HIV/AIDS In Sport : Impact, Issues & Challenges

Now you can sort through the many complex issues regarding HIV, AIDS, and sport with this definitive, multidisciplinary book. You'll learn the medical facts about HIV and AIDS and discover the important role you play in prevention and control of HIV. HIV/AIDS in Sport debunks common myths and enables you to establish standardized guidelines that take medical, ethical, and legal concerns into account.

With HIV/AIDS in Sport, you will learn:

-Epidemiological, immunological, and clinical aspects of HIV/AIDS

-How to deal with social, psychological, and legal issues regarding HIV/AIDS

-How to establish appropriate guidelines for testing

-Where to find resources including national and state organizations, hotlines, and websites
You will also learn the personal stories of high-profile athletes who have been afflicted with HIV, including Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Arthur Ashe, and Greg Louganis. This section—along with a personal account of a group of non-professional athletes who are living with HIV/AIDS—offers an evocative portrait of the emotional, social, and psychological dimensions of the disease from the perspective of both sports professionals and amateur athletes.

The book also explores a wide range of issues, including whether HIV-positive athletes should participate in sports, ethical decision making and policy implementation, the effects of HIV and exercise on the immune system, and legal issues. The book's resource section includes national organization contacts, state hotlines, and websites.

Drawing from the knowledge of experts in diverse disciplines including health, sports medicine, law, sociology, philosophy, and psychology, this concise book answers all your questions surrounding the complex relationship between sport and HIV/AIDS.

Gopal Sankaran, MD, DrPH, MNAMS, CHES, is a Professor of Public Health and Presidential Planning Fellow at West Chester University in West Chester, Pennsylvania. He is a physician, public health specialist, and health educator. He is board certified in Integrated Maternal and Child Health Care, an inducted member of the National Academy of Medical Sciences, India, and a Certified Health Education Specialist.

Dr. Sankaran has worked as a consultant with the World Health Organization in Geneva in the Global Programme on AIDS and with PLAN International and Childreach on international HIV/AIDS prevention and control projects. He has received grants to research knowledge, attitudes, and practices of high school students, college students, and university faculty regarding HIV/AIDS. He has published several articles in professional journals and has made numerous presentations on the topic at national, state, and local professional conferences.

Dr. Sankaran has a doctor of medicine degree from All India Institute of Medical Sciences and a master's and doctoral degree in public health from the University of California at Berkeley.

Karin A.E. Volkwein, PhD, is Associate Professor of Philosophy/History/Sociology of Sport and Physical Education in the Department of Kinesiology at West Chester University. During the summers, she is a standing visiting professor at the German Sport University in Cologne, Germany.

Dr. Volkwein's research and teaching in the areas of sport philosophy, history, and sociology are based on an interdisciplinary approach with a cross-cultural comparative focus. Her research outcomes have been disseminated widely through numerous presentations, journal articles, and book chapters. She has served as guest editor for the Social Science Review Special Issue on Sport Philosophy—1996 and is the editor of the book Fitness as Cultural Phenomenon (1997) from Waxmann Verlag. She has received numerous research grants and awards. Her main research efforts are HIV and sport, sexual harassment in sport, and cross-cultural comparison of the fitness movement.

Dr. Volkwein has served in various professional societies, such as the Philosophic Society of the Study of Sport and the Club of Cologne and is past chair of the Academy of Sport Philosophy under the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.

Dale R. Bonsall, MEd, is Associate Professor for Coaching and Pedagogy in the Department of Kinesiology at West Chester University. Professor Bonsall has contributed to several publications on the topic of HIV and sport and has presented in local and national conventions on these topics. He has been involved in wrestling as an athlete or coach for more than 30 years. He has worked with elite athletes of the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team and conducted numerous clinics in folkstyle and freestyle wrestling.