Vernon Rosario
Encyclopedia
Vernon A. Rosario II is an American
psychiatrist
and medical historian who studies human sexuality
. His recent work has focused on transgender
and intersex
youth, and he has served as chair of the medical advisory board for Intersex Society of North America
.
and biomedical engineering
from Brown University
in 1986. He received his Ph.D. in the History of Science
from Harvard University
in 1993, and his M.D. from the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology
in 1995. Rosario completed a residency and fellowship with the Neuropsychiatric Institute (NPI) at University of California, Los Angeles
in 2002. Since then he has been in private practice and been a psychiatric consultant at Gay and Lesbian Adolescent Social Services in Los Angeles. He has held a NPI clinical teaching position since 2003.
Rosario has published in English, French, and Spanish, and his books include Science and Homosexualities and The Erotic Imagination: French Histories of Perversity. He has been a longtime activist in eliminating homophobia
, and he has criticized author J. Michael Bailey
’s stereotypic depiction of gay men in The Man Who Would Be Queen
. As a child and adolescent psychiatrist, one major focus has been helping young LGBT
people come out to their families. Rosario has also expressed concern for excessive specialization in psychiatry, focusing on neuroscience while ignoring other factors.
As chair of the LGBT Committee of the Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry
, he edited and published a web-based course on LGBT mental health.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
and medical historian who studies 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...
. His recent work has focused on transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
and intersex
Intersex
Intersex, in humans and other animals, is the presence of intermediate or atypical combinations of physical features that usually distinguish female from male...
youth, and he has served as chair of the medical advisory board for Intersex Society of North America
Intersex Society of North America
The Intersex Society of North America was a non-profit advocacy group founded in 1993 by Cheryl Chase to represent the interest of intersex people. Their objective was to end shame, secrecy, and unwanted genital surgeries...
.
Life and career
Rosario earned undergraduate degrees in French literatureFrench literature
French literature is, generally speaking, literature written in the French language, particularly by citizens of France; it may also refer to literature written by people living in France who speak traditional languages of France other than French. Literature written in French language, by citizens...
and biomedical engineering
Biomedical engineering
Biomedical Engineering is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology. This field seeks to close the gap between engineering and medicine: It combines the design and problem solving skills of engineering with medical and biological sciences to improve...
from Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
in 1986. He received his Ph.D. in the History of Science
History of science
The history of science is the study of the historical development of human understandings of the natural world and the domains of the social sciences....
from 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...
in 1993, and his M.D. from the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology
Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology
Founded in 1970, the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, or HST, is one of the oldest and largest biomedical engineering and physician-scientist training programs in the United States and the longest-standing functional collaboration between Harvard University and the...
in 1995. Rosario completed a residency and fellowship with the Neuropsychiatric Institute (NPI) at University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
in 2002. Since then he has been in private practice and been a psychiatric consultant at Gay and Lesbian Adolescent Social Services in Los Angeles. He has held a NPI clinical teaching position since 2003.
Rosario has published in English, French, and Spanish, and his books include Science and Homosexualities and The Erotic Imagination: French Histories of Perversity. He has been a longtime activist in eliminating homophobia
Homophobia
Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...
, and he has criticized author J. Michael Bailey
J. Michael Bailey
John Michael Bailey is an American psychologist and professor at Northwestern University. He is best known among scientists for his work on the etiology of sexual orientation, from which he concluded that homosexuality is substantially inherited...
’s stereotypic depiction of gay men in The Man Who Would Be Queen
The Man Who Would Be Queen
The Man Who Would Be Queen: The Science of Gender-Bending and Transsexualism is a 2003 book by J. Michael Bailey, published by Joseph Henry Press....
. As a child and adolescent psychiatrist, one major focus has been helping young LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
people come out to their families. Rosario has also expressed concern for excessive specialization in psychiatry, focusing on neuroscience while ignoring other factors.
As chair of the LGBT Committee of the Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry
Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry
The Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry is an American professional organization of psychiatrists dedicated to shaping psychiatric thinking, public programs and clinical practice in mental health. Its 29 committees meet semi-annually and choose their own topics for exploration...
, he edited and published a web-based course on LGBT mental health.
External links
- Vernon A. Rosario faculty page at UCLA
- Vernon A. Rosario profile at Intersex Society of North America