Topic: Sexual Health Care

STI Expert Hour Webinar – Trauma Informed Care: What you need to know

June 11, 2025
10:30AM-11:45PM (PDT)
1.25 CME units at no cost

Registration closes on June 10, 2025 at 3:00PM (PDT)

Register

Course Description

The goal of this presentation is to help clinicians and their staff prepare to see and engage with female patients who have experienced trauma, especially sexual trauma, during a medical appointment. We will define trauma and explore circumstances in the medical clinic and appointment that can further exacerbate that trauma. We will explore why and how addressing trauma in a clinical setting is important and ways to ensure patients are not retraumatized while seeking medical care. The discussion will provide hints around trauma informed care to incorporate before, during, and after the visit.

Learning Objectives

  • Be informed of why trauma informed care is important for your practice
  • Adopt a trauma informed approach in the clinical setting
  • Resist re-traumatization

Presenter Information

Michael Horberg, MD, MAS

Associate Medical Director, Research, Medical Education, Community Health, Medicaid, HIV & STI, Genetics, Complex Care Program, Transgender Health, Transplant, Infection Prevention
Designated Institutional Official for Graduate Medical Education, Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic States
Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Permanente Research Institute
Director HIV/AIDS and STI, Kaiser Permanente and Care Management Institute

To request an accommodation for this event, please email captc@ucsf.edu at least a week in advance of the event.

Beyond Birth: Midwives’ Role in Sexual Health

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In this episode of Coming Together for Sexual Health, host Tammy welcomes Dr. Bethany Golden, a nurse midwife, to discuss the many ways midwives support sexual and reproductive health beyond childbirth. Bethany shares how midwives provide holistic, patient-centered care, including contraception, abortion, STI treatment, gender-affirming care, and primary healthcare for people of all genders and ages. She talks about studies that show that most midwives provide reproductive health services and almost half provide primary care: “…so this is a large portion of what we do. And so the public perception…is that we are doing pregnancy-related care. Again, that is part of what we do, but we spend a lot of time focused on other moments in people’s lives.” 

Bethany also talks about her work with the Reproductive Health Service Corps, which is training more midwives and clinicians in abortion care. Tune in for an insightful conversation on reimagining reproductive healthcare for a more inclusive and equitable future. 

Read the transcript of the episode.

Guest Bio: 

Bethany Golden, RN, CNM (she/her), is a registered nurse and a certified-nurse midwife with deep clinical experience and knowledge of comprehensive reproductive health including abortion. As a clinician, consultant, and lecturer, and as part of research teams, she has worked in clinics, hospitals, universities, and villages in New York City, SF Bay Area, Chicago, Fiji, and Nicaragua. Most recently, as a member of the Future of Abortion Council’s workforce committee and the policy advisor at Training in Early Abortion for Comprehensive Healthcare (TEACH), she initiated, co-developed, and advocated for the successful passage of bill AB1918. The law created the CA Reproductive Health Service Corps to train and diversify the entire health care team, which she currently co-directs at TEACH with Megan Kumar. Since 2002, she co-founded and continues to operate ICAS/Juntos Adelante, a not-for-profit that focuses on health and human rights in Nicaragua. 

  • Check out Bethany Golden’s website 

Have any questions, concerns, or love letters? Send us a message on Instagram @comingtogetherpod or email us at captc@ucsf.edu  

Don’t forget to leave us a review on Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. s a review on Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.  

Monica Gandhi, MD: HIV as a Movement, Not Just an Infection

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Monica Gandhi, MD, reflects on her decades-long work in HIV care, from providing care early in the epidemic to leading implementation of today’s groundbreaking medical advances. She discusses the science behind HIV (including how 7 people have been cured), the groundbreaking shift from complex pill regimes to long-acting injectable therapies, and how these innovations help patients facing medication challenges. Monica also draws parallels to COVID-19 as she underscores the importance of harm reduction; encourages bipartisan support while talking about policy and funding; addresses social determinants of health that impact HIV prevention and treatment. For her, HIV is not just an infection, but a movement driving healthcare and equity forward. 

Links: 

Monica Gandhi, MD, MPH, is a Professor of Medicine and an Associate Chief in the Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. She is the director of the UCSF Center for AIDS Research and the Medical Director of the HIV clinic (Ward 86) at SF General Hospital. Dr. Gandhi also serves as the Associate Program Director of the Infectious Diseases Fellowship at UCSF. Her research focuses on HIV treatment and prevention optimization, HIV in women, adherence measurements in HIV and tuberculosis, adherence interventions, and optimizing the use of long-acting antiretroviral therapy. Dr. Gandhi has been in the HIV workforce since 1996 and brings an extremely important level of expertise to the field. Her book, Endemic, illustrates the lessons to be learned and applied to future epidemics from the HIV epidemic.  

