The Kinsey Institute - Staff - Janssen [About the Institute]

Julia Heiman

Director

The Kinsey Institute

Professor

Department of Psychology

Morrison Hall 313
Indiana University
Bloomington, IN 47405
Phone: (812) 855-7686
E-mail: jheiman@indiana.edu
Download CV (PDF)

Education

Ph.D. (Clinical Psychology), State University of New York at Stony Brook, 1975
Predoctoral Internship, Stony Brook Psychological Center and Patchogue Medford School System, 1974
B.A. (Psychology), Arizona State University, 1970

Research Statement

Dr. Julia Heiman has devoted her career to achieving a better understanding of the physiological and emotional dimensions of sexuality. Her research is also concerned with developing successful interventions to help people overcome sexual problems. "From the beginning," Dr. Heiman explains, "I've been interested in how sexuality changes, either on its own or with some kind of external effort. How do we come up with newer and better ways to measure aspects of sexuality?"

These questions organize her approach to a wide range of topics, including the quality of sexual experience in the wake of treatment for cancer; sexual risk-taking when under the influence of alcohol; the impact of childhood sexual abuse and physical abuse on adult relationships; and sex therapy for couples when one partner is using Viagra. "I'm interested in how sex fits within other aspects of a person's life, instead of conceiving of it as separate from the other ways people function, think, or feel."

A number of Dr. Heiman's recent projects focus on identifying appropriate treatments for people who are experiencing sexual difficulty. "Findings from an early study of couples showed that sex therapy without medical intervention does help a number of people. We want to know who is likely to benefit from this kind of therapy, and who might need a different kind of treatment."

Research Interests

treatments for sexual difficulty
the impact of treatments for sexual difficulty on relationships
cross-cultural definitions of sexual satisfaction
sexual abuse and aggression
depression and sex
quality of sex experience in the wake of cancer
impact of childhood sexual abuse on adult relationships
sexual risk-taking
physiological and emotional dimensions of sexuality

Selected Publications

Nurnberg, H.G., Hensley, P.L., Heiman, J.R., Croft, H.A., Debattista, C., & Paine, S. (2008). Sildenafil Treatment of Women With Antidepressant-Associated Sexual Dysfunction. Journal of the American Medical Association, 300(4): 395-404.

Sand, M.S., Fisher, W., Rosen, R., Heiman, J., and Eardley, I. (2008). Erectile Dysfunction and Constructs of Masculinity and Quality of Life in the Multinational Men’s Attitudes to Life Events and Sexuality (MALES) Study. Journal of Sexual Medicine, 5 (3): 583-594.

Heiman, J., Talley, D., Bailen, J., Oskin, T., Rosenberg, S., Pace, C., Creanga, D., Bavendam, T. (2007). Sexual function and satisfaction in heterosexual copules when men are administered sildenafil citrate (Viagra®) for erectile dysfunction: a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. BJOG An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.2006.01128.x.

Heiman, J.R., Gittelman, M., Costabile, R., Guay, A., Friedman, A., Heard-Davison, A., Peterson, C., Dietrich, J. & Stephens, D. (2006). Topical alprostadil (PGE) for the treatment of female sexual arousal disorder: In-clinic evaluation of safety and efficacy. Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology, 27 (1), 31-41.

Heiman, J.R. & Maravilla, K. R. (2006). Female sexual arousal response using serial MR Imaging with initial comparisons to vaginal photoplethysmography: Overview and evaluation. In E. Janssen (Ed.), The Psychophysiology of Sex. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

Moore, D.R. & Heiman, J.R. (2005). Women's sexuality in context: Relationship factors and female sexual functioning. In I. Goldstein, C. Meston, S. Davis, & A. Traish (eds.), Female Sexual Dysfunction. New York: Parthenon.

Heiman, J.R., Verhulst, J., & Heard-Davison, A. (2003). Childhood sexuality and adult sexual relationships: How are they connected by data and by theory? In Bancroft, J. (Ed.), Sexual Development (pp. 404-420). Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

Heiman, J.R. & Heard-Davison, A. (Published 2003, print date 2004). Childhood sexual abuse and adult sexual relationships: Review and perspective. In Koenig, L.J., Doll, L.S., O'Leary, A., & Pequegnat, W. (Eds.), From Child Sexual Abuse to Adult Sexual Risk: Trauma, Revictimization and Intervention (pp. 13-48). Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.

Heiman, J.R. (2002). Psychologic treatments for female sexual dysfunction: Are they effective and do we need them? Archives of Sexual Behavior, 31, 445-450.

Heiman, J.R. (2001). Sexual desire in human relationships. In W. Everaerd, E. Laan, & S. Both (Eds.), Sexual Appetite, Desire and Motivation: Energetics of the Sexual System (pp117-134). Amsterdam: Royal Netherlands Academy.

For a full list of Kinsey Institute research publications, with selected .pdf files, please visit our Kinsey Institute Staff Publications page.