HIV has evolved from a global epidemic to become an endemic disease with great geographical diversity, with adult prevalence ranging from very low to over 25% in some African countries. Scale-up of antiretroviral therapy has substantially improved life expectancy and quality of life of affected populations; however, HIV remains a leading cause of death and a global public health priority. The epidemic and its response is influenced by political, social, economic and cultural issues, and requires an interdisciplinary and intersectoral approach with active involvement of a wide range of stakeholders. 

This module aims to give you a broad understanding of these different aspects of the HIV epidemic, encompassing basic science, clinical medicine, epidemiology and social science, to equip you to analyse how different response strategies match the local context. The module is designed to be accessible to students with different disciplinary backgrounds including clinicians, biomedical scientists, social scientists and other global health professionals

Intended learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of the module, a student should be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of key concepts related to the epidemiology, infection dynamics, and natural history of HIV.
2. Describe and critically appraise the different components of HIV services and how HIV programmes are designed and implemented to meet the needs of all people living with HIV.
3. Critically evaluate how political, social, economic and ethical contexts impact the HIV response.
4. Integrate the aforementioned knowledge and skills to develop context-specific HIV prevention, testing and treatment programmes.

Session Content

The module is expected to cover the following topics:

• Epidemiology of HIV infection and local context.
• HIV testing and linkage to care.
• Clinical and biological aspects of HIV.
• HIV treatment and treatment programmes.
• Prevention of HIV and prevention programmes.
• Social determinants and the role of civil society.

Mode of delivery

This module is delivered predominantly face-to-face. Where specific teaching methods (lectures, seminars, discussion groups) are noted in this module specification these will be delivered by predominantly face-to-face sessions. There will be a combination of live and interactive activities (synchronous learning) as well as self-directed study (asynchronous learning).

Assessment

Formal assessment of this module is a three-page report on a relevant topic comprised of two components. The first component is based on group work, consisting of a two-page report (25%) and a peer assessment of group work contribution (10%). The second component is an individual one-page report on a related topic (65%).

Credits

• CATS: 15
• ECTS: 7.5

Module specification

For full information regarding this module please see the module specification.