Robert C. Kolodny
Encyclopedia
Robert C. Kolodny is the author
of numerous book
s on human sexuality
and related topics. Born in New York City as the eldest child of Maxwell H. Kolodny, M.D., Ph.D., and Selma B. Kolodny, he attended Edgemont High School in Scarsdale, New York, and Columbia University
(B.A., 1965), where he studied with Moses Hadas and Susan Sontag, with whom he maintained a lifelong friendship. He then went on to Washington University School of Medicine
in St. Louis (M.D., 1969), where he co-founded the school's first course on medical ethics
in 1969 and studied with noted child psychiatrist E. James Anthony, who had trained under Piaget and Anna Freud. Dr. Kolodny did his internship and residency at Harvard University
(at what is now the Beth Israel-Deaconess Hospital) and a fellowship in Endocrinology and Metabolism at Barnes Hospital
in St. Louis. As the first medical student to study with William H. Masters and Virginia E. Johnson at what was then called the Reproductive Biology Research Foundation in St. Louis in 1968-69 (subsequently renamed the Masters & Johnson Institute in December 1978), Kolodny returned to this research institution after his training in 1972 and eventually became Associate Director, Director of Training and Head of the Endocrine Research Section of the Masters & Johnson Institute. His research focused primarily on the effects of drugs (both illicit and prescription) on sexual function, the effects of chronic illnesses such as diabetes, cancer, and hypertension on sexual well-being, and studies of process and outcome of sex therapy, as well as topics in infertility. With his colleague Joan Bauman, Ph.D., Kolodny also conducted research seeking to identify the biochemical components (short chain aliphatic fatty acids) in human vaginal secretions that serve as pheromones in other mammalian species
Kolodny co-authored 16 books for both professional and lay audiences, including 14 books written with Masters and Johnson, such as Ethical Issues in Sex Therapy and Research (Little, Brown, Vol. I, 1977; Vol. II, 1980); Textbook of Sexual Medicine; Textbook of Human Sexuality for Nurses; a college textbook titled Human Sexuality, which has been published in five editions; Masters & Johnson on Sex and Human Loving (Little, Brown, 1986), which won an award as one of the Best Books on Science and Technology of the Year; Crisis: Heterosexual Behavior in the Age of AIDS (Grove Press, 1988); Biological Foundations of Human Sexuality (1993); and Heterosexuality (Harper, Collins, 1994).
Kolodny wrote a detailed defense of Masters and Johnson's sex therapy statistics following an attack on Masters and Johnson's credibility by the psychologists Bernie Zilbergeld and Michael Evans in Psychology Today in 1981. In addition to providing updated and expanded details on how statistics were compiled at the Masters & Johnson Institute, Kolodny presented new data on psychiatric diagnoses in their sex therapy clients from 1971 to 1979 as well as further information about details of the Masters & Johnson Institute's telephonic follow-up of sex therapy clients. He also clarified the fact that the Masters and Johnson program was not obtaining its outstanding rates of success because of screening out complex or difficult cases, indicating that fewer than one out of 50 applicant couples were turned down for therapy.
Dr. Kolodny is currently Medical Director and Chairman of the Board of the Behavioral Medicine Institute in New Canaan, Connecticut
. He has served as a member of the Board of Advocates of Planned Parenthood
for more than a quarter century. In 1983, he received the prestigious National Award from the Society for the Scientific Study of Sex in recognition of his distinguished career. He has been a visiting professor or guest lecturer at scores of medical schools and institutions such as The Smithsonian, the National Institutes of Health
, Massachusetts General Hospital
, and the Neuropsychiatric Institute at UCLA, and has conducted postgraduate medical education programs for tens of thousands of physicians and other health care professionals. Dr. Kolodny has been a featured guest on hundreds of national television shows, from Good Morning America
and the David Susskind Show to Larry King Live
, Nightline, Crossfire
, and the MacNeil-Lehrer Report.
In 1997, he joined the board of directors of Advanced Viral Research Corporation, a biotechnology company specializing in peptide nucleic acids.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
of numerous book
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
s on human sexuality
Human sexuality
Human sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
and related topics. Born in New York City as the eldest child of Maxwell H. Kolodny, M.D., Ph.D., and Selma B. Kolodny, he attended Edgemont High School in Scarsdale, New York, and Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
(B.A., 1965), where he studied with Moses Hadas and Susan Sontag, with whom he maintained a lifelong friendship. He then went on to Washington University School of Medicine
Washington University School of Medicine
Washington University School of Medicine , located in St. Louis, Missouri, is one of the graduate schools of Washington University in St. Louis. One of the top medical schools in the United States, it is currently ranked 4th for research according to U.S. News and World Report and has been listed...
