The two organizations change their name to the American Social Hygiene Association

ASHA assigns all staff to active duty with the military for social hygiene program

ASHA establishes the Fourfold American Plan to address postwar conditions

1920s

John D. Rockefeller, Jr. commits funds to support ASHA's mission

ASHA establishes the Valentine’s Day Committee to promote sexual responsibility

1928

ASHA funds Committee for Research in Syphilis

1930s

ASHA establishes 36 affiliated state and local hygiene societies

1931

Trains field and sends them to uncover commercial houses of prostitution ASHA leader, Thomas Parran, Jr., MD, appointed Surgeon General by FDR

CBS cancels a radio address by Thomas Parran, New York Commissioner of Health, because the script includes the term, Syphilis

ASHA establishes First National Social Hygiene Day

1938

Passage of Venereal Disease Control Act Eleanor Roosevelt attends ASHA's annual luncheon

1943

Perception shifts from moral to medical interventions to solve the VD problem

Joe Louis joins ASHA for a major public awareness campaign

International Union of Venereal Diseases and Treponematoses (IUVDT) proposes ASHA as its Regional Office/Americas and its liaison office to the United Nations

1948

Kinsey Report released

1953

Nancy Reynolds Bagley Foundation supports teacher training guides for public school curriculum

1954

Passage of Venereal Disease Control Act Eleanor Roosevelt attends ASHA's annual luncheonASHA begins to monitor rates of venereal disease by collecting data that was then analyzed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "Today's VD Control Problem" published by ASHA until 1975 ASHA testifies before Congress, as it continues to do today, to urge adequate federal appropriations for VD control

1956

ASHA studies sexuality and rising rates of venereal disease among teenagers

1957

Lowest reported incidence of syphilis and gonorrhea following introduction of penicillin

ASHA changes its name to the American Social Health Association

1970s

Dramatic rise in STD rates because of international travel, the sexual revolution, gay liberation and increasing drug use Scientists recognizing more and more sexually transmitted pathogens (over 50 today). Genital herpes, human papillomavirus, hepatitis B identified.

1971

Federal government establishes National Commission on Venereal Disease, prompted by ASHA

1975

ASHA Research Fund (ARF) established to supplement limited federal support for STD researchers

1979

ASHA's National VD Hotline provides access to anyone in need

1979

ASHA creates National Herpes Resource Center

1980s

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) identified

1986

ASHA opens National AIDS Hotline, the largest health-related hotline in the world

1989

CDC agrees to fully fund the hotline, recognizing its importance

By this time, ASHA awarded 42 postdoctoral fellowships since start of ARF. Also, ASHA launches a major public awareness campaign on STDs in women

1999

ASHA opens National HPV and Cervical Cancer Prevention Resource Center with hotline

2001

ASHA launches the Add Health Test Results Service, a national telephone-based STD test results delivery and counseling service and part of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health

CDC funds ASHA to operate the CDC Public Response Service in order to provide the public with a resource for up-to-the-minute responses to questions surrounding a variety of public health issues

CDC funds ASHA to initiate a three-year project on hepatitis

2002

ASHA launches two new HSV test counseling initiatives; the four-month Herpes Observational Prevalence Study (HOPS) and the two-year HerpeVac Clinic Trial for Women test counseling service

2003

ASHA assists National Institutes of Health-sponsored Sister Study, examining co-factors in the development of breast cancer, by qualifying interested women by phone and enrolling them in the study

CDC funds ASHA to survey and educate men who have sex with men (MSM) about viral hepatitis prevention and vaccines

2004

Texas funds ASHA to assess and revise the national curriculum for the training of Disease Intervention Specialists in the STD field

As a subcontractor to Danya International, ASHA begins operating the CDC National Prevention Information Network - the nation's reference, referral, and distribution service for information on HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases and Tuberculosis.

ASHA collaborates with the National Opinion Research Center (NORC), University of Chicago and Magee Women's Research institute in support of the National Social Life, Health and Aging Project (NSHAP)

2005

ASHA produces esteemed Herpes Test Toolkit designed for health care providers and clinicians to increase accuracy and awareness on herpes testing

ASHA publishes State of the Nation report on STI prevention in adolescents serving as an excellent resource and discussion point for parents, educators and professionals

ASHA creates and distributes written materials promoting awareness of chlamydia screening guidelines for females under the age of 26.

2006

ASHA begins conducting a quantitative and qualitative research herpes study that compares levels of satisfaction between standard care and provision of extensive resources

ASHA initiates study to understand patient and partner perceptions about herpes prevention: how risk is evaluated, and how decisions are made about various prevention strategies.

ASHA launches STI Message boards to provide individuals with yet another resource for support, education and referrals