Gold Medal Awardees

The Gold Medal is the most prestigious individual honour of the World Association for Sexual Health (WAS).

Gold Medal Awardees

2019 Mexico City, Mexico

Dennis Fortenberry (United States of America)
Dennis Fortenberry, MD, Adolescent Health, essential ongoing work on adolescent sexual health, risk and vulnerability to HIV and STIs, with development of models of comprehensive care for female and male youth in the fringes of society.

Maria Perez-Conchillo (Spain)
Maria Perez-Conchillo, PhD, Psychologist, Sexologist and sexual rights activist with over thirty years of dedicated work for the advancement of sexual health globally.

Mireille Bonierbale (France)
Mireille Bonierbale, MD, Psychiatrist with vital work with Trans people and against sexual violence a life-long dedication to make sexology a legitimate area of science and humanities.

Reiko Ohkawa (Japan)
Reiko Ohkawa, MD, Ob/Gyn, made substantial scientific contributions about sexuality and sexual health of women in Japan, and produced reference documents and translations of publications to support promotion of sexual health activities, particularly among health care providers.

2017 Prague, Czech Republic

Mona Kaidbey (United States of America)
Dr. Mona Kaidbey is a public health expert with a broad experience in international health and development, most particularly in relation to the convergence of health, education. She has dedicated her career to improving access to sexual and reproductive health education and services to young people and to the promotion of gender equality. She has been a strong advocate for young people right to health, education and participation. Dr. Kaidbey has recently retired from UNFPA, but she continues to speak and write on issues relating to sexual and reproductive health and sexuality education.

Eleanor Maticka-Tyndale (Canada)
Eleanor Maticka-Tyndale received her PhD in sociology from the University of Calgary in 1989. She is a Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminology and Associate Dean, Research and Graduate Studies in the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Windsor. From 2002-2016 she held a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Social Justice and Sexual Health. Focusing on sexual rights and social justice and using a community-partnered model she has led or co-led research projects with partners in Canada, the United States, Europe, Africa, Australia, and South and Southeast Asia. Besides academics, her research partners have included rural communities, ethnic and religious minority communities, grass-roots development organizations, and government ministries. Her research has led to development of programming and strategies deployed over provinces, states, and entire countries addressing sexual transmission of HIV, sexual violence, and legislative and policy changes.

Rafael Mazin (United States of America)
Rafael Mazin, retired staff of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO) was until the day he retired the Senior Advisor on HIV/STI and hepatitis of. Dr. Mazin oversaw a PAHO strategy directed to focus prevention and care efforts on the populations and groups at the epicenter of the HIV epidemic in the Region of the Americas. Dr. Mazin was also responsible for an innovative strategy aimed at articulating the capacities, resources and competences of Sexual and Reproductive health services with HIV/STI prevention programs. He has coordinated the development of tools for the provision of comprehensive care to gay men and other men who have sex with men and to transgender persons. Also, he promoted actions to eliminate homophobic bullying in schools and health care settings. He fostered a fruitful relationship with WAS and functioned as the focal point for the official interactions between PAHO and WAS. Dr. Mazin is member of various editorial boards of journals and publications on sexual health and sexological science. He is proficient in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Italian. Dr. Mazin got his medical diploma from the National University of Mexico and his MPH from George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Jeffrey Weeks (United Kingdom of Great Britain)
Jeffrey Weeks is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at London South Bank University. Since the 1970s he has largely focused his research and publications on the history and social organisation of sexuality and intimate life, with pioneering work on LGBT history, the making of sexual identities, sexual theories, sexual regulation, and same-sex relationships and same-sex marriage. His latest monograph, What is Sexual History? was published in 2016.

2015 Singapore, Singapore

Aminta Parra Colmenaréz (Venezuela)
Aminta Parra Colmenaréz has made numerous contributions to sexual health. She has served on the WAS Advisory Committer from 1997 to 2013 as well as having served on a number of WAS committees. In addition, she has been very active in other professional sexual health organizations. She was the President del Federación de Psicologos de Venezuela from 2011 to 2013 and was re-elected President from 2013 to 2015. She has made many international representations and received numerous recognitions. She has also published many books on sexual health.

Doortje Bracken (Netherlands)
Doortje Braeken has almost 35 years of experience in all aspects of design and implementation of adolescent sexual and reproductive health programs, including strategic planning, program development, coordination and evaluation of youth friendly services, comprehensive sexuality education, IEC activities and policy changes particularly for Hard-to-reach youth. She has provided extensive training on sexual and reproductive productive health services for youth and sexual health education with an emphasis on peer, parents and community involvement, to UN agencies, members associations of IPPF, other NGOs, health professionals, youth peer educators, teachers and governments through out Europe and Central Asia as well as Asia, Africa, and Latin America. She is today Senior Adviser Adolescents, Young People, IPPF/Team leader Adolescents, Gender and Rights.

Milton Diamond (United States of America)
Milton Diamond has throughout his professional life been involved in teaching, clinical activities and research particularly at the interface areas of sexual behavior  and reproduction and in understanding sexual development. These activities have involved research in species from fish, rodents and birds to monkeys and humans. His research has resulted in many publications and books. He has been consultant to public and private institutions as well as individuals and firms regarding various sexual matters as well as legal and medical issues as well as medical and scientific ethics. Milton Diamond has been Chairman of the ” Hawai AIDS Task Group” 1985 – 1995. From 1998-1999 he was elected President of IASR. He was President for American SSSS 2002 – 2003.

Eusebio Rubio-Aurioles (Mexico)
Eusebio Rubio-Aurioles founded the Mexican Association for Sexual Health (AMSSAC) in 1987 and founded the Mexican Federation of Sexual Education and Sexolgy (FEMESS) in 1995. He has published numerous research publications concerning sexual health. He has received many rewards for his contributions and accomplishments. He was on the WAS Executive Committee for 16 hers and WAS President from 2005-2009. As President of WAS he oversaw the historic name change of the organisation and its new mission. He articulated a 10-point plan for advancing WAS which was very successful. His contributions to WAS development  are invaluable.

2013 Porto alegre, Brazil

Lars-Gösta Dahlöf (Sweden)
Lars-Gösta Dahlöf is a PhD psychologist based in Goteborg in Sweden, where he was for more than 30 years professor in sexology. He has been teaching sexology to thousands of Swedish students, and was also very active in promoting proper sexuality education and training programs outside his own University unit. His research areas were sexual dysfunctions, sex therapy and counselling with special interest in asexuality and in pheromones. He was also a clinician and worked as clinical sexology consultant, advisory and supervisor for hundreds of professionals in the fields of sexual health, sexual prevention and therapy. He is one of the sexual health pioneers in Sweden and established sexology as an academic subject.

León Roberto Gindin (Argentina)
León Roberto Gindin graduated as physician in 1963 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was trained as a psycho-analyst and already early in his career became interested in clinical sexology. He started CETIS, the Centre for Sexuality Education, Therapy and Research, where many of the Argentinian sexologists have been trained in the fields of Sexuality Education and Sex Therapy. He wrote several books and is an expert in the diagnosis and treatment of unconsummated marriage and vaginismus. Dr. Gindin has been a major factor in the development of sexology and sexual health in Argentina and in Latin America.

2011 Glasgow, United Kingdom of Great Britain

2009 Göteborg, Sweden

2007 Sydney, Australia

2005 Montreal, Canada

2003 Havana, Cuba

2001 Paris , France

1999 Hong Kong

1997 Valencia, Spain

1995 Yokohama, Japan