Dr Danielle Soloman

Here Dr Danielle Soloman explains the methods of research into sexual health that she will be exploring on her soapbox…

“I'm Danielle Solomon, and I'm an Academic Specialist Registrar in Public Health. Before specialising in Public Health, my clinical background was in HIV and sexual health - and that is the focus of my research within IGH. I often find myself explaining sexual health research to my friends and acquaintances outside of work - findings in our field often make good headlines, but the important messages can be lost when they're being reported by the media. That's why I decided to talk about research methods as part of my Soapbox Science talk - to give a better understanding of the type of questions that we ask, why we ask them, and why they're important.

I will be talking about the methods that we use to research sexual health – explaining how we find out about one of the most personal and nuanced aspects of human existence. I will talk about the importance of population studies within public health, and go into the methodology of two of IGH’s most high profile studies; NATSAL and PARTNER 1&2. My aim is to explain the science behind the headlines, emphasising the importance of sexual health research. In particular, I want to discuss the fact that our research goes beyond tracking STI infections, and talk about the importance of understanding sexuality and sexual behaviour with regards to physical and psychological health.”