Sexual Health Programs Faculty and Advising

Kat Arenella, PhD, did her graduate training in clinical psychology at the University of Missouri, St. Louis, where her research focused on women's health and aging. Prior to the Program in Human Sexuality, she worked as a Psychology of Women intern at the Charlie Norwood VA and Medical College of Georgia. She worked with military sexual trauma and was part of the comprehensive DBT team. Dr. Arenella's research and clinical interests are focused on sexual satisfaction and aging, especially in the context of relationships.

Tanya Bass, PhD, founded the North Carolina Sexual Health Conference (NCSEXCON). She completed her PhD in Education at Widener University in the Center for Human Sexuality Studies. Dr. Bass is a member of American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT), the NC Society for Public Health Educators (NCSOPHE), the Women of Color Sexual Health Network (WoCSHN), and the Association of Black Sexologists and Clinicians (ABSC). She is a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) and an AASECT Certified Sexuality Educator (CSE).

Shari Brightly-Brown is a recent graduate of the Clinical Psychology PhD at the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa, and is currently a postdoctoral fellow in transgender health at the Eli Coleman Institute of Sexual and Gender Health. Shari's primary clinical interests are in gender affirming care and sexual health, with a passion for working with LGBTQ+ identified people. Shari's research interests are broadly focused on resilience among LGBTQ and BIPOC people, with a particular interest in understanding how the intersection of LGBTQ+ and BIPOC identities may contribute positively to mental health.

Leonardo Candelario-Perez, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist, sexual health consultant, and provider under Urology and Gynecology, as well as gender specialist for Health Partners and co-educational consultant for the National Center for Gender Spectrum Health. Dr. Candelario-Perez completed their doctoral degree at Albizu University in their home country of Puerto Rico, and completed a clinical postdoctoral program at the Program in Human Sexuality, U of M. Dr. Candelario-Perez is currently working on developing an integrative sexual health practice within the Health Partners’ system. Their clinical areas of work are in sexual dysfunction, sexual pleasure, sexual and gender identity, LGBTQI+ sexual health, STIs and sexuality, and desire discrepancy.

Taymy Josefa Caso, PhD, is the Randi and Fred Ettner Postdoctoral Fellow in Transgender Health in the Institute for Sexual and Gender Health and a researcher at the National Center for Gender Spectrum Health at the University of Minnesota Medical School. Dr. Caso holds degrees in counseling and clinical psychology from New York University and Columbia University, Teachers College. Their research focuses on minority health disparities, intersectionality, identity-based marginalization within LGBTQ+ BIPOC communities, gender and sexual fluidity, and social determinants of health. Their advocacy work utilizes decolonizing pedagogy to deconstruct institutional and systemic barriers to equity and develop community-based interventions for under-served communities.

Abby Girard is an assistant professor and coordinator of the Relationship and Sex Therapy Program. She was the second Michael E. Metz postdoctoral fellow at the Program in Human Sexuality, U of M. Her clinical training has included psychotherapy experience in community counseling centers, outpatient sexual medicine clinics, and treating individuals and couples in private practice. Dr. Girard’s areas of interest include sexual health and functioning, sexual desire discrepancy, compulsive sexual behavior, gender and sexual identity development, couples/relationship intimacy concerns, sexual trauma/abuse recovery, and social justice advocacy. She received her MA from the University of San Diego and her PsyD in  from Alliant International University, both in Marital and Family Therapy.

Stefani Goerlich, PhD is a Clinical Sexologist and Forensic Social Worker who writes, teaches, and presents on topics related to gender, sexuality and relationship diversities. She has written four award-winning books on BDSM/kink and mental health and lectures on Sexual Trauma, Trauma-Informed Care, Sexual Dysfunction and Differences, and Digital Sexual Health at both the Universities of Minnesota and Michigan,  as well as maintaining a private practice in Metro Detroit. Stefani’s primary areas of academic interest are in social perceptions of deviance and how we conceptualize healthy sexuality and relationships, how these conceptualizations shift over time, and how they impact people (particularly erotic minorities) in forensic and clinical settings. In addition to critical/transformational approaches to forensic sexology, her secondary areas of interest include the intersection of intimacy and technology and psychotherapy for/with religious minorities. 