Read the transcript of the episode here. 

Have any questions, concerns, or love letters? Send us a message on Instagram @comingtogetherpod or email us at captc@ucsf.edu 

Don’t forget to leave us a review on Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.  

Ina Park, MD, on Syphilis: The STI That Keeps Us Guessing

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Ina Park, MD, is back again for a focused look at her (second) favorite sexually transmitted infection: syphilis (favorite because it’s fascinating). She says, “it’s one of the most challenging conditions to diagnose in clinical medicine because it literally can look like anything.” Join Ina and Tammy as they explore how syphilis was almost eliminated around 2000 and then surged again to current rates of infection in the US. Ina spotlights how a rise in congenital syphilis has fueled a mobilization in public health efforts, even while she celebrates declines in rates of the most infectious types of syphilis. As national syphilis screening guidelines are adapted to increase screening, including in emergency departments, Ina is optimistic for a reduction in future syphilis rates. But here’s the takeaway for healthcare providers and patients alike: keep syphilis on your radar. A quick shot of penicillin early-on can save everyone a lot of trouble. 

Links: 

Ina Park MD, MS, is the author of Strange Bedfellows: Adventures in the Science, History, and Surprising Secrets of STDs. She is the Principal Investigator at the California Prevention Training Center. Ina is a Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine and a Medical Consultant in the Division of STD Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She is a co-author of the 2021 CDC STD Treatment Guidelines, the country’s premier resource for diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections.   

Read the transcript of the episode here. 

Have any questions, concerns, or love letters? Send us a message on Instagram @comingtogetherpod or email us at captc@ucsf.edu 

Don’t forget to leave us a review on Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.  

Opt-out screening is an approach where all patients are informed that HIV/STIs screening will be performed as part of routine medical care, unless the patient specifically declines. Included in the job aid are resources from various sources (including the CDC and CDPH), a workflow for a typical office visit, and guidelines for best practices.

Recent research has shown that opt-out guidelines increase screening rates and subsequent treatment for HIV and STIs (such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis). This method reduces stigma, improves health equity, and opens the door for more comprehensive care.

Opt-Out Screening for STIs and HIV

Compilation: Reproductive Justice and Family Planning

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Check out a compilation of three previous episodes on reproductive justice and family planning. After you hear what each of our guests has to share, take a listen to one (or all!) of the full episodes: 

Have any questions, concerns, or love letters? Send us a message on Instagram @comingtogetherpod or email us at captc@ucsf.edu 

Don’t forget to leave us a review on Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. 

The Clitoris and Its Friends with Rachel Gross

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Rachel E. Gross

Did you know the visible part of the clitoris is less than one-third of its actual size? Cliterally just the tip of the iceberg! In this second part of our series with Rachel Gross, Rachel and Tammy’s excitement sparks an important conversation about this understudied organ and its friends–the vagina, vulva, and pelvic floor. Afterall, it is not common knowledge that (gasp) all sexual organs differentiate from the same embryonic root, or that close to 10,280 nerve endings were counted in one clitoris. By taking an interdisciplinary approach to sexual health, Rachel reveals how pleasure is impacted by menopause, vulvodynia, and pelvic pain. She calls attention to the whole-person approach of gender-affirming care doctors, and the importance of addressing a person’s overall experience of their bodies and pleasure. There is much to explore about pleasure and sexual health in this episode.

Links: 

  • Check out Rachel Gross’s website 

Bio: 

Rachel Gross has been a science reporter for over 10 years, determined to share educational resources and information with the public. Rachel’s work has been published in The New York Times, The Guardian, BBC Future, National Geographic, and more. Rachel is also the author of Vagina Obscura: An Anatomical Voyage, a novel dedicated to re-mapping the female body based on meticulous research and exploration. Rachel is a committed sexual health educator, having lectured at various organizations and top universities in the nation. 

Read the transcript of the episode here. 

Have any questions, concerns, or love letters? Send us a message on Instagram @comingtogetherpod or email us at captc@ucsf.edu. 