in St. Louis (M.D., 1969), where he co-founded the school's first course on medical ethics
Medical ethics
Medical ethics is a system of moral principles that apply values and judgments to the practice of medicine. As a scholarly discipline, medical ethics encompasses its practical application in clinical settings as well as work on its history, philosophy, theology, and sociology.-History:Historically,...
in 1969 and studied with noted child psychiatrist E. James Anthony, who had trained under Piaget and Anna Freud. Dr. Kolodny did his internship and residency at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
(at what is now the Beth Israel-Deaconess Hospital) and a fellowship in Endocrinology and Metabolism at Barnes Hospital
Barnes Hospital
Barnes Hospital, also known as Barnes Convalescent Home, in Cheadle, Greater Manchester, England, is a former hospital. It is located near to the A34 road and is in the middle of the complex interchange between the A34, M60 motorway and M56 motorway. Whilst the hospital was constructed in a rural...
in St. Louis. As the first medical student to study with William H. Masters and Virginia E. Johnson at what was then called the Reproductive Biology Research Foundation in St. Louis in 1968-69 (subsequently renamed the Masters & Johnson Institute in December 1978), Kolodny returned to this research institution after his training in 1972 and eventually became Associate Director, Director of Training and Head of the Endocrine Research Section of the Masters & Johnson Institute. His research focused primarily on the effects of drugs (both illicit and prescription) on sexual function, the effects of chronic illnesses such as diabetes, cancer, and hypertension on sexual well-being, and studies of process and outcome of sex therapy, as well as topics in infertility. With his colleague Joan Bauman, Ph.D., Kolodny also conducted research seeking to identify the biochemical components (short chain aliphatic fatty acids) in human vaginal secretions that serve as pheromones in other mammalian species
Kolodny co-authored 16 books for both professional and lay audiences, including 14 books written with Masters and Johnson, such as Ethical Issues in Sex Therapy and Research (Little, Brown, Vol. I, 1977; Vol. II, 1980); Textbook of Sexual Medicine; Textbook of Human Sexuality for Nurses; a college textbook titled Human Sexuality, which has been published in five editions; Masters & Johnson on Sex and Human Loving (Little, Brown, 1986), which won an award as one of the Best Books on Science and Technology of the Year; Crisis: Heterosexual Behavior in the Age of AIDS (Grove Press, 1988); Biological Foundations of Human Sexuality (1993); and Heterosexuality (Harper, Collins, 1994).
Kolodny wrote a detailed defense of Masters and Johnson's sex therapy statistics following an attack on Masters and Johnson's credibility by the psychologists Bernie Zilbergeld and Michael Evans in Psychology Today in 1981. In addition to providing updated and expanded details on how statistics were compiled at the Masters & Johnson Institute, Kolodny presented new data on psychiatric diagnoses in their sex therapy clients from 1971 to 1979 as well as further information about details of the Masters & Johnson Institute's telephonic follow-up of sex therapy clients. He also clarified the fact that the Masters and Johnson program was not obtaining its outstanding rates of success because of screening out complex or difficult cases, indicating that fewer than one out of 50 applicant couples were turned down for therapy.
Dr. Kolodny is currently Medical Director and Chairman of the Board of the Behavioral Medicine Institute in New Canaan, Connecticut
New Canaan, Connecticut
New Canaan is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, northeast of Stamford, on the Fivemile River. The population was 19,738 according to the 2010 census.The town is one of the most affluent communities in the United States...
. He has served as a member of the Board of Advocates of Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood Federation of America , commonly shortened to Planned Parenthood, is the U.S. affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation and one of its larger members. PPFA is a non-profit organization providing reproductive health and maternal and child health services. The...
for more than a quarter century. In 1983, he received the prestigious National Award from the Society for the Scientific Study of Sex in recognition of his distinguished career. He has been a visiting professor or guest lecturer at scores of medical schools and institutions such as The Smithsonian, the National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
, Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital is a teaching hospital and biomedical research facility in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts...
, and the Neuropsychiatric Institute at UCLA, and has conducted postgraduate medical education programs for tens of thousands of physicians and other health care professionals. Dr. Kolodny has been a featured guest on hundreds of national television shows, from Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
and the David Susskind Show to Larry King Live
Larry King Live
Larry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was CNN's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly....
, Nightline, Crossfire
Crossfire (TV series)
Crossfire was a current events debate television program that aired from 1982 to 2005 on CNN. Its format was designed to present and challenge the opinions of a politically liberal pundit and a conservative pundit.-Format:...
, and the MacNeil-Lehrer Report.
In 1997, he joined the board of directors of Advanced Viral Research Corporation, a biotechnology company specializing in peptide nucleic acids.