Thailand
Since the 1990s, HIV/AIDS has been one of the leading causes of premature death in Thailand. During the early 1990s, the spread of HIV in Thailand which was most pronounced among sex workers, men who have sex with men, and intravenous drug users; escalated to women. And by the middle of the decade, nearly 40% of the reported cases were among women, increasing the mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) rate of HIV. Thailand introduced the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission Program (PMTCT) in 2000. The program comprises the following: antenatal care, antiretroviral therapy, monitoring and evaluation, standardization and adaptation in delivery, as well as the influence of civil society organizations.
RESEARCHERS
Andrea Mcikunas
Andrea Macikunas is a second year medical student at the Schulich School of Medicine in the University of Western Ontario. She previously completed her Honours Bachelor of Science at Trinity College within the University of Toronto, with double majors in Global Health and Immunology. Andrea was part of the 2016-2017 Reach Project cohort working on the Thailand case team studying the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and has a strong research interest in the social determinants of health.
Joy Dawkins
Joy Dawkins received her Master of Public Health (MPH) in Social and Behavioural Health Sciences at the University of Toronto in 2017, completing Collaborative Programs in Community Development and Public Health Policy. She most recently worked with the Special Program on Sustainable Development and Health Equity at the Pan American Health Organization. Following her passion for equity and social justice, her career interests are focused on promoting the health and well-being of communities through upstream action that incorporates social, economic, and political dimensions.
Aylin Manduric
Aylin Manduric competed her undergraduate studies in International Relations and Peace, Conflict, and Justice Studies at the University of Toronto in 2017. She traveled to Thailand with the Reach research group to study the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. She is now entering the second year of law school at the University of Toronto. This summer, she is working at Advocates for Injured Workers, a legal aid clinic specializing in worker's compensation and related areas of law. Her interests include human rights and access to health services.
Simran Dhunna
Simran Dhunna is in her second year of a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. She is also an organizer with Climate Justice Toronto and is interested in research on racial and economic disparities.