Cynthia Poindexter - Specialist to New Zealand
Field: Social Services
Home Institution: Fordham University
Host Institution: University of Auckland
Grant Dates: July-August 2010
Cynthia Poindexter
Fulbright Specialist Cynthia Poindexter from Fordham University taught, conducted workshops and collaborated on research in HIV-related topics at the University of Auckland.
I was a visiting faculty member at the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Education, where the School of Counseling, Human Services and Social Work is housed. I lectured in four Social Work classes, on ‘HIV as a Chronic Illness’, ‘HIV as Crisis and Trauma’, ‘HIV and Loss’, and ‘Issues for HIV-affected Carers’. I also was a guest lecturer in an international social work class at Massey University, where I presented a faculty seminar entitled ‘Social Services from a Human Rights Perspective’. I participated in two seminars outside of universities: one was a community forum on living with HIV and cancer; the second was a research presentation to the interdisciplinary HIV team at the Auckland hospital. With two colleagues I am conducting a qualitative research project with HIV-positive Black African migrants and refugees. We will be collaborating for the next couple of years on analyzing data and presenting and publishing from this study. I was able to meet with staff from Body Positive, Positive Women, and New Zealand AIDS Foundation, which was one of the most interesting and rewarding experiences, because as an HIV social worker and advocate it was meaningful to be able to talk to others about their experiences, histories, challenges, and systems.
To the U.S.-New Zealand Fulbright Program