Understanding the social aspects of health: the case of HIV and AIDS since 20001

The HSRC undertook some research on HIV and Aids prior to 2001, but the impact was limited, as the disease was still viewed as a scourge that only affected white gay men and poor black people. The appointment of Dr Olive Shisana in mid-2001 as executive director of the then Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS and Health (SAHA) research programme heralded an exciting new erA, which shed more light on the magnitude and drivers of the epidemic and suggested possible interventions, Prof. Lieckness C. Simbayi reports.