Sonya Laddon Rahders, JD, is a practicing attorney who provides health care compliance assistance to abortion providers across the United States. Her work focuses on expanding access for young people and integrating the needs of LGBTQ+ people in abortion care, as well as compliance with pharmacy, laboratory, and facility licensing rules. She has additional experience working in state and federal policy related to sex education, HIV and AIDS, youth rights, and LGBTQ+ health access. Sonya serves on the board of directors for SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change. She earned her JD with a concentration in social justice lawyering from University of California College of the Law, San Francisco (formerly Hastings College of the Law).

Ben Parchem, PhD, is a pediatric psychologist at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital and an assistant professor at Northwestern University where he provides assessment and therapy services to transgender and gender diverse youth in a multidisciplinary gender program. Dr. Parchem earned his doctorate in clinical psychology from George Washington University, received clinical training in gender programs at Children’s National Hospital and Phoenix Children's Hospital, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in transgender health at the Eli Coleman Institute for Sexual and Gender Health. Dr. Parchem’s research focuses on the mental, physical, and sexual health of sexual and gender diverse communities with a focus on addressing health disparities and promoting well-being among trans youth.

Jon Poquiz, PhD (he/him) is a licensed psychologist and assistant professor in the Institute for Sexual and Gender Health within the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Minnesota Medical School. Dr. Poquiz specializes in clinical work, research, and advocacy in gender-affirming care for transgender and nonbinary youth and young adults. His research broadly focuses on working toward health equity for trans and nonbinary individuals, with particular emphasis on improving access to affirming health care and fostering community and resilience. He aims to integrate social justice advocacy across his clinical and research programs. Dr. Poquiz received his PhD in clinical child psychology from the University of Kansas and completed a graduate certificate in LGBT Health Policy and Practice from George Washington University.

Ryan Rahm-Knigge, PhD, is an Assistant Professor and the Director of Clinical Services at the Eli Coleman Institute for Sexual and Gender Health, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Minnesota Medical School. His research focuses on compulsive or out-of-control sexual behavior, emotion regulation and coping, and sexual health. As a licensed psychologist (MN) and certified sex therapist (AASECT), his clinical work includes strengths-based approaches to sex therapy, compulsive sexual behavior, gender affirming care, and co-occurring mental health and substance use concerns. Ryan holds a PhD in Counseling Psychology from Colorado State University and completed his doctoral internship in health psychology/behavioral medicine at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.

Nic Rider is assistant professor and coordinator of the Adult Transgender Health Services Program. They were the first Randi and Fred Ettner Postdoctoral Fellow at the Program in Human Sexuality. Dr. Rider’s clinical training includes psychotherapy and assessment experiences in a university counseling center, hospital settings, private practice, community clinic, residential treatment, and juvenile justice settings. Dr. Rider is interested in gender and sexual identity development, intersections of identity, discrimination and microaggressions, sexual trauma/abuse recovery, and social justice advocacy. Dr. Rider is on the executive board for the Asian American Psychological Association’s Division on LGBTQQ Issues. Dr. Rider received a doctorate in Counseling Psychology from Howard University.

Katie Spencer is an associate professor, licensed psychologist, and AASECT certified sex therapist. She is the clinical training director and the coordinator of the Relationship and Sex Therapy Program at the Eli Coleman Institute for Sexual and Gender Health, U of M. Her clinical practice specializes in sex therapy and promoting sexual pleasure with queer and trans communities. Her scholarly work has focused on gender affirming care and liberatory approaches to sexual wellness across the lifespan, and particularly adult and older sexuality. Dr. Spencer’s community work is focused on creating intergenerational social support spaces for 2SLGBTQIA+ communities to support interconnectedness and mutual aid. She received her PhD in counseling psychology from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and was a post doctoral fellow in human sexuality at the Institute for Sexual and Gender Health.

Jennifer A. Vencill, PhD, is an assistant professor, board-certified clinical health psychologist, and AASECT-certified sex therapist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. She is dually appointed in the Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, as well as the Division of General Internal Medicine, where she spends the bulk of her time providing integrated sexual health care and educating fellows, residents, and medical students about the importance of sexual and gender health. Her clinical interests include sexual health and functioning, sexuality and aging, and LGBTQ+ mental and sexual health. Dr. Vencill’s research focuses on sexual health and health disparities in marginalized sexual and gender communities. She received her PhD in counseling psychology from Texas Tech University and was the first Michael E. Metz Postdoctoral Fellow in Sexual Health at the University of Minnesota’s Program in Human Sexuality. Dr. Vencill is coauthor of the award-winning book Desire: An Inclusive Guide to Navigating Libido Differences in Relationships.