Edward Leslie Rowan (born c. 1940) is a retired

psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are physicians and evaluate patients to determine whether their sy ...

, sex therapist, active author, and

Scouting Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...

leader from

Exeter, New Hampshire Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 16,049 at the 2020 census, up from 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood. ...

. He has been associated with the

Boy Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded i ...

(BSA) for over 50 years and is a recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award (DESA) from the BSA in 1992. Rowan was born October 31, 1940, in

Danbury, Connecticut Danbury is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located approximately northeast of New York City. Danbury's population as of 2022 was 87,642. It is the seventh largest city in Connecticut. Danbury is nicknamed the "Hat City ...

. He received a BA from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

in 1962, an MD from SUNY Downstate Medical Center in 1966, a MS from

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

in 1970, and a graduate certificate in Museum Studies from

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...

. Rowan's lifelong interest in Scouting began when he was a youth. He earned the

Eagle Scout Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle Sc ...

rank in 1955. He also received the Explorer Silver Award in 1957 and later, the St. George Award. Rowan has served as curator of both the Lawrence Lee Scouting Museum in New Hampshire and the Las Vegas International Scouting Museum and as Council Vice-President and Council Commissioner for many years. In addition, he was editor of ''Scouting Memorabilia'' for the Lee Museum. His volunteer and professional Scouting positions include Cubmaster,

Scoutmaster A Scout leader or Scouter generally refers to the trained adult leader of a Scout unit. The terms used vary from country to country, over time, and with the type of unit. Roles There are many different roles a leader can fulfill depending on t ...

, district chairman, district commissioner, Wood Badge course director, National Camp School director, and staff at six national jamborees. In addition to being honored with the DESA, Rowan has been awarded the

Silver Beaver Award The Silver Beaver Award is the council-level distinguished service award of the Boy Scouts of America. Upon nomination by their local Scout council and with the approval of the National Court of Honor, recipients of this award are registered adu ...

and Silver Antelope Award. Rowan's professional career included the publication of several books that focus on mental health, sex and sexual abuse, and Scouting. He has published articles in American Journal of Psychiatry, Journal of Sex Education and Therapy – including an article on the BSA handbook and

masturbation Masturbation is the sexual stimulation of one's own genitals for sexual arousal or other sexual pleasure, usually to the point of orgasm. The stimulation may involve hands, fingers, everyday objects, sex toys such as vibrators, or combinatio ...

, Journal of Correctional and Social Psychiatry, and the International Scouting Collectors Association Journal. In his book ''Understanding Child Sexual Abuse'', Rowan discusses a 1998 study at

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then called Ba ...

which stated: "while child sexual abuse was morally and legally wrong and obviously devastating to some individuals, it was not inherently and inevitably harmful." He goes on to explain the lasting changes in survivors' ability to regulate emotion, and in cognition and memory. In discussing treatment of the victim and perpetrator, he states that treatment does not seem to reduce the rate of perpetrator recidivism and that prevention is also "elusive". Rowan encourages parents to educate their children on the dangers of sexual abuse, highlighting new prevention programs of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and

Works

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Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rowan, Edward Leslie 1940s births American psychiatrists Writers from New Hampshire Living people SUNY Downstate Medical Center alumni Yale University alumni