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Tamil Kendall

 

  • 2009 Trudeau Scholar

    tamil.kendall@trudeaufoundation.net

    Current Research

    Ph.D. Interdisciplinary Studies, University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus

    Promoting access to reproductive rights: improving perinatal prevention of HIV transmission and the reproductive health of women with HIV in Mexico

    Profile

    Tamil works on HIV because the virus affects the most vulnerable members of any community, showing the social fault lines and marking the boundaries of social exclusion. She also works on HIV because she is inspired by how people with HIV successfully challenge powerful social actors to improve their lives and respond to the epidemic.

    After working in the English-speaking Caribbean and Canada, Tamil's commitment to gender equity in the response to the HIV pandemic brought her to Mexico for a research and capacity-building project with HIV-positive women. The six-month project became a six-year sojourn during which she worked with the Mexican Network of People with HIV, the National Institute of Public Health, the Population Council, and the United Nations Population Fund. Tamil conducted research, supported the founding and strengthening of a national network of women with HIV, and collaborated to successfully advocate for improved visibility and better public policy and programmatic responses for women with HIV in Mexico and the region.

    For her doctoral research, Tamil's interest in maternal-child health and sexual and reproductive rights led her to look at the failure to implement perinatal HIV prevention in Mexico, a country with an adequate health care infrastructure and existing policy commitments. What strategies and alliances can overcome the deeply rooted cultural constructions of women and AIDS that underlie current institutional omissions? "Perinatal HIV prevention is a once in a lifetime opportunity for children, allows timely diagnosis for women with HIV, and can provide a teachable moment to prevent new infections," she says.

    Generating evidence and opening spaces for dialogue about the right to health and non-discrimination that include women with HIV breaks with the traditional silence of the marginalized and can make an important contribution to strengthening the fledgling Mexican democracy.

    Trudeau Foundation Themes

    Human Rights and Social Justice »
    Responsible Citizenship »
    Canada and the World »

  • Current Residence

    Nelson, British Columbia

    Languages

    English, Spanish, French (working knowledge)

    Degrees

    • Master of Arts, Communication, Simon Fraser University
    • Bachelor of Arts (Honours), History and Women's studies, University of Ottawa

    Current Research

    Promoting Access to Reproductive Rights: Improving Perinatal Prevention of HIV Transmission and the Reproductive Health of Women with HIV in Mexico

    To decide about the number and spacing of children and to attain the highest possible level of physical, mental and emotional health are internationally recognized human rights, not precluded by living with HIV. Despite international and domestic commitments to implement perinatal HIV prevention by the Mexican government, in 2006 only 7% of pregnant women with HIV received the needed treatment. Perinatal prevention interventions can reduce mother-to-child HIV transmission from 25-45% to 1-2%, offer a timely entry-point into HIV treatment and care for women with HIV, and provide opportunities for HIV prevention education. Thus, effective access to perinatal prevention is crucial for guaranteeing the health and rights of women with HIV and their families and for turning the tide against the HIV epidemic. Tamil's research will propose culturally appropriate, rights-based strategies to improve implementation in Mexico.

    Past Research

    • Systematizing and sharing lessons learned about Mexico-US migration and HIV (Population Council, Rockefeller Foundation)
    • Impact of Gender on Social Support received by Men and Women with HIV in Mexico (Mexican National Institute of Public Health, MacArthur Foundation)
    • Increasing Women's Participation in HIV Advocacy, Prevention and Treatment Education in Mexico (Mexican Network of People living with HIV/AIDS, Canadian International Development Agency)
    • Complementary and Alternative Medicine in HIV Management in British Columbia (British Columbia Persons with AIDS Society, Health Canada)

    Awards

    • Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
    • Canadian International Development Agency Professional Leadership Award
    • Canadian Association for HIV Research New Investigator Award (Social Science)
    • University of Ottawa Gold Medal
    • Marcel Trudel Scholarship, Department of History, University of Ottawa

    Social Engagement

    • Member, Athena Network (Advancing Gender Equity and Human Rights in the Global Response to HIV/AIDS)
    • Local Co-coordinator, Women's Networking Zone at the International AIDS Conference 2008
    • Technical Review Committee, UNAIDS Red Ribbon Award
    • Technical Advisory Committee, Vida Digna (Life with Dignity), Colectivo Sol and the International Alliance against AIDS
    • Member, OMUJSIDA Mexican National Network (Women and Organizations deciding about HIV and AIDS)

    Work Experience

    • National Consultant on HIV and AIDS, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA-Mexico)
    • HIV/AIDS Programme Coordinator, Population Council, Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean
    • Associate Researcher, Centre for Health System Research; Coordinator, UNAIDS Collaborative Centre, National Institute of Public Health, Mexico
    • Consultant on Women and HIV, Mexican Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS
    • Complementary and Alternative Medicine Project Coordinator, British Columbia Persons with AIDS Society

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