Distinguished Faculty

Dr Rose Hartzell is a licensed marital and family therapist as well as a certified sex therapist and certified sex educator through the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT). She also has completed training in Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) and enjoys helping people heal themselves from past trauma.

Dr Hartzell's focus in sexual health began during graduate work at Indiana University. At that time she worked as a sex therapist, receiving extensive training in cognitive behavioral and couple therapy under Dr Angela Marshall. Dr Hartzell worked as a sexual health educator at the Indiana University Health Center and Office for Women's Affairs where she ran the campus's sexual assault prevention program and provided education on STIs/HIV and contraception. She also conducted sex research for the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction and the Rural Center for AIDS Prevention (RCAP), and was awarded the Emerging Professional Award for the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality (SSSS). Dr Hartzell continued to pursue her passion and commitment to the field of sexuality working closely with Dr Irwin Goldstein at San Diego Sexual Medicine, and is currently responsible for addressing sexuality, relationship, and intimacy concerns of individuals and couples. She is also responsible for educating sex therapists and medical doctors in the San Diego area during monthly Sexual Medicine Rounds held at Alvarado Hospital.

Dr Hartzell is a member of the International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health (ISSWSH), the International Society for Sexual Medicine (ISSM), the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality (SSSS), the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT), the Sexual Medicine Society of North America (SMSNA), the Society for Sex Therapy & Research (SSTAR), the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT), the Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing International Association (EMDRIA), and the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (AAMFT). She serves as a reviewer for The Journal of Sexual Medicine, and currently serves on the Board of ISSWSH.

Dr Hartzell has written multiple publications and has given over 50 presentations at international and national meetings on sexuality. She has published numerous articles in professional journals and a number of book chapters discussing sexual health. Dr Hartzell has taught at San Diego State University, Indiana University-Bloomington, the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville, and National University. She has served as the scientific program co-chair for the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality national conferences in 2013 and 2014. Dr Hartzell is an expert consultant/writer for sexualmed.org and is the sex therapy ambassador for The 100 Women Project. She serves as a monthly sex expert for FOX5 News in San Diego and has been featured on CW6 in San Diego. Dr Hartzell has been quoted in many magazine and newspaper articles including The New York Times and Women's Health magazine.