This in-depth graduate course examines human immunodeficiency virus infection from molecular biology to global public health response. Students analyze viral replication, immune pathogenesis, transmission, and the natural history of disease from acute infection to advanced immunodeficiency. The course critically evaluates diagnosis and testing, antiretroviral therapy and its pharmacology, drug resistance, treatment monitoring, and the prevention and treatment of opportunistic infections, coinfections such as tuberculosis and viral hepatitis, and HIV-related malignancies. Students appraise prevention strategies, including pre-exposure and post-exposure prophylaxis, prevention of mother-to-child transmission, harm reduction, and service delivery for key populations. They also assess stigma, gender inequality, and structural drivers of the epidemic, and how national programs are designed, monitored, and sustained. Through case analysis and scholarly discussion, learners develop informed judgment. Throughout, the course integrates this study with Christian convictions about human dignity, compassion, and healing, equipping ministry and health leaders to serve affected communities across diverse cultural settings.
Graduate students gain advanced, comprehensive understanding of HIV disease, from immune pathogenesis and antiretroviral pharmacology to prevention, testing, and care delivery. They learn to appraise clinical and public health guidelines, interpret evidence on treatment and prevention, and evaluate how programs reach key populations. This knowledge supports leadership in medicine, nursing, public health, pharmacy, social services, humanitarian relief, and mission organizations, and prepares students for doctoral study. Students strengthen capacity to address stigma, communicate sensitively, and design compassionate responses. For leaders serving in high-prevalence and under-resourced settings, the course offers a rigorous framework for partnering with communities, clinics, and health authorities.
HIV remains one of the defining health challenges. Tens of millions of people live with the virus, most of them in sub-Saharan Africa, and many people still acquire infection or die of preventable complications each year. Effective treatment now allows people to live long, healthy lives and prevents transmission, yet gaps in testing, access, and continuity of care persist, deepened by stigma and inequality. Advanced understanding equips leaders to interpret evidence, shape policy, strengthen services, and advocate for those overlooked. Churches and mission organizations stand in a unique position to reduce stigma and extend care with competence, humility, and compassion.
Scripture presents a God who is present with the suffering, who heals, and who calls his people to welcome the stranger and love the neighbor. This course grounds the study of HIV in that witness, recalling Jesus’ touch of the outcast and the biblical call to care for the sick and the marginalized. Students integrate theological reflection on the dignity of every image-bearer, compassion without judgment, and faithful stewardship of knowledge in service of healing.
The missio Dei declares that God is on mission to redeem the world and sends his people into it. HIV afflicts the very communities to which the church is sent, and the church’s faithful presence can turn stigma into lasting belonging. This course frames graduate study of HIV as preparation for sent leaders who enter hurting places with compassion and competence, participating faithfully alongside those affected in God’s mission to heal, restore, and reconcile creation.
The HIV epidemic is shaped by context. Poverty, gender inequality, migration, conflict, law, health-system strength, and cultural norms determine who is at risk and who receives care. Students analyze how prevalence, transmission patterns, and service delivery differ across regions and populations. Learners also evaluate why an approach that succeeds in one setting may fail in another. This attentiveness to place reflects the incarnation, in which God entered a particular place to meet people where they live.
HIV crosses borders, languages, and cultures, and effective responses depend on mutual respect. Students examine how beliefs about illness, sexuality, family, and traditional healing shape how communities understand testing, treatment, and prevention. They evaluate why culturally sensitive communication, local leadership, and community ownership are essential for change. Drawing on the model of Christ who crossed boundaries to dwell among us, the course prepares leaders to serve alongside people of other cultures as partners and learners.
Knowledge of HIV matters only when it leads to action. This course emphasizes the practical logic of response: evaluating how testing, treatment, and monitoring are organized, how prevention and care are delivered to those most affected, and how guidelines are adapted to limited resources. Through case analysis and applied discussion, students examine how clinicians, pharmacists, and community health workers reason from risk to decisions. They gain insight into what effective, sustainable, and compassionate programs require.
Learning in this course engages the whole person. Through case analysis and reflection, students encounter the realities behind HIV: people living with the virus, caregivers carrying burdens, and communities learning to replace fear with welcome. These encounters invite students to examine assumptions, fears, and callings. As they consider the cost of service among the marginalized, students are shaped by the Spirit toward humility, courage, and compassion, becoming leaders whose lives embody God’s love for neighbors.
