Michael J. Basso

Michael J. Basso, DrPH, has over 30 years of public health achievements both in chronic and infectious diseases, but is best known as an expert in the field of behavioral psychology and sexuality. Dr. Basso spent 8 years working in an inner-city high school researching the needs of young people and how best to communicate and teach in ways that would enable adolescent learning, responsibility, and the development of lifelong health habits. During his tenure, Dr. Basso received the coveted Teacher of the Year and the Most Significant Teacher awards, and gained acclaim for his work with adolescents throughout the socio-economic spectrum. During this time, Dr. Basso also served as an editorial board member of the Journal of Health Education, and sexual health editor for Men's Health - MH-18 magazine. In his final year of teaching, Dr. Basso created the first interactive sexual health website, YouthEmbassy, which has responded to questions from teens and parents from every continent.

Since his early years of research and teaching, Dr. Basso has been sought for consultation in over 30 countries and nearly every U.S. state, providing programmatic restructuring and improvements to health and education organizations at the district, state, federal and university level. He has spent the last two decades serving as a health scientist and public health advisor at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, where he has received more than a dozen awards for his work in science and leadership. The Underground Guide to Teenage Sexuality is one of the longest-running guides written expressly for teenagers still in print. While older sex education books published since the 1970s remain available, most target broader audiences or different focuses. This guide stands out as a direct, youth-focused sexuality education resource with continuous publication since the mid-1990s.

Dr. Basso's book, "The Underground Guide to Teenage Sexuality / La guia esencial sobre sexualidad adolescente," is considered a U.S. milestone resource and turning point that shifted the decades old, 'birds & bees,' approach to sexuality education, to a human development, science and reality-based methodology. "The Underground Guide to Teenage Sexuality," has served as the reference resource for over 100 books, curriculum and video publications, and has been replicated by numerous authors and universities worldwide. WebMD and over 300 health and education websites supporting youth, parents, teachers, and religious organizations, keep "The Underground Guide to Teenage Sexuality," as a best-selling resource for teens and parents.

Dr. Basso has appeared on over 30 news and media programs such as MSNBC, Discovery Channel, Sirius Radio, PBS, and continues to serve as a consultant and speaker on adolescent health and sexuality, and the art and science of teaching to achieve the adoption of key behaviors to health and success.