Sheila Tlou

Sheila Dinotshe Tlou is a Botswana specialist in HIV/AIDS and women's health, and a nursing educator. She was Minister of Health from 2004 to 2008.

Education and career

Tlou studied at Teachers College, Columbia University, US. She took her PhD in community health nursing and a diploma in gender issues, at the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1990. [cite web
url = http://www.wkkf.org/default.aspx?tabid=68&CID=-1&ProjCID=376&ProjID=15&TID=1044&NID=32&LanguageID=0
title = African KILP Fellows: Dr Sheila Tlou
accessdate = 2006-08-09
year = 2003
month = August
publisher = W. K. Kellogg foundation] She has taught at the University of Botswana from 1980. From 1994 to 1996 she was head of Nursing Education, becoming an associate professor in 1999, and 2002–04 she was the university's HIV/AIDS coordinator. [cite web
url = http://people.africadatabase.org/en/person/17609.html
title = Professor Sheila Dinotshe Tlou
accessdate = 2006-08-08
work = Contemporary Africa Database
publisher = [http://africacentre.org.uk/ The Africa Centre, London] ]

Tlou represented Botswana at the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. In 2002 she was appointed to a special UN task force on girls, women, and HIV/AIDS in southern Africa. she has also provided consultancy to UNAIDS, the UN Commission on the Status of Women and the World Health Organisation. She took part in the international community educator meetings for the HIV Vaccine Trials Network. [ [http://www.cna-nurses.ca/CNA/news/events/aids_forum/tlou/default_e.aspx Nurses at the Forefront of HIV/AIDS: Prevention, Care and Treatment] Profile of Tlou, Canadian Nurses Association conference. Toronto, Canada, August 1996. Retrieved on 2006-08-10.]

Tlou is married to Botswana historian Professor Thomas Tlou.

She has portrayed Precious Ramotswe, the heroine of Alexander McCall Smith's #1 Ladies' Detective Agency book series, in amateur theater productions, and at one time was mentioned in media reports as a possible choice to portray Mma Ramotswe in the Hollywood film adaptation currently in production. [ [http://www.filmmaker.co.za/readarticle.php?article_id=372 Tlou mum over Mma Ramotswe role] Article from the South African Cape Film Society newsletter, quoting a Sunday Times article.]

Following the October 2004 general election, Tlou was appointed as Minister of Health on November 9 2004. [ [http://www.gov.bw/cgi-bin/news.cgi?d=20041110 "Mogae appoints cabinet - Ten new faces - Five women"] , BOPA, November 10, 2004.] After being defeated in primary elections of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) in Palapye, Tlou was dismissed from the Cabinet on April 1 2008, when Ian Khama took office as President. [Gideon Nkala, [http://www.mmegi.bw/2008/April/Wednesday2/129.php "Khama fires five ministers"] , "Mmegi Online", April 2, 2008.]

HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment

Much of Tlou's work focuses on gender issues and HIV/AIDS in southern Africa. Enabling women, particularly married women, in a patriarchal society to negotiate with their partner for safe sex has major consequences for HIV transmission. Tlou has worked with grassroots women's organisations and national campaigns to increase AIDS awareness in Botswana. She has also done a great deal of work in reducing the stigma of AIDS and helping HIV positive people cope with their lives.

Awards

* May 2002 Anna Reynvaan prize, and gave prize lecture (Netherlands) [ [http://www.bijzijn.nl/content/html/237.asp?nb_id=3571 "Inschrijven voor Anna Reynvaan Prijzen"] "Bijzijn" (in Dutch), 27-03-2002. Retrieved on 2006-09-10.]
* September 2002 Presidential Order of Honour (Botswana) [cite web
url = http://www.gov.bw/cgi-bin/news.cgi?d=20021004
title = Batswana celebrate 36th anniversary
accessdate = 2006-08-10
date = 2002-10-04
work = Daily News Online
publisher = Government of Botswana
archiveurl =
archivedate =]
* 2003 Florence Nightingale Medal (International Committee of the Red Cross) [cite web
url = http://people.africadatabase.org/en/person/17609.html
title = Professor Sheila Dinotshe Tlou
accessdate = 2006-08-08
work = Contemporary Africa Database
publisher = [http://africacentre.org.uk/ The Africa Centre, London] ]

Works

Tlou is a co-editor of the comprehensive reference book for people working in the field of HIV/AIDS in Africa:
* With Max Essex, Souleymane Mboup, Phyllis J. Kanki, Richard G. Marlink (eds.) "AIDS in Africa". Kluwer Academic / Plenum Publishers (2002). ISBN 0-306-46699-6

Selected other works:
* With K Norr and J Norr. "The threat of AIDS for women in developing countries". In F Cohen, JD Durham (Eds.) "Women, children and HIV". New York: Springer (1993)
* With K Norr and B McElmurry. "AIDS prevention for women: a community-based approach in Botswana". Proceedings of the WHO Global Programme on AIDS meeting on effective approaches for the prevention of HIV/AIDS in women. Geneva, Switzerland, February 1995.
*“Women & AIDS in Southern Africa”. In proceedings and background papers on regional action, Southern African Development Community/ European Union conference on HIV/AIDS. Malawi, December 1996.
* With B Ingstad, B and F Bruun. "AIDS and the elderly Tswana: The concept of pollution and consequences for AIDS prevention". In "Journal of Cross-cultural Gerontology" Vol. 12 (1997)
* "Communication Strategy for the Introduction of Antiretroviral Therapy in Botswana". In "The Science and Culture Series: Nuclear War and Planetary Emergencies". A Zichichi (ed). World Scientific Press (2001)
* "Mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Botswana". World Federation of Scientists Planetary Emergencies Conference. Erice, Italy, August 2001.
* With E Lindsey, M Hirschfeld and E Ncube. "Home-based care in Botswana: Experiences of older women and young girls". In "Health Care for Women International" Vol. 24. (2003)

References

* cite web
url = http://www.nurseweek.com/5min/tlou.html
title = Five Minutes with: Sheila Tlou, on HIV in Africa
accessdate = 2006-08-09
date = 2001-07-07
work = NurseWeek
publisher = Nursing Spectrum

External links

* cite web
url = http://allafrica.com/stories/200601310167.html
title = Botswana: Men Should Be Targeted in Aids Fight, Botswana Health Minister Says
accessdate = 2006-08-10
author =Davin O'Regan
authorlink =
date = 2006-01-31
publisher = [http://allafrica.com/ allAfrica.com]
archiveurl =
archivedate =