The University of Pretoria (UP) established the Centre for the Study of AIDS (CSA) in 1999 to “mainstream” HIV/AIDS through all aspects of University’s core business activities. Its mission was to understand the complexities of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa and to develop effective ways of ensuring that all the students and staff of the University are prepared both professionally and personally to deal with HIV and AIDS as it unfolds in South African society.
Since that time, the CSA has continued to develop its training, educational, counselling and research programmes. The CSA further promotes a holistic understanding of HIV/AIDS, where it is not simply seen as a pure medical issue, but as a social, medical, developmental and legal one.