Rachel Kidman, Ph.D.

Dr. Kidman is a social epidemiologist whose work focuses on the experiences of children and youth living with adversity. Much of her research examines the impact of HIV/AIDS on child and adolescent welfare in sub-Saharan Africa, factors that create vulnerability or resilience in this population, and interventions that can effectively meet their needs. Her current work in this area examines adversity in the lives of HIV-infected adolescents and its role in HIV transmission risk in South Africa. She also leads a 5-year study in Malawi to examine the role of adverse childhood experiences in shaping divergent HIV risk trajectories during adolescence. Past work includes evaluation of national policies to improve health for vulnerable adolescents; longitudinal impact evaluations of community-based programs for children affected by AIDS in South Africa; investigation of health and educational disparities among children affected by AIDS in Malawi, case studies of community programming for orphans in Botswana, and research on best-practices for programs serving vulnerable children and their families for UNICEF..

Education:

PhD, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McGill University

MSc, Department of Society, Human Development and Health, Harvard School of Public Health

BA, Swarthmore College

Academic Interests:
Social epidemiology; program evaluation; children and adolescents; HIV and AIDS; intergenerational transfers of vulnerability; childhood adversity; social policy; Africa

Selected Publications:

Kidman, R., Piccolo, L. R., & Kohler, H. P. "Prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences and Association with Current Health among Adolescents in Malawi."

Kidman R., A. Violari, J. Dietrich, A. Liberty & S. Nachman. (2018). “Childhood adversity increases the risk of onward transmission from perinatally HIV-infected adolescents and youth in South Africa.”Child Abuse & Neglect.79: 98-106.

Kidman, R. and J. Heymann. (2018). “Prioritizing Social Determinants of Health in Order to Accelerate Gender Equity.” Global Public Health.

Kidman, R. and P. Anglewicz. (2017) "Why are orphaned adolescents more likely to be HIV positive? Distinguishing between maternal and sexual HIV transmission in a meta-analysis of 17 national datasets in Africa. Journal of Adolescent Health, 61 (1), 99-106.

Kidman, R. (2017) “Child marriage and intimate partner violence: A comparative study of 34 countries” International Journal of Epidemiology, 46 (2), 662–675.

Kidman, R. and T. Palermo. (2016) "The relationship between parental presence and child sexual violence: evidence from thirteen countries in sub-Saharan Africa." Child Abuse & Neglect 51: 172-180.

Thurman, T., R. Kidman, T. Taylor. (2014) “Does investment in home visitors lead to better psychological health for HIV-affected families? Results from a quasi-experimental evaluation in South Africa.” AIDS Care, 26(S1), S1-S9.

Kidman, R., J. Hanley, G., Foster, S.V. Subramanian, S.J., Heymann. (2010) “Contribution of AIDS-related impacts to child-morbidity in Malawi,” Social Science and Medicine, 71, 66-974.

Thurman, T. R. Kidman, T. Taylor.(2015) “Bridging the gap: the impact of home visiting programs on social grant uptake among HIV-affected households caring for orphans and vulnerable children in South Africa.” Children and Youth Services Review, 48: 111-116.

Kidman, R. and P. Anglewicz.(2014) “Fertility among orphans in rural Malawi: Challenging common assumptions about risk and mechanisms.” International Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 40(4): 164-175.

Thurman, T., R. Kidman., J. Nice, L. Ikamari. (2014) “Family functioning and child behavioral problems in households affected by HIV and AIDS in Kenya” AIDS and Behavior.

Kidman, R., J. Nice, T. Taylor, T. Thurman (2014) “Home visiting programs for HIV-affected families: A comparison of service quality between volunteer-driven and paraprofessional models.” Journal of Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies. 9(4), 305-317.

Thurman, T., R. Kidman, T. Taylor. (2014) “Does investment in home visitors lead to better psychological health for HIV-affected families? Results from a quasi-experimental evaluation in South Africa.” AIDS Care, 26(S1), S1-S9.

Clouston, S., R. Kidman, T. Palermo. (2014) “Social inequalities in vaccination among children in Madagascar.” Vaccine, 32(28), 3533-3539.

Kidman, R. and T. Thurman. (2014) “Caregiver burden among adults caring for orphaned children in rural South Africa” Journal of Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies, 9(3), 234-246.

Heymann S.J., Sherr L., and Kidman R., eds. (2012) Protecting Childhood in the AIDS Pandemic: Finding Solutions that Work. New York: Oxford University Press.

Kidman, R., Hanley, J., Foster, G., Subramanian, S.V., Heymann, S.J. (2012) “Educational disparities in AIDS-affected communities: Does orphanhood confer unique vulnerability?,” Journal of Development Studies, 48(4), 531-548.

Kidman, R., Hanley, J., Foster, G., Subramanian, S.V., Heymann, S.J. (2010) "Contribution of AIDS-related impacts to child-morbidity in Malawi," Social Science and Medicine, 71, 66-974. 

Kidman, R., Heymann, S.J. (2009) "The extent of community and public support available to families caring for orphans in Malawi." AIDS Care, 21(4), 439-447.

Heymann, S.J., Kidman, R. (2009) "HIV/AIDS, declining family resources and the community safety net." AIDS Care, 21 (S1), 34-42.

Heymann, S.J., Kidman, R. (2008) "Weaving a tighter safety net: Supporting children and families amidst the AIDS pandemic." Paper prepared for the Joint Learning Initiative on Children and AIDS (JLICA).

Kidman, R., Petrow, S., Heymann, S.J. (2007) "Africa's Orphan Crisis: Two Community-Based Models of Care." AIDS Care. 19(3), 326-329.