In this episode, Debby Herbenick joins host Lisa Koontz to explore how public health researchers study sexual behavior, communication, and well-being across the lifespan. Drawing on decades of nationally representative research, they discuss how data helps identify emerging trends, clarify risks, and inform education and prevention efforts. The conversation focuses on how research can support healthier relationships, reduce harm, and improve access to accurate, evidence-based information for Hoosiers and communities nationwide.
Debby Herbenick, PhD, MPH, is a Provost Professor in the Indiana University School of Public Health–Bloomington and the Director of the Center for Sexual Health Promotion. Her research focuses on understanding how people experience their bodies, relationships, and sexual lives, with an emphasis on population-level sexual health and well-being. She is the Principal Investigator of the National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior, a nationally representative study that has tracked Americans’ sexual lives across multiple decades and life stages. Dr. Herbenick’s work examines topics including sexual communication, pleasure, consent, emerging sexual behaviors, and harm reduction, with the goal of translating research into education, policy, and practical guidance that supports healthier outcomes. She is also widely recognized for her public-facing scholarship, connecting rigorous research to everyday conversations about sexual and reproductive health.
Host Lisa Koontz is the Director of Faculty Operations at the Indiana University School of Public Health, Bloomington. In this role, she works closely with faculty across disciplines to support research, teaching, and community engagement initiatives that address real-world public health challenges. With a deep understanding of how public health research moves from idea to implementation, Koontz brings an insider’s perspective on how academic work translates into programs, policies, and practices that affect everyday life. As host of Living Well: Public Health for All, she guides conversations that connect research to lived experience, helping listeners understand not just what researchers study, but why it matters for Hoosiers.