Why HIV/AIDS is Still a Crisis
Christopher Coleman, associate professor of nursing and multi-cultural diversity in Penn’s School of Nursing, remembers the early days of the HIV/AIDS epidemic as a time when patients struggled to live—and die—with dignity.
As communities across the globe mark World AIDS Day 2011, Coleman says some aspects of HIV/AIDS treatment and the public’s knowledge about the virus have improved. But Coleman is troubled by the widespread belief that the virus is little more than a manageable chronic condition.
Coleman, who is also an associate professor of nursing in psychiatry in the Perelman School of Medicine, discusses the early days of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, advancements in treatment and public awareness, and current concerns about the disease, more than three decades after it was first diagnosed in the United States.
Video by Kurtis Sensenig