation of racial bias among white therapists. Hannah is based in Baltimore, Maryland and conducts psychotherapy with individuals and couples outside of her work with the ISRC.

Education

Doctoral Candidate,
Widener University

BA Psychology and English,
College of William and Mary