Kristi Heather Kenyon

Kristi Heather Kenyon serves as an Assistant Professor in the Human Rights Program at the University of Winnipeg. Her academic journey includes being a 2007 Trudeau Scholar and currently holding dual postdoctoral fellowships: one with the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) in the Department of Political Science at Dalhousie University, and another at the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria.

With over fifteen years of experience working within civil society organizations across Southeast Asia, Southern Africa, and Canada, Dr. Kenyon brings a practitioner's perspective to her academic work. Her research centers on the mobilization strategies of civil society advocacy groups in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in the realms of health and human rights. She investigates why these groups adopt rights-based frameworks, how cultural contexts influence the interpretation of human rights, and the tangible impacts of such advocacy. Her specific areas of interest include HIV/AIDS, sexual and reproductive health, international development, torture prevention, and the abolition of the death penalty.

Dr. Kenyon's significant contributions to the field have been recognized through competitive awards:

• Trudeau Scholarship (2007)
• SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship

Her scholarly work is supported by major research grants from the Trudeau Foundation and SSHRC, enabling extensive fieldwork and collaboration with international networks of non-governmental organizations. These grants have facilitated her investigations into the transition of health issues from development concerns to human rights imperatives, particularly in the context of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa.