Mei Tan, PhD

Dr. Tan aims to study aspects of culture that particularly shape child and adolescent development in sub-Saharan Africa in the context of HIV/AIDS. Her interests include cultural practices surrounding the maintenance of kinship relationships and how they affect children’s migration and residential circumstances, especially those of AIDS orphans; individuals’ cognition and habits surrounding time-keeping; and religiosity and spirituality as they affect attitudes of HIV-affected individuals and others. Her research is intended to inform the development of culturally attuned community-based interventions that support the physical, cognitive and mental well-being of HIV-affected children and adolescents.