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STI Expert Hour Webinar – Adolescent Sexual Health: Influences, Trends, and How Healthcare Providers can Support Adolescent Sexual Health and Wellbeing

December 3, 2024
11:30AM-1:00PM (PST)

Registration closes on December 2nd at 3:00PM (PST). Recording available 2 weeks after the webinar. CME not available for viewing the webinar recording.

Presenter

Claudia Borzutzky, MD

Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine at USC
Chief, Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles/Keck School of Medicine at USC
Medical Director for Adolescent Health, Planned Parenthood Los Angeles

Course Description

Sexuality is a normal part of healthy adolescent development, yet milestones of teens’ sexual development vary widely in terms of timing, cultural acceptance and how supported they are, and associated risks for adverse health outcomes. Dr. Claudia Borzutzky, an adolescent medicine specialist, will present an overview of:

  • the importance of confidential care for teens, both in primary care and sexual health settings
  • supporting adolescent sexual wellbeing
  • trends in use of contraception and condoms, teen pregnancy, and STIs among teens
  • the intersection of mental health, gender diversity, and the COVID epidemic with adolescent sexual health

Learning Objectives

  • Integrate understanding of adolescent consent and confidentiality laws in California in order to optimize your practice and lower barriers to care
  • Explain the difference between risk reduction and the promotion of well-being, in the context of adolescent sexual health
  • Describe teen-centered approaches to promotion of sexual well-being, and reducing rates of STIs and undesired pregnancy

Dr. Ina Park Unwraps the CDC’s New 2023 STI Report

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CDC’s 2023 STI Report is in, and for the first time in years, there’s good news. Tune in to our latest episode with Dr. Ina Park, a nationally recognized expert on STIs, to learn why she is cautiously optimistic about the new data trends in chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis. Dr. Park expertly navigates the report with our host, Tammy Kremer, explaining how the previous surge in STIs has begun to slow, while prevalence continues to be high in certain “STI microclimates.” Dr. Park stresses the importance of maintaining momentum through increased testing, focused prevention efforts for disproportionately impacted communities, and reducing stigma around STIs. Listen in to discover how disease intervention specialists are battling syphilis on Native American reservations with plenty of penicillin, a trusty car, and heroic determination. Overall, Dr. Park envisions a world where discussing infections is as routine and stigma-free as talking about the common cold.  

Resources: 

Previous Episodes with Dr. Ina Park:

Brief Bio:

  • Ina Park MD, MS, is the author of Strange Bedfellows: Adventures in the Science, History, and Surprising Secrets of STDs. She is the Principal Investigator at the California Prevention Training Center. Ina is a Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine and a Medical Consultant in the Division of STD Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She is a co-author of the 2021 CDC STD Treatment Guidelines, the country’s premier resource for diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections.   

Check out the transcript of the episode.

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Vagina Obscura: A Conversation with Rachel E. Gross

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Rachel E. Gross

Meet Rachel E. Gross, science journalist and author of Vagina Obscura: An Anatomical Voyage. In this first part of a two–part conversation, Rachel shares how her personal experience with bacterial vaginosis inspired her to write a book that investigates what we know about different parts of female anatomy and how that knowledge (and lack thereof) has been developed. Vagina Obscura is Tammy’s favorite read of the year! Rachel highlights the often-overlooked clitoris and vagina, exploring how these body parts are still unfamiliar or awkward for many, including healthcare professionals. We also delve into the systemic marginalization of female and LGBTQ+ voices in science, and how this has influenced society’s understanding of the female sexual and reproductive system. Our discussion covers topics like vaginal pH balance and why it varies across different racial groups, and the use of boric acid—a common rat poison—as a treatment for bacterial vaginosis. Rachel also shares the story behind her book’s title, Vagina Obscura.

Part two of the episode with Rachel is all about the clitoris. Stay tuned!

Check out the transcript of the episode.

Guest Bio 

Rachel Gross has been a science reporter for over 10 years, determined to share educational resources and information with the public. Rachel’s work has been published in The New York Times, The Guardian, BBC Future, National Geographic, and more. Rachel is also the author of Vagina Obscura: An Anatomical Voyage, a novel dedicated to re-mapping the female body based on meticulous research and exploration. Rachel is a committed sexual health educator, having lectured at various organizations and top universities in the nation.  

Links:

  • Check out Rachel Gross’s website 

CAPTC related training and resources: 

Have any questions, concerns, or love letters? Send us a message on Instagram @comingtogetherpod or email us at captc@ucsf.edu.

Don’t forget to leave us a review on Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.  

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