ABOUT SEX::TECH

The 4th annual Sex::Tech conference is the premiere event for health and technology professionals to get together with youth, parents and community leaders to advance the sexual health of young people. Hosted by ISIS, the U.S. leader in using technology and new media for sexual health, the conference is expecting over 400 national and international attendees, and more than 2,000 viewers following the proceedings via live video stream.

Registration will be open in mid-September. Follow the SexTech twitter feed for full details.

We will be at a new hotel this year, the Stanford Court on Nob Hill. The Stanford Court is a newly re-modeled, historic hotel at the top of the Cable Car line. Can you say, “Rice-a-Roni?”

The new website for the conference will be premiering later this fall, so keep your eyes peeled for Josh’s gorgeous creation. (in Drupal!)

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

Sex::Tech is a fabulous opportunity for networking, presenting new findings and exploring innovative ideas with key stakeholders. Go to www.sxtech.org to review this year’s call and see if your projects align with Sex::Tech 2011′s goals and session tracks. Should you have any questions, email SxTechconference@isis-inc.org and we’ll get back to you soonest. Abstracts are due via the online submission tool by November 15th.

SPECIAL PRE-CONFERENCE

This year, ISIS is adding a new half-day pre-conference to the mix. An optional addition, the pre-conference will be held Thursday afternoon and focus on sharing methods for effective cutting edge academic research using technology for HIV/STI prevention and sexual health. Stay tuned for more details as the program develops.

PROGRAM COMMITTEE NOMINATIONS

We’re looking for a few good folks! ISIS needs some new members for our 2011 program committee. We’re looking for people with an interest and expertise in the subject areas of sexual health, youth and technology, to commit a total of 10-15 hours to read and review submitted abstracts. If you or someone you know might be interested, contact Cara Silva, ISIS Program Manager at cara@isis-inc.org .

SPONSORS

We’re lucky to have the National Institute of Mental Health as a sponsor again for 2011. If you’re interested in sponsorship opportunities to showcase your organization, product, or services in front of thousands of eyes, contact Deb at deb@isis-inc.org .

JOB OPENINGS

ISIS has two new positions open: Director of Marketing and Communications (p/t) and Development Director. Visit our website for full descriptions and information on how to apply.

ABOUT ISIS

ISIS was founded in 2001 to add a twist to sex education. ISIS uses next-generation technologies and new media to help at-risk youth and young adults gain knowledge and skills through online collaboration between peers and experts. ISIS empowers youth to master the skills to prevent HIV, STIs, unplanned pregnancies and intimate partner violence so all youth can become sexually healthy, mature adults.

Follow us for the latest Sex::Tech 2011 updates as they emerge:

Twitter: www.twitter.com/sextech
Facebook: www.facebook.com/isisinc
Sex::Tech Conference: www.sxtech.org

Best,

Deb and the ISIS Team

ISIS is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to preventing STIs, including HIV, unplanned pregnancies and unhealthy relationships among youth and young adults. We use new media, mobile and Internet technology to reach large number of youth with prevention messages. Our media-acclaimed projects include inSPOT.org, SexINFO text messaging and the annual Sex::Tech conference in San Francisco.

The ISIS office is small and working relationships are informal. All team members are expected to be self-directed and collaborative. Communication and quality work are highly prized.

Director of MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

ISIS is currently looking for a Director of Marketing and Communications (.6 FTE) to develop, implement, and oversee all marketing and communication efforts across the agency.  This position reports is part of a Senior Management team, reporting directly to the Executive Director.

