The War Against AIDS on the African Front

By Emmerson Jean-Philippe

Dr. Deborah Jones, Associate Professor of Psychology, has been researching and educating others on the effects of the HIV/AIDS virus.

Twice a year, she visits Zambia to conduct research funded by the National Institute of Health. A major problem in the war against AIDS is poverty. According to Dr. Jones, “Poverty affects everything. It predicts a lack of treatment, medication, and diagnosis of the disease. It predicts less education and knowledge of its effects as well.”

Dr. Jones’ work in Zambia is two-fold: infrastructure building and behavior modification. The infrastructure building focuses on increasing Zambian research by establishing training facilities, teaching the Zambian professionals and providing some of the equipment needed for ongoing HIV/AIDS research in Zambia. The behavior modification aspect emphasizes teaching Zambian men and women the techniques needed to prevent the disease. By giving Zambian researchers the opportunity to study and understand HIV/AIDS, they can help the general Zambian population increase their awareness and their efforts to engage in measures of HIV prevention. In this regard, Dr. Jones and her colleagues are giving Zambians the weapon of education needed to fight the war against HIV/AIDS.

Dr. Jones is also involved in related HIV/AIDS research in South Florida, at the University of Miami. She assists in the development and implementation of various treatments and interventions for infected persons. Furthermore, Dr. Jones works through the University of Alabama on a grant project involving the creation of a microbiocide for women that would prevent the transmission of the HIV virus during sex.

Dr. Deborah Jones is fighting against the HIV/AIDS epidemic around the world. She is involved in educating Zambian men and women on HIV/AIDS awareness, promoting measures of prevention, and working to develop a microbiocide that would prevent the transmission of the AIDS virus during sexual intercourse.
For more information, contact Dr. Jones at DLJones@mail.barry.edu.

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