Participants must enter the 2011 Oxford Programme at the two-week, residential “Oxford Course” in July 2011. This covers a wide range of Sexual Medicine topics and provides the essential background learning from which clinical experience can be developed. A second, one-week course will be held in Milan in November 2011, in conjunction with the ESSM Annual Scientific Congress, so that participants can attend both events. It is not possible to join the Programme mid-year, in Milan. All sessions during the programme will be conducted in the English language; participative learning techniques for skill development will be used, as well as didactic teaching. Working with simulated patients, there will be practical training in Sexual Medicine consultation techniques and history-taking, and in the basic use of sex therapy techniques in Sexual Medicine.

The academic programme will include

• sexual development
• psychology and physiology of sexual desire, arousal and response
• impact of gender on sexuality
• ageing and sexuality
• sexual dysfunctions in men and women
• problematic sexual behaviour
• gender identity disorders
• impact of medical treatments and other health problems on sexuality
• clinical management of sexual disorders
• ethical and legal aspects of Sexual Medicine
• research methods related to Sexual Medicine
• the history of Sexual Medicine
• standards of care in Sexual Medicine.

The course not only aims to add to your knowledge of Sexual Medicine but also to enable you to change your clinical practice with the acquisition of new skills to apply to providing services for patients and to have more confidence in assessing and helping men and women with common sexual concerns.

The two-week course is held at St Catherine’s College, a modern College offering high-quality accommodation for participants; it is within 10 minutes walk of Oxford city centre. There will be an optional and very informal social programme run throughout the course. This is a friendly course and we hope that participants will make new friends, as well as learn about Sexual Medicine. Because the number of participants is strictly limited (see below), there is plenty of opportunity to meet and talk informally with teaching faculty members; group members have the option of joining us for evenings together in Oxford after dinner at the College. Although two weeks may seem a long time to be away from home at a course, feedback from previous groups suggests that loneliness and boredom are not a problem. We are fortunate to be studying such an interesting subject!

The full cost of the complete Oxford Programme is €3,300.00 (however, grants and concessions are available – see below); this includes tuition fees for both the Oxford and Milan courses, meals and accommodation for the two-week Oxford course, and lunch and refreshment breaks at the Milan course; accommodation costs in Milan and travel costs, are not included. In addition, participants will be offered free registration for the 2011 ESSM Congress in Milan, and a reduced registration rate for the ESSM Congresses in 2012 and 2013.

• A reduced fee of €2,500.00 for the complete three-week programme is available for self-funding participants not receiving financial support from any other source.
• A range of grants is available to ESSM members, which may cover up to 90% of the course fees.
• The International Society for Sexual Medicine is also offering substantial grants to support participation of ISSM members from lower-income countries around the world, outside of Europe.