Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 3, 2026

Comprehensive & Cost Effective Laboratory Monitoring of HIV/AIDS: an African Role Model
Published on: October 31, 2010
AIDS as a paradigm of human behavior in disease : impact and implications of a course
H J Polan1, M I Auerbach, M Viederman
1Department of Psychiatry, Cornell University Medical College, New York, New York, USA.
Abstract:
A new required psychiatry course for first-year medical students linked the urgent need for acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) education with the traditional goal of teaching the biopsychosocial model of illness. The course, "Human Behavior in Disease: AIDS as Paradigm," used HIV/AIDS to demonstrate principles of all life-threatening diseases. Formal evaluations of the course's impact indicated that it significantly reduced students' prejudices and increased positive attitudes regarding AIDS patients. The students' ratings of the course indicated that the AIDS paradigm was understood and valued. Our experience suggests that preclinical psychiatry courses can play an important role in the medical educational response to AIDS, while, at the same time, achieving their traditional curricular goals.
Related Concept Videos
Models of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention II
The agent-host-environment model states that disease results...
Impact of Individuals on Individuals
Infectious Diseases and Their Occurrence
Infection
The chain begins with pathogens: bacteria, viruses, fungi, prions, or parasites such as protozoa helminths. These can be present on the skin as transient or resident flora, or they can be acquired from the environment. Identifying and treating the type of infection and...
Sexually Transmitted Infections
Models of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention I
The health belief model (HBM) attempts to predict health-related behavior in specific belief patterns. According to the HBM, a person's...

