Marta Meana

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Marta Meana (born 1957) is a Spanish-American psychologist known for her work on female sexuality and sexual health. She served as a professor and acting president at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. [1]

Contents

Early life and education

Meana was born in Madrid, Spain, in 1957. [2] She earned two Bachelor of Arts degrees—one in Psychology and one in English Literature—as well as a Master of Arts in English Literature and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, all from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Her dissertation was titled Deconstructing Dyspareunia: Description, Classification and Biopsychosocial Correlates of a Pain Disorder. [3]

Career

Meana served as a professor of psychology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) from 1997 until her retirement in 2024. [4]

Her primary area of research focuses on sexual desire and sexual pain disorders in women, approached from both essentialist and social constructivist perspectives. She has been first or lead author on over 60 academic articles related to sexual health and has co-authored dozens more. [5]

Meana is listed as an advisor to the DSM-5 Task Force on Sexual Desires according to her biography, [6] . Her name does not appear on the official DSM-5 Task Force subgroup member lists or in published commentaries considered by the committee.

Meana has contributed to academic discussions on the theory of autogynephilia, a controversial hypothesis related to transgender identity. [7] [8] Some of her editorial and research contributions have been cited in scholarly critiques of the theory. [9]

The theory itself has been the subject of debate in the field of psychology and among transgender advocacy groups. Critics argue that autogynephilia pathologizes transgender women and may contribute to social stigma. These criticisms are not specifically directed at Meana’s work, but reflect broader controversies surrounding the concept. [10]

Professional affiliations

Awards

She is a Fellow of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality. [13]

References

  1. ↑ "About Marta Meana". Office of the President, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Archived from the original on 26 May 2025. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
  2. ↑ Rindels, Michelle (24 August 2020). "Q+A: Acting UNLV President Marta Meana Reflects on Her Two Years at the Helm". The Nevada Independent.
  3. ↑ Meana, Marta (1996). Deconstructing Dyspareunia: Description, Classification and Biopsychosocial Correlates of a Pain Disorder (Thesis). McGill University. Archived from the original on 2024-09-09. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
  4. ↑ "Join Us to Celebrate the Retirement of Marta Meana". UNLV Today. University of Nevada, Las Vegas. April 23, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Marta Meana – Google Scholar Citations". Google Scholar.
  6. 1 2 3 "Marta Meana". University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Archived from the original on 2025-04-28. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
  7. ↑ Lawrence, Anne A. (2009). "Autogynephilia: A Paraphilic Model of Gender Identity Disorder". Archives of Sexual Behavior. 38 (3): 437–450. Archived from the original on 2023-04-10. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
  8. ↑ "Autogynephilic Transsexualism in Perspective". Archives of Sexual Behavior. 2008. Archived from the original on 2020-08-23. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
  9. ↑ Rodriguez, Nicholas M. (2020). "The "Scientific" Production of the Transgender Student". Sociological Review. Archived from the original on 2025-05-23. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
  10. ↑ Lawrence, Anne A. (September 2012). "Debating the Meaning of Autogynephilia". In Lawrence, Anne A. (ed.). Men Trapped in Men's Bodies. Springer. pp. 161–178. doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-5182-2_10. Archived from the original on 2021-06-21. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
  11. ↑ "Regents Name Marta Meana Acting UNLV President". UNLV News. June 19, 2018.
  12. 1 2 Binik, Yitzchak M. (2010). "To Know Her is to Love Her: Marta Meana, SSTAR President". Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy. 36 (5): 420–422. Archived from the original on 2025-06-03. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
  13. ↑ "Fellow of The Society". The Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality. Retrieved 2025-08-09.
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