Project Public Health, a new club on campus created to encourage discussion and education on prominent health issues, hosted a “Sex Night” panel on Wednesday evening to answer students’ questions on sexual health and consent.
The panel was hosted in partnership with UM’s Planned Parenthood Generation Action chapter and It’s On Us, UM’s sexual assault prevention and awareness student organization.
Students with varying degrees of knowledge on sexual health were offered the opportunity to expand their understanding of different health issues.
“A big thing in public health is meeting people where they’re at,” said Abigail Adera, a junior majoring in public health and the president of Project Public Health. “A lot of us come from backgrounds where we didn’t really have good sex-ed in high school, some of us had abstinence-only sex-ed, or even worse, no sex-ed at all. ”
The night’s panelists included Juliana Guitelman, a postdoctoral resident at Headspace Health; Andrew Porter, an assistant professor of public health at UM’s School of Nursing and Health Studies and host of the “Sex Wrap” podcast; and Aidan Wells, a health educator with UM’s Herbert Wellness Center.
In addition to the Q&A panel, Project Public Health gave away free condoms—including vegan, glow-in-the-dark and flavored options—vibrators, bullets and penis-measuring kits to students who participated in their raffle, as well as a $15 Starbucks gift card to students who correctly guessed the number of condoms in a jar.
“People can talk about sex and talk about pursuing different types of experiences that you can have in this fun and engaging way,” said Isabella Lopez, secretary for Project Public Health. “People can especially alleviate any kind of stigma that there could be and just be able to have a normal conversation.”
Students packed into the Shalala Ballroom, where the event was held, with a turn-out well above the anticipated number of attendees.
Topics discussed included contraception, sex drive, mental health in relation to sex, body positivity, the sex-work industry and more. Students were able to submit questions via a Google Form or ask the in-person panel directly during the event.
Questions discussed included “Is there birth control out there with the least amount of side effects?” “How can I get comfortable having sex with the lights on?” and “How can my partner and I communicate effectively to try new things?”
Andrea said that Project Public Health hopes to continue hosting more events on various topics relating to public health.
Project Public Health welcomes students of all majors to join their organization and participate in their events in an effort to provide the general public with more information and resources.
The club provides members with meaningful ways to engage with the topic of public health, including research and publishing opportunities, a mentorship program with students at the Miller School of Medicine and study-abroad trips.
To learn more about Project Public Health and get involved, visit their Instagram page @projectpublichealth_um.