Alie Ward

They are the author of the wonderfully informative, hilarious, boldly authentic science book, Strange Bedfellows, Adventures in the Science, History, and Surprising Secrets of STDs, a book, the cover of which features like crisp, rumpled white sheets and a stuffed crab in it.

And one review for this book puts it very elegantly, whether you have an STI or not, whether you have sex or not, whether you're queer or not,

This is a must-read book for 2020s America.

So this guest got their bachelor's in molecular and cell biology at Cal Berkeley, then did a master's in clinical research at the University of Minnesota, got a fellowship at the University of San Francisco in obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences, and sexually transmitted infections, and is now an associate professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at UCSF and is a medical consultant with the CDC Division of STD Prevention.

I was aware of their work.

I fell in love with their sense of humor within a few lines of their bio, which reads, "...being a first-generation Asian kid in the U.S., the extent of my sex education for my parents was, don't have sex before you get married or we will kick you out of the house."

In case you were wondering, they write, I was already sexually active by the time I received this advice.

And they say that their time on earth would be best spent making people feel better about their sex lives, reducing stigmas around STIs and conducting good science and sharing it with the world as best they can.

And they do it so well.

so good.

So slip into something more comfortable and open your ears for sores, muffs, condoms, testing schedules, titillating vaccine developments, difficult conversations, resilience, HIV magic, stepping out versus opening up, toilet seats, antibiotics, new scientific shockers about bacterial vaginosis.

crotch crickets, conservative obstructions, the secrets of Columbus, and most importantly, how to stay horny, true to yourself, and safe with researcher, MD, sex positive, sexual health advocate, author, and venereologist, Dr. Ina Park.

There's no treatment for a syphilis tattoo, but there is treatment for syphilis, right?

And I will also have you say your first and last name and your pronouns just to make sure I say everything right.

Ina Park.

She, her.

And as I was saying before we started recording, Dr. Park.

But you said if you're seeing me for a vaginal or erectile exam, then I can call you doctor.

Other than that, it's Ina.

Other than that, it's Ina.