Sharon Mitchell is the Director of the Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation, that she set up in 1998. She is a retired erotic actress, with an amazing career spanning over two decades.  She has since earned a Ph.D. degree in human sexuality from the Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Sexuality in San Francisco."

Dr. Mitchell's film credits include such classics as Wadd, The Life and Times of John C. Holmes, The Top 25 Adult Stars of All-Time, The Legend of Ron Jeremy, The Family Business, E! True Hollywood Story (Ginger Lynn and Linda Lovelace), The Legends of Sex, over 450 other movie titles, and she was the medical assistant in Houston's World's Largest Gangb@ng - 620.  

NinjaPimp.com is an online magazine that interviews adult film stars.   Quite a few of them say that you are the best doctor that they've ever worked with.  Can you explain to our friends how you are involved in the adult industry?
WHY YES, I WAS AN ACTRESS, PRODUCER, DIRECTOR, AND FEATURE DANCER IN THE ADULT INDUSTRY SINCE 1975.I HAVE A MASTERS DEGREE IN PUBLIC HEALTH, AND A PH.D IN HUMAN SEXUALITY.  I AM A BOARD CERTIFIED CLINICAL SEXOLOGIST, WHICH MEANS I AM CAPABLE IN BOTH THE PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL ISSUES SURROUNDING SEX, AND THE STUDY THEREOF.  (GYNECOLOGY, UROLOGY, COUNSELING) SO, WITH MY EXPERIENCE IN THE INDUSTRY, AND MY FORMAL EDUCATION, I AM VERY SYMPATHETIC TO THE ENTERTAINERS IN THE INDUSTRY.  PERHAPS THAT IS WHY FOLKS ARE SO HAPPY TO SEE ME, AS I HAVE NO JUDGMENT WHEN IT COMES TO SEX.

What recommendations would you make to a girl who is new to the industry?  THAT IS A LOADED QUESTION. WE GIVE OUT A DVD CALLED "PORN 101" WHICH INCLUDES ALL OF OUR RECOMMENDATIONS AT AIM HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION THIS DVD IS OVER 1 HOUR LONG, AND WE ALSO COUNSEL EACH NEW PERSON FOR 1/2 HOUR ON HIV AND STDS WHEN THEY FIRST COME INTO THE INDUSTRY.  MOST IMPORTANTLY, GET TESTED AT AIM (WE ARE NATIONAL NOW) EACH MONTH FOR HIV BY PCR/DNA EARLY DETECTION TEST, AND CHLAMYDIA AND GONORRHEA EACH MONTH.  UPON ENTERING GET A PAP SMEAR, AND A FULL CHECK UP, INCLUDING VACCINATIONS FOR HEPATITIS, AND GARDISIL, THE VACCINATION FOR HPV.  AND ABOVE ALL "DON''T FUCK TO GET THE JOB, THAT IS THE JOB."  IN MARCH, OUR PORN 101 WILL BE STREAMING VIDEO ON OUR SITE, AIM-MED.ORG AND FOR GENERAL PUBLIC SXCHECK.COM

What recommendations do you have to the thousands of people who perform on adult websites?  PLEASE, GET TESTED AND USE CONDOMS WHENEVER POSSIBLE.  MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHO AND WHAT YOU ARE DOING BEFORE  YOU START, AND DON'T DO ANYTHING NEW ONLINE, OR ON  TAPE OR FILM, TRY IT AT HOME FIRST.

What are the dangers in the adult industry?  IN THE ADULT INDUSTRY, ONE COULD GET ANYTHING FROM THE FLU TO HIV, YOU MUST LEARN TO PROTECT YOURSELF THE BEST YOU CAN. SAY NO, WHEN YOU DON'T WANT TO DO SOMETHING, KEEP YOUR BOUNDARIES HIGH, LIKE YOUR PAYSCALE, AND DON'T EVER SETTLE FOR LESS. THERE ARE JUST AS MANY GREAT PEOPLE IN THE INDUSTRY AS THERE ARE PEOPLE WITH LESS THAN GOOD INTENTIONS, TRY TO "HOOK UP" WITH THE WINNERS, AS YOU WILL BE ASKED TO PUSH YOU LIMITS, SO KNOW WHAT THEY ARE BEFORE YOU START. I HAVE SEEN AND HEARD MANY A HORROR STORY, AND IT CAN BE HELPED BY FOLLOWING SIMPLE ADVICE. FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF OUR RECOMMENDATIONS, SEE AIM-MED.ORG

Can you share any interesting stories from your medical career? OF COURSE! I SUPPOSE THE MOST INTERESTING STORIES IS ONE DAY I WAS WORKING AT AIM, WHEN THE PHONE RANG, AND THE VOICE ON THE OTHER END ASKED, "DR. MITCHE, HOW MANY CHOP STICKS CAN I SAFELY INSERT IN MY WIFE FOR THIS VIDEO?"  I THOUGHT, NOW WHERE IN ALL MY TRAINING AND EDUCATION WOULD I HAVE LEARNED THAT??  SO I SAID "I'M NOT SURE, BUT MAKE SURE THEY ARE STERILE PLASTIC, AND ALWAYS INSERT FROM THE MIDDLE".  (IT TURNED OUT TO BE OVER 200!!)

How did you get started in your career?I WAS DOING A TV SOAP OPERA IN NEW YORK CITY, WHEN MY LEGITIMATE AGENT ASKED ME, DID I WANT TO DO A SEX FILM? I SAID SURE! I SHOT "THAT LADY FROM RIO", WITH VANESSA DEL RIO", AND LOVED IT! I STAYED FOR 21 YEARS!

