Heather S. Howard, MBA, PhD, ACS is a board certified clinical sexologist in private practice and an associate professor of clinical sexology at The Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality (IASHS) in San Francisco.  She is also a workshop facilitator, researcher, speaker and consultant on women's sexuality, and a designer of pleasure tools and devices. 

She received her BA from the University of California at Berkeley (1993), her MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business (1995), and her PhD in human sexuality from the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality (IASHS) (2008). She also earned certificates in sex education and clinical sexology from IASHS and is board certified by the American College of Sexologists (ACS) .

Dr. Howard began to explore her sexuality in an attempt to overcome debilitating pelvic pain. She sought medical and alternative care around the world and did extensive research on sexuality as a method for, as well as a goal of, overcoming pain. Her journey and progress gave her the desire to share the benefits of her experience with others. 

Her doctoral research explored the relationship between sex and pelvic pain and the potential for sexual response to be integrated into the treatment program for pelvic pain. She founded the Center for Sexual Health and Rehabilitation to provide resources for people facing sexual challenges or simply exploring sexuality, and has created a private and non-threatening environment for clients to ask questions and discuss sensitive topics, as well as purchase products that promote sexual health and pleasure. 

Dr. Howard believes that sexual growth is facilitated by enhanced mental and physical consciousness and utilizes a variety of techniques aimed at promoting consciousness and mind-body integration.  She trained in a consciousness technique called Voice Dialogue at the New York Voice Dialogue Institute (2001-2004) and Voice Dialogue Australia in Melbourne (2004). She also learned to use the Body Dialogue method of accessing the voice of the body in her training with Voice Dialogue Australia.

She has lived in many cities in the United States in addition to London, Madrid and Hong Kong, and collaborates with an international community of researchers, educators, and health care and wellness practitioners in order to provide the latest information to her community and beyond.  Her exposure to diverse cultures and experience of living in foreign countries provided her with a unique ability to identify the religious, philosophical and cultural constructs that may be contributing to sexual concerns.  Helping clients to identify and demystify the cultural messages underlying their beliefs enables them to find sexual solutions that honor their constructs, or to determine when those constructs are no longer useful.

She offers classes and workshops for individuals and couples seeking sexual enrichment, support, and/ or recovery from sexual pain conditions, as well as educational programs to provide healthcare practitioners with tools to support the sexual challenges their clients face. She also conducts pleasure education parties for private groups and is available for public speaking engagements.