Indiana University teams with Church & Dwight to improve the nation’s sexual health

Jan. 28, 2008

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- To address critical sexual health issues facing citizens across the United States, the Center for Sexual Health Promotion in Indiana University's School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation has entered into a unique 3-year agreement with one of the world's leading sexual health products companies, Church & Dwight, maker of Trojan brand condoms. The agreement establishes the IU center as a strategic research, education and consulting partner with Trojan.

The collaboration will include a range of projects focused on understanding consumer behaviors and those designed to influence the design of products, such as condoms, that sexually active individuals need to use consistently and correctly in order to best protect their own health and the health of their partner. IU will draw upon the sexual health expertise of faculty from various academic units, including HPER, the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction, the School of Medicine and the Department of Telecommunications.

"This partnership brings together two of the world's leading entities in the area of sexual health, Indiana University and Trojan brand condoms, to address critical knowledge gaps in the manner in which individuals make healthy decisions once they decide to become sexually active," said Michael Reece,(pictured above left) director of the Center for Sexual Health Promotion. "Given Trojan's significant influence on condom use trends in the United States and the range of sexual health experts on Indiana University's faculty, this partnership truly represents the manner in which academic and corporate entities can come together in a participatory way to have a significant influence on the nation's health."

Jim Daniels, vice president of marketing for Trojan, said the range of expertise at IU makes it a beneficial partner as the company continues its efforts to develop high-quality products and evolve the sexual health of America.

"We want to raise the bar on consumers' definitions of what it means to be sexually healthy and break down the barriers to condom acceptance and usage in the months ahead," he said.

Robert M. Goodman, dean of the School of HPER, said he is "quite pleased that Church & Dwight recognizes the excellence possessed by IU and School of HPER in the area of sexual health. The Center led by Dr. Reece is a fine example of our dedication to the prevention of sexually transmitted infections and other prominent public health concerns. Our working arrangement with Church & Dwight further illustrates how leading universities such as IU can partner with industry for the betterment of the public's health."

The new partnership will be headed by Reece and Debby Herbenick, associate director of the Center for Sexual Health Promotion. It also will involve a transdisciplinary team of IU scientists, including Stephanie Sanders, with the Kinsey Institute; Dennis Fortenberry, M.D., IU School of Medicine; Susan Middlestadt and Brian Dodge, Department of Applied Health Science; and Bryant Paul, Department of Telecommunications.

"This partnership is particularly exciting given our teams' shared vision of helping women and men to enhance their sexual lives, to experience sexual pleasure, and to strive toward sexual health in responsible ways," said Herbenick.