“I don’t think anybody can accuse me of not putting my heart and soul into this cause.”


Working with HIV positive women has been a priority in Binder’s inter- national work, as well. Currently, she supports projects that provide sustain- able solutions for women and children affected by HIV/AIDS in Rwanda and the Philippines, including microfinance projects. She’s also helped women who survived the Rwandan genocide develop workplans that address violence against women and mother-to-child transmis- sion. “I’d love to see our work grow because it’s very practical, very sustain- able and because it focuses on what their needs are,” she says. Although Binder has many accolades, including recognition from the City of Toronto, the Queen’s Jubilee Medal and the Order of Ontario, her work hasn’t been without its share of critics. “There’s this sense that a lot of what I’ve been able to accomplish is because of privil- ege,” says Binder. But she adds, “I don’t think that anybody can accuse me of not putting my heart and soul into this cause.” Binder’s work and commitment hasn’t


prevented her from living a well-round- ed life. She’s also well-known for her love of shoes (she’s been photographed by fashion bloggers), movies (she’s a critic for Positive Lite, a website for HIV positive individuals) and cats (she has two). “Once I knew that I was going to survive and with decent health for a period of time, I decided ‘I’m not giv- ing up the things that make me a whole person,’” she says. With an autobiography underway and international work ongoing, Binder wants to focus on the connection between HIV and mental health issues next. “With the reality of many people living much longer and somewhat better, I think we need to move our focus out of this narrow paradigm about finding a cure for AIDS,” she says. “I’m get- ting over AIDS and moving into whole person-ess.” And at 62-years-old, she’s not done hellraising just yet. “I’m just getting started,” she says.


to understand what might have been causing that seemed like a very urgent and fascinat- ing priority.” Today, his research continues in both Canada and Africa, with projects currently running in Kenya and Uganda. “Most of the work I do is not in a test tube, it’s in various communities,” he says. In Uganda, his research focuses on the way heterosexual men acquire HIV by examining foreskin cells acquired through circumcision programs. And in Kenya, he continues to work with high-risk sex workers. The research itself focuses on comparing the genital tracts of


Research Without Borders


IT MAY NOT MAKE FOR COCKTAIL PARTY CONVERSATION, BUT DR. RUPERT KAUL’S RESEARCH IS HELPING US UNDERSTAND HOW AND WHERE HIV TRANSMISSION OCCURS.


For Dr. Rupert Kaul, it may have been a ser- ies of what he calls “haphazard divergences” that led to his specialization, but it took just one study before he was hooked. “The research I got involved in was fascinating,” he says. “I never really wanted to be doing any- thing else once I started—that was it.” The research in question is the study of mucosal immunology, with a focus on where exposure to HIV occurs and how transmission happens. Kaul, who is an Associate Professor within the University of Toronto’s Department of Medicine, focuses on researching the genital tract, rectum and foreskin to try and understand how HIV gets transmitted. He also examines the inter- actions between HIV and other STIs and the impact they have on acquiring or transmit- ting the disease. “It’s not necessarily cocktail party conversation,” he jokes. Kaul first became interested in HIV immunology more than 15 years ago while working on a study in Nairobi. At the time, antiretroviral therapy wasn’t available in North America—let alone in Kenya. But a subset of Kenyan sex workers seemed rela- tively immune to contracting the disease. “Essentially we had a lot of people dying and some people who seemed to be relatively resistant to getting HIV,” he says. “So trying


HIV unexposed and HIV resistant sex work- ers. Kaul says that the study, initiated and run primarily by the University of Manitoba researchers, has created a vibrant commun- ity where researchers from western institu- tions and the University of Nairobi have the opportunity to interact with one another and with female sex trade workers. “We’ve really tried to mobilize the community so that women can empower each other and also reduce the risk,” says Kaul. “The project has made a real difference in people’s lives.” When he’s not supervising studies in


Kenya and Uganda, Kaul is working as a clinician at the University Health Network, holding a Canada Research Chair in HIV and coordinating an immunology course at the University of Toronto. He also collaborates with participants and researchers at the Maple Leaf Medical Clinic, the Hassle Free Clinic and at Women’s Health in Women’s Hands. Even if it wasn’t planned, it seems that


research with a focus on international health was always in the cards for Kaul. “Part of the excitement of this work is getting to know to people that you would not normally get to know over the course of your research career in North America,” he explains. “I don’t feel that I would have been satisfied just settling down and having a regular clinical job.”


“Some people seemed relatively resistant to getting HIV. Trying to understand what might have been causing that seemed like an urgent priority.”


Thinking Positive verge: 13


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