Professor of sexology Ellen Laan has passed away at the age of 59. A spokesperson for the Amsterdam UMC confirms that to the ANP after reporting from de Volkskrant. Laan had breast cancer and had been treated, she said in interviews at the end of last year.
Laan studied psychology, with sexology as a major. She obtained her PhD on research into sexuality perception among women and this has always been an important theme in her work and research. Laan emphasized the importance of women enjoying sex.
She has published, among other things, about the so-called orgasm gap: the fact that men almost always have an orgasm with heterosex and women often do not. Laan was the founder of Sexual Welfare Netherlands, which aimed to close the orgasm gap. Laan wrote the book together with colleague Rik van Lunsen Sex! Life-long learning, on how to enjoy sexuality.
Laan’s work was widely praised. In 2012 she received an honorary doctorate from the Catholic University of Leuven and in 2016 she became a professor at the University of Amsterdam. Last November Laan was honored as a Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion for her exceptional contributions in the field of sexology.
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