About Kimberly Wallace-Young, PhD
(aka, Kimberly Vandegeest-Wallace)

Kim started her college career at Olivet Nazarene University then completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Iowa and doctorate at the University of Missouri – Kansas City. After completing her graduate degree, she spent a year in Wyoming wrapping up a rural post-doctoral fellowship.

Kim learned very quickly as she began seeing clients that pain and suffering connected to a person’s sexuality cut more deeply than most psychological wounds. Somehow the sexual pain created what she refers to as a “soul wound.” When this became evident, she knew she needed to invest in understanding sexuality at a far deeper and more expansive level, so she started her formal training (in 2004) as a sex therapist. To understand the rigor and requirements associated with the training, please reference the American Association for Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapist website at AASECT.org

For the majority of her career she worked at the University of Kansas Health System (starting in 2002). Many of those years she was housed in the OB/GYN department which allowed her to partner closely with the pelvic pain specialists, reproductive endocrinologists, gender specialists and urologists.  She continues to partner with the KU providers and, in addition, work very closely with local acupuncturists, pelvic floor physical therapists and trauma therapists to provide care that attends to the whole person.

In addition to lecturing to medical student and professionals, she has had the tremendous fortune of providing local and national talks related to many sexual and gender topics (eg, Reclaiming Sexuality Following Cancer, Creating a Therapeutic Experience for Gender Clients, Developing Sexual Self-Assertiveness, Men Surviving the #MeToo Movement, and many more). She also created and hosted a sexuality conference at The University of Kansas School of Medicine to bolster the education of the students. The conference occurred annually for 9 years and included different topics every year due to the vast and complex nature of sexuality and reproductive health.

Kim’s hobbies include photography, gardening, vacations that include a bit of adrenaline, baking, being a sports spectator for several family members, and spending time with family and friends.