FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 22, 2009

Media Contact:
ASHA Media Relations
P.O. Box 13827
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
Fred Wyand
(919) 361 - 3124 (voice)
(919) 361 - 8425 (fax)
mediarelations@ashastd.org

Web Users Can Now Pose STI Questions to Expert Panel at ASHAstd.org

RTP, NC--The American Social Health Association (ASHA) announced today the launch of an online feature where expert clinicians and researchers respond directly to selected questions submitted by users of its website.

Ask the Experts is slated to debut on www.ASHAstd.org in late January 2009. Visitors to www.ASHAstd.org are invited to submit questions via email, and those chosen by ASHA will be answered on the site. Panelists - including physicians, nurse practitioners, and other professionals with experience across a range of medical and health specialties - will provide answers and insight on topics that include sexually transmitted infections (STI's), reproductive and women's health, and psychosocial issues.

ASHA president and CEO Lynn B. Barclay says this new web component will complement the STI Message Board service already in place. “ Ask the Experts is a project we've long wanted to do, and we're all excited to finally see it come to life. We connect each day with thousands of people across the globe in our STI message forums, and this new service expands our capacity to deliver accurate information about STIs in a personalized, compassionate manner.”

Submit an STI question to Ask the Experts at info@ashastd.org . Not all questions will be selected, and due to the volume of email it is unfortunately not possible to respond directly to those emails not selected. However, ASHA's STI Message Boards are moderated by staff members and are available at http://www.ashastd.org/phpbb/index.php .

The American Social Health Association (ASHA) is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1914 to improve the health of individuals, families, and communities, with a focus on educating about and preventing sexually transmitted infections. ASHA's educational web sites include: www.ASHAstd.org , www.iwannaknow.org (teen site), and www.quierosaber.org (Spanish language teen site).