Course Postgraduate Diploma in HIV/AIDS Management

Stage 1: Evidence and social context

HIV Epidemiology and the Southern African Response

Interpret the evidence used to plan and review HIV programmes. Examine patterns of HIV, the distinction between HIV infection and AIDS, and the social and economic consequences of the epidemic. Compare South African and Zimbabwean responses while recognising differences in data sources, populations and service systems.

Learning outcomes

• Interpret common HIV indicators without confusing population estimates with individual outcomes.
• Critically compare trends from different data sources and periods.
• Identify service gaps and explain the limitations of available evidence.
• Prepare an evidence-based needs assessment for a defined programme.

Main topics

• HIV and AIDS concepts for programme managers
• Incidence, prevalence, mortality and denominators
• Transmission and prevention principles
• Testing, treatment coverage and viral suppression indicators
• Surveillance, estimates and uncertainty
• Poverty, migration and economic effects
• Country and district needs assessment

Practical task

Use public aggregate data or a supplied synthetic dataset to prepare a district HIV situation analysis. Include an indicator table, two accessible charts, a data-quality appraisal and three justified programme priorities. Do not collect identifiable health information.

Assessment

Submit the situation analysis and an individual interpretation exercise. Assessment considers indicator accuracy, appropriate comparisons, transparent uncertainty and the justification of priorities.

Social Determinants, Gender and Community Responses

Analyse how social conditions and institutional practices shape HIV vulnerability and access to services. Examine stigma, gender inequality and barriers experienced by different communities without treating any population as homogeneous. Develop respectful, participatory responses with people living with HIV and community organisations.

Learning outcomes

• Explain how social and structural factors affect access to HIV services.
• Assess a programme for exclusion, stigma and unequal power.
• Design an accessible community-engagement approach.
• Develop respectful communication and measures for reviewing its effectiveness.

Main topics

• Stigma and discrimination
• Gender, sexuality and power
• Poverty, mobility and service access
• Adolescents and life-course needs
• Key populations and inclusive services
• Community-led responses
• Health literacy and culturally responsive communication

Practical task

Prepare a community-engagement and stigma-reduction plan for a fictional Southern African workplace or community programme. Include a stakeholder map, an accessible communication example and a method for incorporating participant feedback.

Assessment

Submit the plan, communication example and a critical reflection. Assessment considers inclusion, respectful language, feasibility and the quality of the proposed feedback process.

Stage 2: Policy and coordinated services

HIV Policy, Human Rights and Workplace Practice

Translate HIV-policy principles into practical organisational arrangements. Compare relevant national approaches and examine confidentiality, consent, non-discrimination and accountability. Distinguish policy analysis from legal advice and identify when specialist review is required.

Learning outcomes

• Analyse an HIV policy against its stated objectives and rights commitments.
• Draft a coherent workplace or organisational HIV policy.
• Identify privacy, consent and accountability requirements.
• Develop an implementation and review process with clear responsibilities.

Main topics

• National and regional HIV strategies
• Rights and non-discrimination
• Consent, confidentiality and health-data governance
• Workplace HIV policies and employee support
• Community participation and advocacy
• Policy implementation, complaints and review

Practical task

Draft an HIV policy for a fictional employer or community organisation. Provide a policy-gap analysis, a responsibilities table, confidential referral arrangements and a consultation plan. Cite the jurisdiction and date of each legal or policy source in your assessment submission.

Assessment

Submit the policy and implementation brief, followed by an individual case-based assessment. Assessment considers consistency, rights protection, contextual accuracy and practical accountability.

HIV Prevention, Treatment and Care Programme Coordination

Plan services supporting prevention, timely linkage to care and continuity of treatment. Examine person-centred service arrangements, referral pathways and the integration of HIV services with other health and social support. The focus is programme coordination, with clinical decisions remaining within qualified practitioners’ scope.

Learning outcomes

• Map a care pathway and identify avoidable access barriers.
• Develop a coordination plan linking clinical and community services.
• Explain how adherence support and referral systems contribute to continuity of care.
• Design a quality-improvement response within a programme manager’s responsibilities.

Main topics

• Combination prevention and testing pathways
• Linkage, retention and adherence support
• Prevention of vertical transmission and family support
• Coordination with TB, sexual and reproductive health services
• Mental health and noncommunicable disease integration
• Differentiated and community-based service delivery
• Medication-safety reporting and referral
• Service continuity and quality improvement

Practical task

Map a fictional HIV service pathway from initial contact to ongoing support. Identify three points where people risk losing access, then design a referral and follow-up improvement plan with responsibilities, safeguards and measurable service indicators.

Assessment

Submit the service map and improvement plan, and present a multidisciplinary case discussion. Assessment considers continuity, accessibility, appropriate professional boundaries and measurable improvement.

Stage 3: Programme leadership and evaluation

Leadership, Financing and Sustainable HIV Programmes

Manage the people, resources and partnerships needed for a sustainable HIV response. Connect ethical leadership and workforce support with realistic budgets, implementation plans and arrangements for maintaining essential services during funding or operational disruption.

Learning outcomes

• Develop a costed HIV programme implementation plan.
• Allocate responsibilities and identify workforce support needs.
• Compare financing options and their sustainability risks.
• Propose continuity measures and transparent accountability arrangements.

Main topics

• Ethical leadership and organisational culture
• Strategic planning and stakeholder partnerships
• Workforce support and employee assistance
• Programme costing and budget controls
• Procurement and supply continuity governance
• Resource mobilisation and funding transitions
• Risk management and service continuity
• Community accountability

Practical task

Prepare a one-year implementation and financing plan for a fictional workplace or community HIV programme. Include a budget with stated assumptions, a staffing and partnership plan, a risk register and a service-continuity scenario.

Assessment

Submit the management portfolio and defend a revised budget scenario. Assessment considers affordability, ethical judgement, operational coherence and the treatment of uncertainty.

Applied Research, Monitoring and Evaluation of HIV Programmes

Develop a feasible research and evaluation approach for an HIV programme. Connect a clear programme theory with appropriate measures, ethical data collection and careful interpretation. Integrate the preceding subjects in an evaluation-ready improvement proposal.

Learning outcomes

• Formulate a focused research or evaluation question.
• Justify methods suited to the question and available resources.
• Develop a monitoring framework with operational indicator definitions.
• Interpret findings without overstating causation.
• Produce an integrated programme improvement proposal and evaluation plan.

Main topics

• Research questions and critical evidence review
• Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods
• Theory of change and programme logic
• Indicators, baselines, targets and data quality
• Process, outcome and equity evaluation
• Ethics, consent and confidentiality
• Community-led monitoring
• Learning, reporting and use of findings

Practical task

Build a capstone dossier for one fictional or approved HIV programme. Include a short evidence review, theory of change, indicator matrix, research protocol, data-protection plan and a worked analysis using public aggregate or synthetic data. Integrate the policy, care-pathway and financing work completed earlier. Research involving people requires prior institutional approval and informed consent.

Assessment

Submit the capstone dossier and complete an individual oral presentation. Assessment considers methodological coherence, ethical safeguards, evidence quality, integration across subjects and practical use of findings.