We've seen you interviewed on numerous documentaries and reality shows.  Why do you think people respect you so much? WELL,  I SUPPOSE IT IS MY JOURNEY, I'VE COME FROM BEING A PORN STAR, I'VE BEEN A DRUG ADDICT, TO BECOMING A DOCTOR, I THINK FOLKS LIKE TO HEAR SUCCESS STORIES, AND IT SEEMS TO INSPIRE PEOPLE.

Haven't you been a driving force or in establishing self-imposed industry standards?  What have you done?  I HAVE BEEN DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN STARTING THE ONLY ADULT INDUSTRY CLINICAL TESTING STANDARDS THAT EXIST FOR HIV, STD SCREENING, AS WELL AS COUNSELING PROGRAMS FOR DRUG AND ALCOHOL AND "LIFE AFTER PORN COUNSELING AND SCHOLARSHIPS. (AND AGAIN, I DON'T HAVE TIME TO WRITE ALL THE STANDARDS THEY ARE CLEARLY LISTED ON AIM-MED.ORG)

Where do you see yourself in five years? HOPEFULLY PARTIALLY RETIRED, AFTER TAKING AIM GLOBAL, ALONG WITH SXCHECK, MY OTHER ONLINE CLINIC FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC.

If you had one wish, what would you change about the adult industry? I WISH THAT TALENT COULD GET RESIDUALS FOR THE GOOD WORK THAT THEY DO, SO THEY HAVE SOMETHING TO SHOW FOR THE TIME THEY SENT IN PORN. NOT MANY FOLKS SAVE THEIR MONEY WHILE THEY ARE IN THE INDUSTRY, SO I BELIEVE THAT IT WOULD HELP.

I saw you in a biography when you gave a test to Ron Jeremy.  How do you think HIV has changed the adult industry? IN ONE SENSE I KNOW IT HAS MADE THE INDUSTRY SAFER, AS WE SEE HIV EVERY MONTH AT AIM FROM TALENT WHO IS TESTING FOR THE FIRST TIME, AND THANK GOD THAT THEY ARE REQUIRED TO GET AN AIM TEST, BEFORE THEY WORK, OR HIV WOULD CLEARLY BE TRANSMITTED, AND PROBLEM, IF THEY HAD NOT TESTED WITH US FIRST.  IN ANOTHER SENSE I FEEL THAT THE TESTING GIVES TALENT A "FALSE SENSE" OF SECURITY,  AS THEY FEEL THEY ARE BULLET PROOF IF THEY HAVE OR WORK WITH SOMEONE WHO HAS A NEGATIVE TEST.  AS THESE TESTS ARE ONLY GOOD FOR 12 DAYS BEFORE TO THE DAY THAT THEY ARE DRAWN.  TALENT CAN STILL CATCH HIV, AND WE COULDN'T FIND IT UNTIL 12 DAYS AFTER EXPOSURE, AND SOMEONE COULD STILL BE WORKING AND SPREAD HIV DURING THE 30 DAYS THAT THEY GO IN BETWEEN TESTING. YES, IT'S A SHORT WINDOW PERIOD, AND WE DO CATCH HIV VERY EARLY, BUT AIM'S TESTING PROGRAM IS MEANT TO STOP THE SPREAD OF AN INDUSTRY OUTBREAK EARLY, WE CANNOT PREVENT IT FROM ENTERING, WHEN PEOPLE HAVE OUTSIDE RISKY BEHAVIOR IN THEIR PRIVATE LIVES.

Do you have a website? DRSHARONMITCHELL.COM, SXCHECK, AIM-MED.ORG

How can people contact your facility?   SXCHECK.COM & AIM -MED.ORG, AND TEST ONLINE, OR CALL (818) 981-5681, What services do you offer? HIV,STD TESTING AND TREATMENT AND COUNSELING, DRUG AND ALCOHOL PROGRAMS, COUPLES AND INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING, ONLINE TESTING, AND OF COURSE, GENERAL, AND GYNECOLOGICAL MEDICAL HEALTH CARE AS WE HAVE DOCTORS ON STAFF 5 DAYS EACH WEEK. AIM IS A WALK IN FACILITY SO NO APPOINTMENT IS NECESSARY.

Are there a lot of STDs in the adult industry? NO, DUE TO THE CONSTANT SCREENING IT'S ABOUT 2%, IN THE GENERAL PUBLIC FOR THE SAME AGE RANGE IT'S ABOUT 12%, SO WE ARE CONSIDERABLY LOWER THAN THE GENERAL PUBLIC.

Are there any companies that you think do the best job of caring for their performers? WICKED, OBVIOUSLY, AS THEY ARE CONDOM ONLY, AND AS A CLINICIAN, I HAVE TO SAY THAT IS ABOUT AS SAFE AS ONE COULD BE, TESTING AND CONDOMS!

Is there anything else that you would like to say to the 20,000 of our monthly readers? YES! GET TESTED REGULARLY FOR HIV AND STDS IF YOU ARE SEXUALLY ACTIVE! AND BE KIND TO YOUR FELLOW MAN, AS THE WORLD GROWS SMALLER, PEOPLE ARE LOOSING PATIENCE, SO BE HAPPY, SLOW DOWN, AND SMELL THE FLOWERS WHILE THERE ARE SOME LEFT!! STAY SAFE AND SEXY, DR. SHARON MITCHELL

Well, thanks for your time.  Good luck in the future.

Read AIM's performer responsibility sheet