Fellowship

1. Must be an ISSWSH member in good standing with 3 years of professional experience in Sexual Medicine/Health.
2. Must be able to secure 2 letters of recommendation from current ISSWSH Fellows: This requires active engagement within ISSWSH. If you do not know 2 ISSWSH Fellows well enough for them to attest to your character, work ethic, and the role or work in Sexual Medicine/Health, then prior to applying, you are encouraged to participate in the ISSWSH Mentor-Mentee Program; attend one of the numerous meeting mixers at an annual meeting, training courses or regional meet-up, or volunteer on an ISSWSH committee or subcommittee that is led by a Fellow.

1. Read Fellowship Agreement: Approved ISSWSH Fellows must sign this agreement, so before proceeding, please make sure you are comfortable with this agreement.
2. Complete peer lecture requirement: May be remote or in person presentation.
   1. What: Presentation/Lecture using ISSWSH prepared slides consisting of 35-40 slides based on the ISSWSH Slide deck. This presentation/lecture is available for your use and is stored in the ISSWSH office and will be provided to each renewing Fellow or ISSWSH Fellowship Candidate as requested. Alternatively, you may use your own presentation/slides, which have been submitted to and approved by the Fellowship Committee in advance of your presentation. You are encouraged to leave 10 minutes for questions and answers at the end of your lecture. To receive credit, any modifications to the standardized lecture or use of a personally created lecture, must be reviewed and approved by the ISSWSH Fellowship Committee PRIOR to the lecture being provided. Lectures provided that were modified or not approved by the Fellowship Committee PRIOR, will be discounted.
   2. Who/Where: Presentation/Lecture within an area to a group of professionals that have restricted access to this education (such as an ISSWSH “Desert”, defined as any community where underserved persons are experiencing impaired access to quality Sexual Healthcare, due to geography, poverty, sexual orientation, gender, race, and religion).
3. Complete Online Application.
4. If approved for ISSWSH Fellowship, sign Fellowship Agreement.

1. Current CV/Resume
2. 75 Educational Credit Hours: (Official documentation of Continuing Medical Education/Certificate of Attendance which documents hours of education within the past 5 Years: Must include either 2 ISSWSH Training Courses or 1 Annual Meeting and 1 Training Course.
3. Lecture Documentation: Date/Time/Professional Audience/Location of Lecture
4. Response to questions below
   1. How do you plan to contribute to ISSWSH as a Fellow? What do you see as potential areas of growth for ISSWSH and how would you specifically help to achieve this?
   2. Describe your duration of practice/research/academic career in Sexual Medicine/Health and how you chose this field?
5. Response to Question based on your practice area (select the one that is most relevant to your work) [1000 word max for each question]
   1. BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS: How do you integrate various psycho-sexual therapies or techniques in your practice, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, emotion-based therapy, mindfulness-based interventions, or couple’s communication techniques? What factors guide your selection of these approaches for different clients, and what outcomes have you observed? Are there any emerging or lesser-known techniques you have incorporated, and how have they influenced your practice or patient outcomes?
   2. PHYSICAL THERAPISTS: What modalities do you employ in your practice? How do you modify your approach for patients with sexual trauma, e.g. if you use dilator therapy, how might you modify its use for a patient who has been sexually abused? What additional therapies or interventions have you found most effective in addressing sexual health concerns, and how do you tailor them to individual patient needs?
   3. RESEARCHERS/EDUCATORS/SEXUALITY EDUCATORS: What personally motivated your research interest and/or desire to educate/lecture in Sexual Medicine/Health? What is your specific area of research/educational interest?
   4. CLINICIANS: **defined here as those individuals who REGULARLY IN THEIR CURRENT PRACTICE EXAMINE patients BELOW THE WAIST AND who can PRESCRIBE PHARMACEUTICALS/ POSSESS PRESCRIPTIVE AUTHORITY - What, if any, investigational, or non-evidenced based procedures/treatments or non-FDA approved treatments do you currently provide or endorse in your current practice? Please provide details, explaining your rationale. Where appropriate, please provide a reference.
6. 2 Professional letters of reference from current ISSWSH Fellows
7. Complete Annual Disclosure to identify any potential conflicts of Interest
8. Complete Acknowledgements
   1. Acknowledge that the information provided in the application is factually accurate and that it is understood that any dishonest representation may result in termination of ISSWSH Fellowship benefits/consideration.
   2. Acknowledge that the Fellowship Committee may contact a Fellowship Candidate if there are questions about their current application, experience, and/or their standard of practice, for clarification or to assess need for additional mentorship.
   3. Acknowledge that you have read the Fellowship Agreement. You must sign this document before earning ISSWSH Fellowship (IF).

Answer: ISSWSH Fellows are encouraged to get to know Fellow candidates well so that they can authentically write these reference letters (Character, work ethic, and the candidate’s role or work in Sexual Medicine/Health). Therefore, Fellowship Candidates are DISCOURAGED from asking for letters of recommendation from Fellows where they have not built a relationship.

