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Penn CFAR Seminars and Events
Penn Interdisciplinary Dialogues on AIDS (PIDA)
PIDA began as a student-organized series of informed critical discussions about the global AIDS pandemic. This series of dialogues was founded by then-student Tonya Taylor, and was open to all students at the University of Pennsylvania. The main objective of PIDA was to expand understanding of the HIV/AIDS problem by juxtaposing biomedical, behavioral and socio-cultural aspects of AIDS and contextualizing the pandemic within a geographic framework.
Through a holistic understanding of the numerous and complex factors that make certain communities vulnerable to HIV infection, PIDA operated with the belief that more appropriate and effective strategies for prevention, care, and treatment would be developed. In addition to keeping the public aware of the severity of the global pandemic, PIDA endeavored to bridge the gap between the biomedical and social sciences here at Penn, and forge lasting links and networks of communication for future collaboration and assistance.
An innovative program, PIDA not only promoted the synthesis of community activism with more socially relevant and meaningful research, but also empowered students to take control of their education.
Dr. Tonya Taylor, Ph.D., has taken this Penn CFAR-sponsored series, and with input from CFAR investigators, created and teaches the "AIDS in the World" course for Penn's Critical Writing Program. This course focuses students' learning on the global AIDS pandemic through reading, writing and discussion. The topics surrounding HIV/AIDS covered in this course include:
- Anthropology and AIDS
- Virology and Pathogenesis
- Sexual Culture
- Women and Gender Inequality
- Orphans and the Elderly
- Stigma
- Media Representation
- Governance and Government Responses
- Epidemiology and Demography
- Culture and Society
- Socioeconomic Impact
- Care and Treatment
- Education and Prevention
- Human Rights and Politics
To view the past PIDA series by academic year, please use the links below:
