STANFORD, Calif. — AIDS is not just a virus but also a social, economic and political force to be reckoned with. Peter Piot, MD, PhD, one of the world’s leading AIDS experts, has long recognized that science alone cannot bring an end to the epidemic.

Why AIDS is “More than a Virus” is the subject of a special event March 11 featuring Piot, former director of the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The program is the second in a new series, the Stanford Health Policy Forum. Piot will be interviewed by Paul Costello, executive director of the school’s Office of Communication & Public Affairs.

“Dr. Piot is a thoughtful, experienced and humane policymaker — exactly the kind of speaker we hoped to attract when we started the policy forum series,” said Keith Humphreys, PhD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and an organizer of the forum.

A native of Belgium, Piot is a physician and microbiologist who co-discovered the Ebola virus in Zaire in 1976. He was among the first scientists to foresee the AIDS crisis when he visited Zaire in the 1980s and saw hundreds of ailing men and women — the first indication that this still-mysterious disease was transmitted heterosexually, as well as homosexually. He established a series of programs in Africa that laid the foundation for understanding HIV infection on the continent.

In 1995, he became director of UNAIDS, encouraging world leaders to view AIDS in the context of social and economic development, as well as security. He stepped down from the U.N. job in 2008. He is currently serving as a top adviser on global health strategy at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

“Peter’s leadership at UNAIDS has been characterized by his deep understanding of the science as well as the social, political and human-rights issues that are central to HIV/AIDS policy. He’s made enormous contributions, and we have much to learn from him,” said Douglas Owens, MD, a professor of medicine and of health research and policy who studies HIV/AIDS.

The program will be held from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Clark Center auditorium. Piot will be interviewed for the first half of the program, followed by questions from the audience. Humphreys will serve as moderator, together with Philip Pizzo, MD, dean of the medical school.

The program is free and open to the public, though space is limited and a reservation is required. To request a seat, visit www.stanfordtickets.org online or call the ticket office at (650) 725-2787. The health policy forum is sponsored by the Dean’s Office in the medical school.