Researchers look at social impact of AIDS

By Timothy Kudo Daily Bruin Staff

Having sex in Los Angeles can be risky business, according to
Professor Oscar Grusky, since there are more people with HIV and
AIDS in the county than in 47 different states.

With an estimated 15,000 people living with the disease in the
area, innovative ideas are necessary to eliminate the epidemic, and
that’s why today’s graduate students are paving the way for the
cure of tomorrow with their research – a portion of which was
presented Tuesday at Sunset Canyon Recreation Center at a
conference titled, "HIV Research: The Next Generation."

"Anyone who has any interests in sexual activity needs to know
what to do," said Grusky, a professor of sociology. "Students are
typically sexually active so they need to know about it."

"Professors are also sexually active and need to learn also," he
added.

At the conference, graduate students, mostly from UCLA but also
from other California schools, came to present the original
research they have been working on in the area of HIV and AIDS.

Projects ranged from an examination of why prostitutes are
willing to risk HIV through unsafe sex in their work, to an
examination of the effect creative writing can have on the psyche
of someone dealing with HIV or AIDS.

"Medical advances have helped us to fight AIDS, but they aren’t
effective without the social sciences," Grusky said. "For example,
how do you help children who have HIV adhere to a very difficult
medication regimen when that medication makes them quite sick?"

"I think it’s very important work because, just like the work
that doctors do, this helps people."

Many of the projects were also done by international students,
such as an examination of HIV and AIDS knowledge in Myanmar and
Vietnam.

"I’m glad that they did a lot of things in countries that
weren’t our own," said Sharon Farge, a member of the AIDS Service
Center in Pasadena.

In addition to the informational benefits of the research
presentations, the conference gave students a taste of what
scholarly life is like by preparing them for even larger national
and international conferences they may participate in later in
their career.

Applications were sent to faculty at various schools throughout
the area who then picked students who were doing promising research
in the field of HIV and AIDS.

"I think for students interested in HIV it’s useful to present
your research and meet people in the field," said Sung-Jae Lee, a
presenter at the conference.

After students presented their research, the audience was
invited to ask questions or give suggestions about what they could
do in the future to broaden their study.

In addition, audience members, who were often from health
organizations in the area, had the opportunity to speak with each
other about their work. As a result, several organizations are
planning interdisciplinary collaborations.

"We’re starting to have some of these connections where
community groups are coming to researchers with their needs," said
Mark Etzel, a member of the Center for HIV Identification,
Prevention, and Treatment Services, the organization that sponsored
the event.