Grant: Planning and Dissemination Grant - Institute Community Support

The Canadian Sex Research Forum (CSRF) is Canada's leading scholarly organization dedicated to interdisciplinary research to improve the sexual health and well-being of all Canadians. Scholars recognize, however, that improving sexual health and well-being is a complicated goal that requires increasingly complex theories and methodologies. This complexity is especially clear in the study of gender and biological sex, and sexual health, as sexuality scholars recognize the need to move beyond oversimplified models that conflate complicated interactions between biological, social, and psychological forces. Canada possesses some of the strongest sexuality scholars in the world, including those with considerable expertise in the study of health-related processes alongside gender and sex. Canada is therefore well poised to lead the global field in the study and dissemination of sex research that is attuned to sex and gender influences and interactions. The annual CSRF routinely and recurrently attracts the largest gathering of Canada's highly accomplished sexuality researchers and their trainees. CSRF therefore provides the perfect opportunity to hold a knowledge exchange event to increase the existing capacities of Canada's sexual health researchers and knowledge users to conduct and apply cutting-edge research with respect to gender and sex. Preceding the 2019 annual meeting of the CSRF, in Victoria BC, we propose to organize a one-day pre-conference on Contemporary Theories and Methodologies of Gender and Sex for Sexual Health Research, in which we will connect leading Canadian researchers to trainees and new investigators through a knowledge exchange event focused on building capacity among Canada's sexuality researchers, therapists, educators, health promoters, and medical professionals. The events from this day will be recorded and content will be used to develop an open-access online training module.