Maggy Tomkins, an internationally renowned AIDS educator from Sydney, Australia, arrived at the University of Hartford in the fall semester as a Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence for the 1999–2000 academic year. An AIDS expert, Tomkins is well known for her groundbreaking efforts in AIDS education in Australia, Japan, Indonesia, China and Fiji. She has worked directly with people with AIDS and has been instrumental in helping to develop international strategies in HIV education. A seasoned educator, Tomkins' firsthand knowledge and experience with AIDS issues and policies have enhanced the All-University Curriculum course "Epidemics and AIDS."

Born in England, Tomkins moved to New Zealand with her family when she was 12. After completing a bachelor's degree in sociology at Victoria University in Wellington, she left home to travel and

Maggy Tomkins

work in Australia and the United Kingdom. She then returned to Australia and trained as a nurse in the Western Australia School of Nursing. After graduation, she worked in England before undertaking postgraduate study in nursing education. She earned a master's degree in science and technological studies at the University of New South Wales.

In 1986, Tomkins began working as a volunteer for an HIV/AIDS telephone hot line in the United Kingdom. Firsthand, she saw how poorly people with AIDS were treated by the health care system. Motivated by her passion to help these mistreated patients and to help fight the disease, Tomkins has worked since 1990 at an outpatient clinic providing clinical management, counseling, information, education and research in relation to HIV and hepatitis C. She coordinates the clinic's information and education services and teaches a course titled "Advanced Nursing Practice in HIV/AIDS."

As a scholar-in-residence, Tomkins is a member of the undergraduate faculty in the UofH's College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions and the All-University Curriculum. She is teaching two courses a semester, has been a guest lecturer in other courses, and serves as a faculty development resource, offering seminars to faculty in all nine colleges. She is on college and University committees and on the two faculty teams that teach "Health Care Concepts" and "Epidemics and AIDS."

One goal of Tomkins' residency at the University is to add an international scope to her courses. Monthly evening discussion groups have helped to develop a mentor relationship between Tomkins and her students. "These discussions deal with health issues and cultural and educational differences between the United States and Australia," she said.

"Differences in public policy have dramatically affected the course of the AIDS epidemic in varied locations throughout the world," Tomkins points out. "Australia is arguably the prime example of a country that established aggressive policies, particularly in the areas of needle exchange and education aimed at sexual behavior change and condom use, policies which, to a large extent, have been successful in controlling the spread of HIV in Australia."