Resources

HIV/AIDS Resources

Since it was first recognized by the world medical community in the early 1980s, the HIV/AIDS pandemic has swept the globe, taking millions of lives in its wake. But thanks to a monumental mobilization of resources by scientists, physicians, and health professionals around the globe, HIV/AIDS has gone from a virus causing certain death within years to a treatable condition. Yet there is still a huge amount of work to be done, especially in countering the pandemic in Africa, where infection rates can be as high as 25% of the adult population. The resources below should be a useful for any professional involved in the global fight against HIV/AIDS.

Open Access Journals

Due to the urgent need to defeat the HIV/AIDS pandemic, several of the most influential journals in the field offer their content free of charge.

  • amFAR

    Founded in the early years of the pandemic, amFAR has invested millions into research and made numerous contributions to HIV/AIDs detection, prevention, and treatment.

  • International Journal of MCH and AIDS

    Publisher: International Journal of MCH and AIDS

    With the noble goal of disseminating the latest HIV/AIDS research related to children and disproportionately affected populations, this online journal offers all its content free-of-charge.

  • SAHRA-J: Journal or Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS

    Publisher: Taylor & Francis

    While not as high-impact as other open-access journals in this list, SAHRA-J publishes interesting research into the social side of the AIDS epidemic, especially in Sub-Saharan African countries.

  • Journal of the International AIDS Society

    Publisher: International AIDS Society

    This online monthly publishes high-impact HIV/AIDS research from various disciplines, ranging from biomedical science to the humanities.

  • Emerging Infectious Diseases

    Publisher: CDC

    The fourth most influential journal for infectious disease research, this monthly publication from the Centers for Disease Control has been disseminating key HIV/AIDS research for decades, as well as information on other infectious diseases.

  • BMC Infectious Diseases

    Publisher: BMC

    With a respectable impact factor of 3.03, this open-access journal publishes research related to preventing and treating infectious diseases, including HIV.

OpenCourseWare

While our understanding of the HIV/AIDS pandemic has increased dramatically over past decades, HIV/AIDS continues to be a profound and enigmatic phenomenon. Study up on the biology and social implications of this unprecedented disease with the following open course materials from top U.S. institutions.

Research Organizations

Massive research efforts have transformed HIV/AIDS from a certain death sentence to a manageable condition, but the pandemic is far from over. Over 8,000 people die from HIV/AIDS each day. The following research organizations remain on the front lines of the fight against HIV/AIDS.

  • Forum for Collaborative HIV Research

    With the abundance of HIV/AIDS research taking place, this public/private partnership at the University of California, Berkeley aims to coordinate all the relevant organizations to quickly identify and address impediments to research progress.

  • Harvard School of Public Health AIDS Initiative

    Harvard University's research program puts considerable focus on addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa with projects in Nigeria, Botswana, and Senegal and research into mother-to-child transmission.

  • NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

    This flagship government research institute supports the Division of AIDS (DAIDS), which provides millions of dollars in funding for promising treatment and prevention research. The NIAID marshals an annual budget of nearly five billion dollars toward research grants, education, and clinical trials.

  • International AIDS Vaccine Initiative

    Through work with partner organizations in 25 countries, this nonprofit identifies and promotes promising research toward the elusive vaccine for HIV/AIDS.

  • The Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center

    Based in New York City, this is the largest private HIV/AIDS research organization in the world, conducting fundamental research that can be used for better treatments and an eventual vaccine.

  • AIDS Research Alliance

    While there are around 30 antiviral drugs on the market for treating HIV/AIDS, this research organization aims to cure the disease entirely and develop a vaccine.

Professional Organizations

A virtual army of public health professionals struggle in direct care and in laboratories each day to contain the HIV/AIDS pandemic. These organizations represent all the professionals involved in the effort.

  • American Academy for HIV Medicine

    Provides ongoing training and credentialing to various American medical professionals involved in treating HIV/AIDS.

  • HIV Medicine Association

    An international professional organization representing doctors in specialties related to HIV/AIDS, members receive subscription to the organization's two journals and continuing education support.

  • International Association of Providers of AIDS Care

    With its 17,000+ members from over 100 different countries, this professional organization brings together physicians and other health professionals in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

  • Association of Nurses in AIDS Care

    With nearly a million U.S. citizens living with HIV/AIDS, there is an urgent need for knowledgeable nurses. With 46 local chapters, this is the preeminent professional organization for professional caregivers working against the disease.

  • International AIDS Society

    With a truly international membership of around 14,000 professionals, and all sorts of disciplines represented, this organization offers networking, discounts, and professional updates.

Public Awareness Organizations

The life-saving advances in HIV/AIDS would not have been possible without the advocacy and mobilization efforts of public awareness organizations. These groups continue that effort today with the goal of a cure.

  • AIDS United

    This independent charity has directly funded more than $75 million in HIV/AIDS efforts targeted at addressing the epidemic in the United States.

  • Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

    This leading private charity established by Microsoft founder, Bill Gates, donates millions each year toward providing desperately needed antiviral treatments around the world.

  • World Health Organization

    As a leader in the global effort against the pandemic, the WHO HIV/AIDS program provides monitoring, direction, and treatment guidelines around the world.

  • The Kaiser Family Foundation

    A leading private global health institute based in California, The Kaiser Family Foundation gathers the latest data on U.S. public health to assist government policymakers and other organizations.

  • UN AIDS

    The official United Nations organization targeted at addressing the global HIV/AIDS pandemic through monitoring, advocacy, and global strategy.

  • PEPFAR: The United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief

    This is the flagship organization for the U.S. government's part in the global HIV/AIDS struggle. PEPFAR will spend 46 billion over the next five years helping governments and organizations around the world to contain the epidemic.

  • The Global Fund to Fight HIV, Tuberculosis, and Malaria

    This nonprofit started with the goal of being the global "war chest" for HIV/AIDS funding. It has since helped provide antiviral treatments to millions of people around the world.