Primary Responsibilities Include:

• Develop and implement marketing and communications plan to fulfill the strategic and operational goals of the organization
• Work with Executive Director to determine and manage marketing & communications budget.
• Oversee development and iteration of organizational brand development strategy.
• Research, develop and implement short- and long-term marketing plan for ISIS.
• Communicate organizational mission and goals to funders and partners
• Communicate project-based services and products direct-to-consumer
• Create and produce online and print organizational and project-based marketing materials in collaboration with Design team (audiences: direct-to-consumer, potential clients)
• Supervise Marketing/Communications team, including Social Media Manager, Creative Director and outside contractors
• Supervise Social Media Manager in development of organizational and project-based social media plan and online marketing strategy
• Create and manage Marketing advisory team
• Manage the Organization’s public relations strategy and optimize PR opportunities.
• Implement measures to determine effectiveness of marketing and communications programs and create plans to improve results.
• Participate in Senior Management meetings and coordinate with Department Directors for all ISIS programs and organizational development.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Experience and Qualifications Include:

• Bachelor’s degree. MBA preferred.
• 10+ years of progressively responsible marketing and communications experience within the digital media industry. Experience within traditional marketing setting preferred.
• Experience in both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations.
• Experience and comfort with online marketing tools, such as SEO, Google AdWords, direct-response advertising, and CPM strategies.
• Strong analytic and critical thinking skills.
• Comfort with sexual health content and youth audience.
• Ability to set and meet short- and long-term budgets and objectives.
• Strong leadership and consensus-building experience.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work comfortably with minimal supervision, under tight deadlines.

DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

ISIS is currently looking for a Development Director to spearhead development efforts as ISIS grows. A new position in the organization, the Development Director will have the opportunity to imprint on the organization in a significant way. This position reports directly to the Executive Director, and is part of the Senior Management team.

Primary Responsibilities Include:

• Work closely with the Executive Director and the Board of Directors to determine institutional fundraising goals and strategies.
• Develop and execute ISIS’ annual fundraising plan.
• Research, identify and iterate a list of potential funding sources.
• Cultivate relationships with Foundation and Corporate executives and program officers
• Plan and oversee special fundraising events
• Develop and track proposals and reports for all foundation and corporate fundraising
• Research, prepare and submit well planned grant proposals to a variety of funders.
• Manage detailed and organized records of development activities
• Solicit sponsorship for the annual Sex::Tech Conference to meet or exceed budget
• Develop budgets for all development activities and special events
• Attend community functions and present ISIS in a professional and positive manner
• Work with Senior Management team to coordinate fundraising activities with organizational development and project planning
• Involve the Board of Directors in fundraising activities, including providing training to the Board.
• Supervise production of fundraising reports; analyze results and evaluate effectiveness of fundraising programs.
• Keep current on trends in the fundraising field.
• Bring the values and vision of ISIS into all fundraising and community relations
• Other projects and duties as assigned.

Required Experience and Qualifications Include:

• BA (required), MA (a plus)
• Five plus years in progressively responsible Development positions with non-profit organizations or the equivalent.
• Broad experience in a variety of fundraising techniques and skills including major gifts, special events, foundation and corporate solicitations.
• Demonstrated excellence in organizational, managerial, and communication skills
• Proven track record in successful grant-writing
• Ability to work comfortably with minimal supervision, under tight deadlines.
• Strong analytic and critical thinking skills.
• Comfort with sexual health content and youth audience.
• Familiarity and use of social media with good internet and computer skills
• Able to work flexible hours as needed.

Please submit your resume and cover letter with compensation requirements to:  jobs@isis-inc.org

No phone calls, faxes, or in-person applications please.

ISIS is an equal opportunity employer.

Once substantial clinical evidence demonstrating the effectiveness in reducing HIV transmissions is produced, microbicide gels could not only empower the women that use them, in addition to providing a degree of protection not yet granted by barrier methods. We can expect to see multi-pronged social media campaigns similar to those for the “The Pill” and Emergency Contraception geared toward young women. We’ll wait in anticipation until the evidence is in! Thanks for the question!

Ask us about the intersection of sexual health, technology and STD prevention!

Interview conducted by Ben Leis

“Deb Levine is the Executive Director of Internet Sexuality Information Services – ISIS, Inc. – a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to developing Internet technologies to enhance the sexual well-being of individuals and communities. She has been working professionally on the Internet for more than 12 years. She was a sex educator at Columbia University where she designed an award-winning online sexual health question-and-answer service, Go Ask Alice! She wrote an online sex advice column, Ask Delilah, for AOL and Time-Warner, and the Sexuality blog on Yahoo! Health in 2005-6.

