22 July 2005

Hi Everyone,
Thanks for following our blog so far! It means a lot to us to be able to share our wonderful experiences here in Durban with you :)
Today we met up with Professor Leana Uys who is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Head of College for the Health Sciences Department at the University of Kwazulu-Natal's Westfield Campus. Inge was quite excited to meet up with her colleague and we were fortunate to meet such an inspirational nurse who has applied her nursing role to not only the academic realm, but also nursing research. Professor Uys is the the African representative for Sigma Theta Tau, the International Nursing Honor Society, and has done research surrounding the issue of Stigma and HIV/AIDS.
There is much stigma associated with HIV/AIDS here in Africa. Often times it is the stigma that prevents people from seeking treatment and far too often people are discriminated against and even excommunicated from their friends and families. One of the current studies that Professor Uys is working on is comparing/contrasting stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS in South Africa, Botswana, Tanzania, Lesotho and Swaziland. It will also be interesting to see how, and if, stigma changes due to the governement roll-out of anti-retroviral medication....another study, I'm sure!
I was immediately drawn to Professor Uys because of her background in psychiatric nursing and her research surrounding stigma and HIV/AIDS. We were able to talk to Professor Uys about her role as a nurse in academic life at the University and what the Nursing role in the South African health system has been like for her.
Next, we head to the beach for the weekend! We are going to Drakensburg right now and I know that someone will update the blog after our weekend!
take care, Meghan