Sergei Lenskii
Sergei Lenskii has both an MD and a PhD, but he still felt there was a gap in his knowledge. He applied to the Human Sexuality (HSEX) Certificate to improve his proficiency in an area that often gets overlooked in formal medical training and education.
“I often noticed that many diseases were linked to problems in human sexuality," he says. "We had been well taught about sexually transmitted diseases, problems related to reproductive health, etc. But I did not have enough full and comprehensive knowledge about human sexuality affecting the somatic and mental health of a person.
"Therefore, I was very happy to have the opportunity to get this knowledge in the program offered by the University of Minnesota.”
Integrating Human Sexuality into the Conversation
Sergei grew up in Siberia and wasn’t overly concerned with what he was going to be when he grew up. “I didn't have time for this. I just tried to survive,” he says.
But he was always interested in human sexuality. He saw the HSEX program “as an opportunity to gain a comprehensive understanding of human sexuality on a modern scientific basis, without medical, religious, cultural, political, and other biases.”
"But I did not have enough full and comprehensive knowledge about human sexuality affecting the somatic and mental health of a person."
Currently, Sergei is a volunteer researcher in the School of Nursing, where he works in medical and statistical analysis, and interpretation and visualization of medical data. He is also affiliated with the Center for Philosophy of Science.
“I am constantly trying to bring up philosophical issues of human sexuality in our discussions. I believe that the issue of human sexuality is one of the black holes in modern philosophy.”
Sharing His Expertise
To change that, Sergei is interested in continuing to teach and do more research. He plans to develop online educational resources on human sexuality for Russian-speaking countries. He’ll draw heavily on the “modern scientific, evidence-based knowledge” he gained in the HSEX certificate.
“I think that Ukraine is the most prepared now to extensively implement modern educational programs in human sexuality,” he says. “In my opinion, the key direction is to reduce the number of adolescent pregnancies and rapes among men and women.”
For now, Sergei is surviving the pandemic by staying active and trying to keep his immune system healthy. “I try to be less inside the house and do more outdoor activities like hiking, camping, and fishing. Minnesota has the best opportunities for this in the world,” he adds. “Maybe like in Siberia.”
Biggest Takeaway
Human sexuality has permeated all areas of our lives, not just the medical field.
Human sexuality is everywhere: in our culture, our politics, our art, in our behavior towards people, and our intimate personal space.
However, we usually see only a small fraction of its individual personal component.