Deb collaborates with researchers, health professionals, ISPs and commercial website owners. She teaches a course at San Francisco State University — “Sexuality and the Internet.” She is the author of “The Joy of Cybersex: A Guide for Creative Lovers” (Ballantine 1998), as well as numerous academic papers. She is often asked to speak at national and international conferences about the role the Internet plays in sexual health promotion and disease prevention.

Ben Leis: How are you using online and other technologies to provide a grassroots health service?

Deb Levine: We are utilizing the technology young people are already familiar with to promote safe sex and empower them to take ownership of their sexual health, both through their social networking sites, as well as inspiring them to create their own content to express their experiences.  You can see the adoption and re-imagining of pre-existing technology with InSpot, our STI/HIV e-card peer notification service.  InSpot allows users who have recently been diagnosed with an STI to select an e-card and email it to their past sex partners encouraging them to get checked.  The e-card links to local testing sites and health resources.  Just a few years ago e-cards/evites were almost obsolete but have proven to be a low-cost, innovative way to complement traditional partner notifications around STIs, along with increasing communication and access to local services.

ISIS is currently partnering with the University of Colorado for a Sexual Health and Reproductive Justice NIH research study that utilizes social networking sites, RSS news feeds, videos and more.

With our Say What?!? Contest that asked young people what the craziest sexual health advice an adult ever gave them, ISIS utilized pre-existing voicemail technology provided by Say Now and authorities in youth culture like Sway, a long time MTV VJ and hip-hop ambassador. Once the contest had concluded, we had sexual health PSA’s from Funny Or Die that reflected youth’s voices and experiences that could act as entertainment as well as education long after the contest had concluded.

Ben Leis: How are young people involved in the creation and services of ISIS?

Deb Levine: Prior to the development of any service or program for youth, ISIS conducts community groups comprised of the target population the program is geared towards in an attempt to understand the issue from their perspective.  We also try to understand barriers to any issue we are trying to address, in addition to keeping open lines of communication with those communities around how those issues can be solved.

Youth are also involved in the dissemination of the programs. They help us identify the best way to push prevention messages and content out, either as digital interns or more traditional in-person street teams.

ISIS also has staff dedicated to keeping their finger on the pulse of youth culture and finding strategic ways of integrating authentic youth voice and experience, along with their authority figures (celebrities, bloggers, critics, other youth affecting social change) into our programs and campaigns.

Ben Leis: What is it about the peer-to-peer influence that is making ISIS so successful?

Deb Levine: Research has shown that youth want sexual health advice from trusted professionals like doctors or academics, and from their peers.  ISIS understands that often those peers are armed with misinformation but seek to use those moments of uncertainty to educate them.

Ben Leis: What advice do you have for other healthcare product and service providers to engage with young people?

Deb Levine: Healthcare product and service providers who engage with young people should involve them at every stage of development.  Bring youth in the target audience on as unpaid interns for school credit, or form partnerships with organizations that provide outreach to youth to create your own youth community network.  Finding ways to pay youth and/or provide job training is also highly recommended.

Healthcare product and service providers who engage with youth should also enhance their social networking presence by identifying a few key platforms (Twitter, Facebook) to host their content and latest and greatest news there so youth can become familiar with your organization and its mission as they traverse the net.

Healthcare product and service providers who engage with youth should also examine the technology young people are already using and find ways to incorporate them into their programs.

Ben Leis: What effect is your service having on the community and other healthcare agencies?

Deb Levine: ISIS is providing cutting edge leadership in harnessing emerging and pre-existing technology for little or no cost, in addition to launching state-wide multimedia campaigns on shoe-string budgets through strategic partnerships with other organizations that can enhance or complement our strengths.  We have found a way to leverage youth authority (celebrities, bloggers, other youth affecting social change) to inspire other young people to make changes in their communities, while giving them the forums to showcase that change and further inspire their peers.