• Examples of how to engage/get to know ISSWSH Fellows: Participate in the ISSWSH Mentor-Mentee Program; attend one of the numerous meeting mixers at an annual meeting, training courses or regional meet-up, or volunteer on an ISSWSH committee or subcommittee that is led by a Fellow.

Answer: Yes, there are specific circumstances under which an applicant may apply for Fellowship without meeting the three-year clinical experience requirement. These exceptions are designed to recognize intensive training, focused practice, or significant contributions to Sexual Medicine/Health. Exceptions by Professional Category below:

Clinicians (Healthcare Professionals with Prescriptive Authority):

• Participants in Yearlong Fellowships: Clinicians who complete a non-ACGME or other yearlong Sexual Medicine/Health Fellowship and have documentation from their Fellowship Director stating that 80% or greater of their clinical practice during the Fellowship was dedicated to Sexual Medicine/Health may apply directly after completing the program.
• Extensive Practice Experience: Clinicians not enrolled in formal Fellowships may apply after maintaining a focused Sexual Medicine/Health practice (80% or greater of daily practice) for a minimum of one year. Applicants must provide a de-identified case log documenting one year of patient cases, which will be reviewed by the Fellowship Committee. Additionally, one of the required two recommendation letters must come from an ISSWSH Fellow mentor who has directly overseen the applicant's Sexual Medicine/Health-focused practice.

Behavioral Health Professionals & Educator:

• It is recognized that a Certified Sex Therapist/ Sex Educator / Sex Counselor/ has an intensive educational experience, and provided the applicant has documentation of a SAR or equivalent, and specifically, a copy of their certification (either through AASECT or through another organization with equivalent core knowledge educational standards as AASECT) which is current/ maintained and one of their two required letters of recommendation from their supervising Behavioral Health, ISSWSH Fellow professional or another ISSWSH Fellow who is otherwise a qualified Sexual Behavioral Health Professional, they would qualify to apply for their IF in one year, without the three year waiting period.
• Those Behavioral Health Professionals who use titles other than Sex Therapist, Sex Educator or Sex Counselor but have similar training, for example a Board Certified Sexologist, Psychologist or equivalent, who desire to apply for their IF directly in one year, without the 3 year waiting period, are required to provide documentation of their board certification or certifying credentials as sexual health professionals, a Sexual Attitude Reassessment Seminar or equivalent, and one of their two letters of reference must be from an ISSWSH Fellow Behavioral Health Professional, who can attest to their minimum of 1 year experience.

Physical Therapists (PTs):

• Board-Certified Women's Health Clinical Specialists (WCS): PTs with WCS subspecialty certification and at least one of their two recommendation letters must be from an ISSWSH Fellow WCS PT may apply after one year. The letter must confirm experience in addressing pelvic floor-related sexual health concerns.
• Extensive Practice Experience: PTs without WCS certification may apply if at least 80% of their daily practice involves sexual health concerns related to the pelvic floor for one year. A de-identified case log and at least one of their two recommendation letters must be from an ISSWSH Fellow WCS PT mentor documenting the one year of focused pelvic floor work

Researchers/Professors/Educators:

• Grant Recipients: Researchers with a grant in Sexual Medicine/Health or a related field within the last five years and who have served as an ISSWSH Research Mentor for at least one year may apply. One of their two recommendation letters must be from an ISSWSH Fellow outlining their research contributions.
• Early Career Researchers/Educators Without Grants: Applicants may apply after one year if they have at least three peer-reviewed publications related to Sexual Medicine/Health and have delivered two Sexual Medicine/Health lectures to undergraduate or higher-level students within one year. These lectures must not duplicate topics, and student lectures do not satisfy ISSWSH Fellow Lecture requirements.

Answer: Incomplete applications cannot be submitted so will remain in “incomplete” status until all required areas are complete. You will be able to return to the application by logging into the account you set up. ISSWSH may provide feedback to applicants and allow a limited timeframe for corrections or additions.

Answer: ISSWSH has an established process for reviewing allegations of misconduct. This process ensures confidentiality, fairness, and adherence to the organization's ethical standards. Sanctions or corrective actions may be imposed if a Fellow is found in violation of these standards.

Answer: Fellows have access to leadership roles within ISSWSH, such as committee membership and the Board of Directors. They are also encouraged to contribute to ISSWSH's mission through mentorship, research, and education.

Answer: The purpose of the lecture is to reach peers that may have limited or no access to sexual health education. Consider outreach to peers in organizations such as the following:

• Gay and lesbian medical and psychological societies online
• Veteran Medical Facilities
• Community Hospitals
• County and state medical societies for almost every medical and ancillary medical professional
• Inner-city clinics
• Medical providers at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC)
• Religious Medical Societies (Islamic Medical Association of America, Catholic Medical Society), African American Medical Society, Chinese American Medical Society 

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