07/31/2026
The Society for S*x Therapy and Research is thrilled to announce that it has honored Michael A. Perelman, PhD, with its Masters and Johnson Award, in recognition of his extraordinary lifetime contributions to s*x therapy and s*x research.
Dr. Perelman is Clinical Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry, and former Clinical Professor of Reproductive Medicine, and Urology at Weill Cornell Medicine. As a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Helen Singer Kaplan’s Human S*xuality Program at Cornell Medical Center, he became one of the first psychologists in the United States added to a medical center treatment team for s*xual disorders, at a time when such teams were primarily limited to physicians. He went on to lead that same program, now the longest continuously active s*x therapy case conference in the world, for over three decades. In 1976, he wrote the first s*x therapy doctoral dissertation in Columbia University’s history, and he later developed the S*xual Tipping Point® model of s*xual response, which he has continued to teach and refine throughout his career.
Across his career, Dr. Perelman has worked at the interface of s*x therapy and s*xual medicine, translating research into clinical practice and bringing psychological perspectives into venues historically dominated by medicine. He is a recognized pioneer in the understanding and treatment of delayed ej*******on and is widely considered one of the most-cited authorities on the disorder. He was appointed to the S*xual Function Advisory Council of the American Urological Association Foundation and to the International Society for S*xual Medicine Standards Committee. Additionally, as an appointee to the ISSM PE Consensus group that produced the first evidence-based definition of premature ej*******on, he co-developed the Premature Ej*******on Diagnostic Tool, now used in clinical and research settings internationally. His work on integrating psychotherapy with pharmacological treatments has helped shape how the field approaches combination treatment today.
Dr. Perelman has authored over 70 peer-reviewed articles, along with countless abstracts and posters, over 25 chapters in s*xual medicine textbooks, and has delivered over 300 professional presentations. He is a Fellow of the S*xual Medicine Society of North America, the Society for the Scientific Study of S*x, and the International Society for the Study of Women’s S*xual Health and serves as Editor-in-Chief Emeritus of Current S*xual Health Reports. His honors include AASECT’s Professional Standard of Excellence Award, AASECT’s Integrative Approaches to S*x Therapy Award, SMSNA’s Lifetime Achievement Award, ISSWSH’s Lifetime Achievement Award and Honorary Membership, the American Psychological Association Society for Health Psychology’s Excellence in Clinical Health Psychology Award, and Distinguished Alumni recognition from Columbia University. He has also been recognized by the University of Minnesota Medical School as one of the “50 most distinguished s*xual and gender health revolutionaries.”
In 2011, Dr. Perelman founded the MAP Education and Research Foundation, a public charity promoting a biopsychosocial approach to diagnosing and treating s*xual disorders. Through the Foundation, he has funded over 30 STP Certificates and monetary awards recognizing outstanding presentations at SSTAR, ISSWSH, and SMSNA meetings. He has also endowed lectures on biopsychosocial approaches to s*x therapy and s*xual medicine for the SSTAR and SMSNA annual meetings. Throughout his career, Dr. Perelman has supervised and mentored countless students and trainees, helping them hone their skills and launch their careers.
Dr. Perelman has been a core contributor to SSTAR over the decades. His involvement dates back more than 40 years, beginning with annual presentations in the late 1970’s and began serving on its Program Committees in the early 1980s. He served a term as an at-large member of the Executive Council later that decade. Notably, SSTAR began as EAST, the Eastern Association of S*x Therapists, when membership was limited to medical school faculty. Dr. Perelman, was often the first non-physician member of the professional societies he joined, helping to lead the way toward including non-physicians in s*x therapy and s*xual medicine as part of a truly interdisciplinary treatment process, a privilege many in the mental health professions take for granted today. He went on to serve as the Society’s Inter-Organization Liaison Officer before being elected President from 2009 to 2011. He remains very active in SSTAR, each year presenting the MAP Foundation’s S*xual Tipping Point Award at the annual meeting.
Congratulations, Dr. Perelman!