Ben Leis: What does the future hold for ISIS?

Deb Levine: ISIS is gearing up for 4th annual Sex::Tech Conference which brings together leaders in the field of sexual health, technology, education and government to advance and mobilize sexual health as a social cause – particularly among young people.  We plan on having over 400 superstars and movers and shakers across those fields attend and speak.  We’re also celebrating our 10 year anniversary, and the national launch of InSpot, our STD/HIV e-card partner notification service.”

Dear ISIS Supporter,

Summer is here and things are heating up at ISIS. Here’s a little taste of what we’ve been up to:

ISIS in the News: Thomson-Reuters published an article on ISIS’ Executive Director and Founder, Deb Levine, and her mission to use technology for sexual health. Read “Sex ed entrepreneur trades bananas for broadband.” The story was picked up by MSNBC and the NY Daily News. San Francisco BayCitizen published “In Juvenile Hall, a Struggle over STD Testing,” which discusses the health disparities of STDs among SF youth, and the role ISIS has played in reducing those disparities.

Welcome New Staff: Cara Silva is ISIS’ new Program Manager – New Media,  and Jenna Gaarde is the new Program Assistant. They each bring significant expertise and an upbeat tone to our work with youth and young adults.

Sex::Tech 2011 – Coming Soon: Sex::Tech 2011 is on! Look out for a Save the Date note heading your way soon for Spring ‘11 in San Francisco.

NIH Study Launches: Our NIH research study about Sexual Health and Reproductive Justice, in partnership with the University of Colorado, is in full swing. If you’re between the ages of 16-25, you are eligible to participate! If not, but you have access to people within this age range, feel free to have them send a message to Lindsey Breslin at lindsey.breslin@ucdenver.edu or call 720-690-4723, and she will get in touch with the next steps involved to join the study. [NOTE: Adults over 25 are welcome to take a peek at the intervention at www.facebook.com/justus411, BUT youth who look at the Facebook page beforehand will be ineligible to participate.]

New Partnerships: Check out some of our new and upcoming ISIS partners!

State of California Maternal Child and Adolescent Health Division – New preconception health project for young women of color using social media and text messaging

Alameda County Office of AIDS – New website for County residents who are HIV+ and their supporters

The National Campaign – Fall contest about long-acting reversible contraception for women under 30

Alameda County Maternal, Paternal, Child and Adolescent Health - New teen pregnancy prevention project for Latina/os countywide using social media, radio and text messaging

Follow us: the best way to always know what’s going on at ISIS!

Twitter: www.twitter.com/DebISIS
Facebook: www.facebook.com/isisinc
Website: www.isis-inc.org
Sex::Tech Conference: www.sxtech.org

Best,

Deb Levine, MA
Executive Director & Founder

Incarcerated youth in San Francisco usually come from high-crime, economically depressed neighborhoods, and bring with them the health issues associated with poverty and poor access to medical care.

Case in point: during the past two months, teenage boys at Youth Guidance Center (YGC), San Francisco’s juvenile hall, have tested positive for Chlamydia at about five times the rate of California’s general population. The numbers aren’t surprising to San Francisco health outreach workers – but getting support for testing and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases among such teens has been anything but easy.

Deb Levine, executive director and founder of Internet Sexuality Information Services, Inc. (ISIS), has been instrumental in bringing health services to some of the city’s most elusive youth populations. ISIS received a two-year outreach grant in 2008 to engage underserved youth in sexual health services and education using web and mobile technology. The focus was on getting young, hard-to-reach African American and Latino men, in neighborhoods such as Hunter’s Point and Visitacion Valley, screened for Chlamydia and gonorrhea.

“They have so many conflicting problems in their lives,” she says. “If you talk to them about Chlamydia, it’s not a priority. Their priorities are jobs, food, safety. It’s the poverty and economic cycle they’re stuck in.”

