About
Dr. J. Dennis Fortenberry is a distinguished Professor of Pediatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine, where he served as Division Chief from 2015 to 2020. He also holds an adjunct appointment in epidemiology at the Fairbanks School of Public Health and is an integral member of the Center for Sexual Promotion at Indiana University. A respected figure in adolescent health and sexual health research, Dr. Fortenberry has made significant contributions to the field through both his clinical practice and academic pursuits. Dr. Fortenberry's professional affiliations reflect his leadership and dedication to sexual health and adolescent medicine. He is actively involved in various prestigious organizations, including the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, the Society for Adolescent Health & Medicine, the International Academy for Sex Research, the American STD Association, and the Society for Scientific Study of Sex. Additionally, he has held notable leadership roles, serving as past president of both the International Academy for Sex Research and the American STD Association, as well as chairing the Board of Directors of the American Sexual Health Association. His expertise has been acknowledged through numerous accolades, such as the American STD Association Achievement Award (2009), the Society for Adolescent Health & Medicine Lifetime Achievement Award (2014), and the Society for Scientific Study of Sex Lifetime Contributions Award (2017). In addition to these honors, Dr. Fortenberry has received the Trustee Teaching Award twice (2007 and 2015) for his dedication to education and mentorship. Clinically, Dr. Fortenberry is the director of the Child and Adolescent Gender Health Program at Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health, where he focuses on providing comprehensive care to transgender and gender nonbinary youth. His research interests span adolescent health, sexual health, sexually transmitted infections, HIV prevention and treatment for youth, and the unique health challenges faced by transmasculine youth. Dr. Fortenberry's scholarly contributions are vast, with over 350 publications, including peer-reviewed papers, book chapters, and commentaries. His research has been continuously supported by federal funding since 1987, reflecting his ongoing commitment to advancing knowledge in his field. Notable publications include studies on sexual consent and pleasure among college students, pathways to parenthood for bisexual individuals, and investigations into the relationships between trust and sexual health. Educationally, Dr. Fortenberry holds a Bachelor of Science from Oklahoma State University (1975), an MD from the University of Oklahoma (1979), and completed his residency at Bryn Mawr Hospital and the University of Oklahoma. He later earned an MS from the University of Oklahoma in 1989. Dr. Fortenberry’s work addresses critical issues in adolescent and sexual health, particularly among marginalized and vulnerable populations. His dedication to improving health outcomes for young people and his extensive contributions to research make him a prominent and influential figure in his field. Dr. J. Dennis Fortenberry is Professor of Pediatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine. He served as Division Chief from 2015 – 2020. He also holds an adjunct appointment in epidemiology in the Fairbanks School of Public Health and is a member of the Center for Sexual Promotion at Indiana University. Dr. Fortenberry is a member of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, the Society for Adolescent Health & Medicine, the International Academy for Sex Research, the American STD Association, and the Society for Scientific Study of Sex. He is past president of the International Academy for Sex Research, and past-president of the American STD Association, a fellow of the Society for Scientific Study of Sex, and past chair of the Board of Directors of the American Sexual Health association. His contributions have been recognized by the American STD Association Achievement Award in 2009, the Society for Adolescent Health & Medicine Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014, and the Society for Scientific Study of Sex Lifetime Contributions Award in 2017. Clinically, Dr. Fortenberry directs the Child and Adolescent Gender Health Program at Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health. His research program has five major elements: adolescent health, sexuality and sexual health, sexually transmitted infections, HIV prevention and treatment for youth, and research on transmasculine youth. Dr. Fortenberry has received Federal research support continuously since 1987 and has published more than 350 commentaries, book chapters and peer-reviewed papers.
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Publication
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October, 2019
Condom Use Completeness, Perceptions, and Sexual Quality at Most Recent Sexual Event: Results from a U.S. Nationally Representative Probability Sample
Objectives: To explore perceptions of condoms associated with complete use and evaluate relationships between condom perceptions, condom use, and sexual quality. Methods: Using data from ...
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January, 2018
The Intersection Between Women’s Reproductive Desires and HIV Care Providers’ Reproductive Health Practices: A Mixed Methods Analysis
Background HIV-positive women in the United States can have healthy pregnancies and avoid transmitting HIV to their children. Yet, little is known about the extent to which HIV care provider...
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July, 2017
Implementation of an Integrated Approach to the National HIV/AIDS Strategy for Improving Human Immunodeficiency Virus Care for Youths
Importance Youths aged 13 to 24 years old living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are less likely than adults to receive the health and prevention benefits of HIV treatments, with on...
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June, 2017
Sexual Minority Women's Satisfaction with Health Care Providers and State-level Structural Support: Investigating the Impact of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual...
Purpose Structural discrimination is associated with negative health outcomes among sexual minority populations. Recent changes to state-level and national legislation provide both the oppo...
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March, 2017
Health and identity-related interactions between lesbian, bisexual, queer and pansexual women and their healthcare providers
Disclosure of sexual identity among sexual minority women is related to better outcomes and improved quality of care. The existing literature on sexual minority women’s experiences of iden...
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November, 2016
Validation of a scale assessing the quality of physician-patient interactions among a diverse sample of sexual minority women
Journal : APHA 2016 Annual Meeting & Expo (Oct. 29 - Nov. 2, 2016)
background: Disclosure of sexual identity to healthcare providers improves healthcare quality for sexual minority women (SMW). However, not all SMW are equally likely to identify to provider...
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August, 2016
Variation in Sexual Identification Among Behaviorally Bisexual Women in the Midwestern United States: Challenging the Established Methods for Collecti...
Collecting information on sexual identity is critical to ensuring the visibility of minority populations who face stigmatization and discrimination related to sexual identities. However, it ...
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June, 2016
Sexual Health and Language Dominance Among Hispanic/Latino Women and Men: Analysis of a Nationally Representative Sample
This study assessed the prevalence of sexual behaviors among a nationally representative sample of Latino men and women in the United States (US) (N = 432) including Spanish language data co...
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June, 2016
A Culturally Informed Educational Program to Promote Sexual Health and Well-being Among Refugee Women
Objectives Previous research suggests that sexual minority women (SMW) are more likely to disclose identity when seeking sexual or reproductive healthcare, and that disclosure of identity t...
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June, 2016
Sexual Health and Identity-Related Interactions between Sexual Minority Women and their Healthcare Providers
Objectives Previous research suggests that sexual minority women (SMW) are more likely to disclose identity when seeking sexual or reproductive healthcare, and that disclosure of identity t...
Honours & Awards

Trustee Teaching Award
University of Oklahoma
Year: 2015Scholar9 Profile ID
S9-032025-1910473

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