Sheila Tlou

Sheila Dinotshe Tlou is a Motswana specialist in HIV/AIDS and women's health, and a nursing educator. In 2004 she became Botswana Minister of Health.

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. 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.

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.

Tlou is married to Botswana historian Professor Thomas Tlou.

She has portrayed Precious Ramotswe, the heroine of Alexander McCall Smith's 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.

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)
 * September 2002 Presidential Order of Honour (Botswana)
 * 2003 Florence Nightingale Medal (International Committee of the Red Cross)

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)