Levine’s work was coming along, but a year into the project, SFDPH, which had partnered with ISIS, had to make a tough call. Facing two years worth of budget cuts, totaling $1.2 million, the department’s STD section stopped screening the vast majority of men (even teenage boys) for common STDs in public clinics citywide. The move was expected to save SFDPH almost $60,000 over the last year, but public school health educators and community outreach workers were outraged to learn that they could no longer send asymptomatic kids to get screened.

Levine says her initial thoughts when she heard about the new guidelines are unprintable.

“Truly, I was horrified, she says. “I’m the mother of two girls. As a parent I was worried about the health of young people.”

At the time, the new regulations, based on national Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines, seemed medically sound. Young women test positive for STDs at higher rates than young men and face more STD-related health problems down the line, such as pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility, so why not allocate the bulk of available resources for them? But the guidelines failed to address the fact that most young women are infected by young men, who are less likely to practice monogamy than their female sex partners.

“The idea that you only treat young women is erroneous,” Levine says, adding that young men aren’t always the most dependable stewards of sexual responsibility. “If a girl says, ‘Hey honey, I have Chlamydia, you’d better go to the clinic,’ the boyfriend might say, ‘I’m just going to get a new girlfriend.’”

Shortly after SFDPH stopped screening young men, ISIS held a public event in the Bayview to teach youth about the risks of Chlamydia and gonorrhea. A mobile testing van was onsite, but because it was meant to serve San Francisco residents, the new guidelines applied and young men were not tested. Levine’s outreach workers were in the bizarre position of speaking to youth about the importance of getting screened while denying that service to their target demographic.

“We had to change our message from, ‘Get tested, get screened,’ to, ‘Take care of your sexual health,’” she says. “But without a cultural change, that doesn’t mean anything. Young people say, ‘What is sexual health?’”

Levine went back to her funders and requested a second grant, this one to support the screening of males age 12-24 for Chlamydia and gonorrhea for one year. ISIS received the grant and several public clinics started testing young men again this past April.

Since May 1, 170 teenage boys have been screened at YGC. Five tested positive (2.9%). That might sound like a small number, but Michael Baxter, Director of Community Health Programs for Youth, says it’s significant. The Chlamydia rate across the board in California is 407 positive tests per 100,000 people (less than .5%). For now, all youth coming into juvenile hall are tested for STDs and Baxter says the high rate at YGC justifies the reinstated screening mandate.

“When I see two or three percent, I say, ‘okay, we’re doing the right thing,’” he says.

Baxter, whose program provides health services to youth at YGC, believes the decision to stop screening young males last year may have contributed to the recent numbers.

“Yes, it had an impact,” he says. “They (young men) were spreading it and we weren’t screening them.”

Now, outreach workers have less than a year to engage as much of that population as they can. The city’s cultural geography tells a story. Skyrocketing STD rates among young, low-income minorities aren’t merely a measure of sexual behavior; they’re a telling gauge of our determination to address the wellness of kids in all San Francisco communities, and our willingness to allocate resources on a triage basis. Distribution of wealth isn’t really about money—it’s about access and education.

By Deborah L. Cohen

CHICAGO | Wed Jul 7, 2010 3:16pm EDT

CHICAGO (Reuters) – Deb Levine started her online sex education company because she was bored putting condoms on bananas as a way to teach students about safe sex.

What began as a simple Internet sexual Q&A column nearly 20 years ago – Go Ask Alice! – has grown into a nonprofit corporation that disseminates sexual health information via electronic tools such as text messaging and social media.

“It seems like nothing now but it was quite groundbreaking,” said Levine, who created ISIS – an acronym for Internet Sexuality Information Services and homage to the Egyptian fertility goddess of the same name – in 2001 amid a syphilis outbreak in San Francisco. Back then, Levine’s goal was to reach men congregating online in sexual chat rooms.

“What it showed me was this incredible power of the Internet to reach large numbers of people with sensitive information,” said Levine, who was included among PopTech’s 2009 Social Innovation Fellows (www.poptech.org/), a class of roughly 20 cutting-edge thought leaders.

“I became an evangelist,” she said of her passion for using information technology to deliver public health messages.

UNCONVENTIONAL METHODS

Her small but broad-reaching organization, which employs a full-time staff of six, has built a reputation around bringing sexual health and prevention information to teens and young adults using non-preachy methods. Often, that calls for following audiences to the spots where they congregate in cyberspace.

“We spend a lot of time integrating our messages into sites where people already are,” Levine said.

Consider the “SayWhat?” contest ISIS ran earlier this year that challenged youth to present best- and worst-case sexual advice received from adults. The winner’s voice message was transformed into a comic video featuring a cartoon (here) and they were flown to California to attend ISIS’s annual Sex:Tech contest with their parents and visit FunnyorDie producers in Los Angeles.

To help spread the word, ISIS turned to MTV.com, comedian Will Ferrell’s satirical website FunnyorDie.com and SayNow.com, an online service that sends individual voice messages to groups.

“We find partners, usually unconventional partners who want to offer something extra to their audience,” said Levine, who currently works with more than 25 for-profit entities.

The “Say What?” response confirms what many in the world of public health are discovering.

“We know that the IT world is how students are interacting with one another on health information on a variety of topics,” said Paula Staight, director of health promotion at the University of Oregon’s health center in Eugene. “We need to be moving in that direction.”

TRIAL AND ERROR

Among ISIS’s current efforts is the website inSPOT, the first online notification system to inform the sexual partners of those who have contracted sexually transmitted diseases, and Hookup, a weekly information service about sex and related topics delivered via text messaging.

“We basically move from public service messaging on social media platforms to deeper information on the Web and then try to increase access to services to have the one-one-one,” Levine said.

Levine, who is currently trying to raise funds to take ISIS’s free anonymous online sexually transmitted disease testing platform (STDtest.org) national by the end of the year, hopes to double her operating budget of $1.3 million within the next three years. Levine said her revenue comes from diverse sources, including corporate sponsorship, grants, and fees from clients. The latter includes local health departments around the country, for whom ISIS is replicating projects such as the text messaging initiative and public health websites.

“We’re not nimble and laser-focused enough to do some of this stuff,” said Miles Orkin, national director of Web and mobile for the American Cancer Society and an ISIS board member. “ISIS can deliver a kind of refined product that would take a larger NPO or health system a while to get to.”

Through trial and error that included stringent public health evaluation methods, ISIS learned which means of communication were most effective for specific goals. Early on, the group abandoned attempts to foster in-depth one-on-one interaction between at-risk individuals and public health professionals online.

“Because the Internet is an open medium, the best way to use it is to reach large numbers of people,” said Levine, who has also worked extensively with advisors from the private sector on project strategies, including Silicon Valley tech engineers.

“There’s a lot to learn,” she said.

JOB DESCRIPTION — PROGRAM AssiSTANT

Internet Sexuality Information Services, Inc. (ISIS) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to developing and using Internet and mobile technologies for sexual health promotion and disease prevention. Our mission is to provide leadership, innovation, educational resources and research in the field. Our media-acclaimed collaborations include inSPOT, SexINFO, and the annual Sex::Tech conference focusing on youth and technology.

ISIS is a pioneer in using the Internet to provide accurate, easily accessible sexual health information to the public. Our innovative approach extends to our staff as well as our audience: We don’t reinvent the wheel; we use our knowledge and experience to design new programs that are destined for success. Our office is small and working relationships are informal. All team members are expected to be self-directed and collaborative. Communication and quality work are highly prized.

POSITION SUMMARY:

ISIS is seeking a new Program Assistant. This position will provide administrative support for our core programs and services, and for the organization overall. This is an entry-level position with opportunities for growth within the organization as they arise. The Program Assistant is responsible for researching and organizing culturally appropriate content for multiple ISIS projects and diverse communities, and providing operations/logistics support to the programs. The Program Assistant is also the main office support and administrator. The Program Assistant reports to the Deputy Director.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Assist with formative research (focus groups, surveys, etc.) for new projects

· Plan annual conference, including registration, arranging logistics, organizing program content, communicating with speakers and attendees, and managing participant inquiries.

· Act as “Super Site Manager” for the inSPOT portal; collect and input data from clients nationwide to create replications of the Get Checked section of the site; communicate with engineering team about bugs or changes necessary for content management tool.

· Provide support for organizational and project-related social media sites (Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, etc.)

· Conduct background research online and in books, journals, etc. for new projects

· Support staff in assigned project based work as needed.

· Participate in all staff meetings, brainstorming meetings, and continuing education.

· General office duties support: front-line office reception/phones, fax, archive data, proofreading, order office supplies, answer general programmatic inquiries via phone & email, process outgoing & incoming mail, handle delivery/messenger services

· Meet and greet clients and visitors.

· Perform general duties to include but not limited to: photocopying, faxing, mailing, and filing.

· Provide meeting support as needed (e.g., scheduling conference rooms, coordinating food, logistics)

Qualifications:

· Bachelor’s degree in Education, Health, or other Social Science.

· Strong working knowledge of the Internet and mobile technology.

· Comfort with computers, including Word, Excel and Power point, email, and basic html.

· Knowledge and regular use of online social media (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace)

· Ability to handle detailed work accurately and quickly.

· Ability to work independently within established guidelines.

· Organized and flexible individual, able to manage multiple tasks and changing priorities.

· Comfort with sexual health subject matter.

Preferred:

• 1-3 years experience doing program/administrative work.
• Past experience working in the health sector.

Please submit your resume and cover letter with compensation requirements to: jobs@isis-inc.org

No phone calls, faxes, or in-person applications please.

Local candidates only.

ISIS-Inc. is an equal opportunity employer.

Website: www.isis-inc.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 27, 2010

Contact: Deb Levine, MA

Tel: 510-835-9400

Fax: 510-835-9402

Email: deb@isis-inc.org

Send an E-card, Save a Life

ISIS Takes inSPOT E-cards National in Honor of STD Awareness Month

San Francisco, CA, April 27, 2010 - – ISIS, a technology, Internet and mobile leader in the nonprofit sector, is re-launching inSPOT.org as a national service in honor of STD Awareness Month. inSPOT is a media-acclaimed website to help people who are infected with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) inform their sex partners about testing and treatment options using playful, serious, and humorous e-cards that link to free and low-cost testing services throughout the US.

inSPOT was the first peer-to-peer online STD partner notification tool ever developed. First launched by ISIS in 2004 in response to a local need — a significant rise in syphilis in San Francisco — inSPOT continues to be an innovative way to empower people who are diagnosed with a STD take charge of their own sex lives. inSPOT currently reaches an annual average of 15,000 users in 13 states and 11 cities. With this national expansion, ISIS projects an increase to 150,000 users in 40 states and 25 cities by 2013.

The estimated total number of people living in the US today with a viral STD is 65 million. Every year, there are at least 19 million new cases of STDs, some of which are completely curable. Partner notification plays a significant role in reducing STD rates by finding and treating people who have had contact with an infected person before they can pass the disease onto others. Partner notification is traditionally done by STD clinic staff and public health providers. As more and more health departments face budget cuts and layoffs, it is critical to support the traditional system by using low-cost and high-reach, peer-to-peer technology services like inSPOT.

“We are very excited to expand inSPOT beyond the 24 locations where it formerly existed,” stated Deb Levine, Executive Director and Founder of ISIS, Inc. “inSPOT puts the partner notification tools directly into the hands of the users, increasing access to free and low-cost STD testing and treatment services for those most at-risk for STDs without increasing stress on local, city and state health departments.”

In addition to extensive media acclaim (San Francisco Chronicle, New York Times, Reuters, AP News, International Herald Tribune and others), inSPOT has also won the Drucker Innovation of the Week award. For more information on how inSPOT works, visit www.inspot.org.

Internet Sexuality Information Services, Inc. (ISIS) is a 501(c)3 organization founded in 2001 whose mission is to reduce sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) within high-risk populations in the United States. ISIS uses its unique combination of expertise in web and mobile technologies, knowledge of disease prevention and deep understanding of its target market to develop and deliver accurate, reliable sexual health information and convenient, affordable tools for STD prevention and health promotion. www.isis-inc.org

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April 4, 2010 00:04:00

Megan Ogilvie Health Reporter

You are a teen in Toronto and worried about whether you have a sexually transmitted infection.

You could go online to Google ‘chlamydia,’ but don’t want to risk your parents finding your search history. You are too afraid to call your family doctor. And you don’t think your classmates have got the facts correct.

Toronto Public Health has helped to make the search for reliable sexual health information easier by providing a unique cellphone service that links teens to existing clinics, programs and information phone lines in the city.

The service uses text messaging to quickly connect teens and young adults to resources that can help answer questions about sexual health including, what to do if a condom breaks during sex, how to find out whether a missed period means pregnancy and where to go in Toronto to get free testing for sexually transmitted infections.

“We wanted to ensure the right information was getting out there,” said Michelle Hamilton-Page, a sexual health promoter at Toronto Public Health. “Teens are always texting, and we know from previous research that teens want to get information from their friends. This service puts reliable information into their hands that they can pass on to a friend.”

The text message service — you start by texting 365247 to TOHealth — is another tool in Toronto Public Health’s armament for sexual health education and promotion, said Hamilton-Page. Toronto Public Health has phone lines and web pages dedicated to sexual health, and Planned Parenthood of Toronto has an online chat service for teens. But this is the first service that uses text messaging.

“This is the one gap in our service that we wanted to close up,” said Hamilton-Page, noting teens rarely leave home without a cell phone and consider text messaging private and personal, which means they might be less fearful to use it to find out about sexual health.

Launched in September, the text message service (standard text message rates apply) is targeted to youth between the ages of 12 and 24, and was adopted from San Francisco’s non-profit Internet Sexuality Information Services Inc., which invented the concept. Toronto Public Health is currently the only health unit in Canada to use the service, although Ottawa Public Health is looking into it, said Hamilton-Page.

Bruce Clark, manager of sexual health promotion at Toronto Public Health, said the health unit is hoping the text message service will help reduce rates of chlamydia in Toronto, especially among young people. Chlamydia rates have been on the rise in Toronto, and other large Western cities since 1997. It is currently the most frequently reported sexually transmitted infection in Toronto accounting for 55 per cent of all reported sexually transmitted infections. There were 7,952 reported cases of chlamydia in Toronto in 2009, up from 7,361 reported cases in 2008 and 6,995 reported cases in 2007.

“We want to make youth aware of all STIs, but we certainly are trying to have an impact on chlamydia,” Clarke said. “We want them to be aware of symptoms, how to protect themselves, know when to get counseling.”

Young people, he said, might not know chlamydia can have long-term complications. In women, for example, the infection can cause infertility because of scarring on the fallopian tubes.

Toronto Public Health can tailor the text messaging service to sexual health trends in the city. If, for example, next year sees a rise in gonorrhea among Toronto youth, sexual health promoters can add lines about that particular sexually transmitted infection, Hamilton-Page said.

Toronto Public Health primarily advertises the text message service on Facebook. Between September and December 2009, the only months that data are available, there were 7,100 click-throughs on Facebook — a sign that teens are reading ads — and 176 people used the service.

While those numbers are encouraging, Clarke said he expects more teens to use the service as the word gets out that sexual health information can be found on cell phones. According to their research, even teens from lower socioeconomic background in Toronto have cellphones.

“They may not have money for other things,” Clarke said, “but they prioritize having a cellphone. We needed to get into that realm.”

LaRon Nelson, a registered nurse with an expertise in adolescent health and an assistant professor at the University of Toronto’s Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, said text messaging is exactly where public health and other agencies need to go to better reach youth, especially since teens are largely negotiating sex with peers online or via cell phone, and not face-to-face.

“It’s increasingly becoming an online world for youth,” he said. “If agencies are not willing to go to the online world, they miss opportunities to intervene in young people’s sexual health.

“There is room for more agencies to use these types of technologies.”