Global Projects
Striving for equity in trans health and social justice has no boundaries.
Kathmandu, Nepal
We work with Ms. Manisha Dhakal, a trans rights leader, and Executive Director of the Blue Diamond Society, the first and largest non-governmental organization in Nepal to serve the LGBT population and a leader in advocating for and prioritizing HIV prevention and care needs in the region. Together, we have implemented Sweekar, the largest health study of 200 trans women in Nepal.
Nanjing, China
Working with Dr. Hongjing Yan and her team at the Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, we have conducted the first health study of trans women in Nanjing, China. This respondent-driven sampling (RDS) study recruited 200 trans women, demonstrating the diversity, magic and strength of trans women in China. In this study, we found an HIV prevalence of 14.8%, and nearly 1 out of 4 trans women living with HIV were unaware of their serostatus.
São Paulo, Brazil
Partnering with Dr. Maria Amelia Mascena de Veras (Trans*National Co-Investigator) and the medical school of Santa Casa in São Paulo, we have conducted the largest health study of trans women in Brazil. Dr. Veras and her team of scholars at NUDHES and human rights leaders have recruited almost 800 trans women in the Brazil site of the Trans*National Study. In this landmark study, we hope to center trans health as a human right.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Working with Dr. Beatriz Grinsztejn and her team at FIOCRUZ (or the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation), we helped to conduct the first respondent-driven sampling study of trans women in Brazil. Currently, we are developing and testing an intervention for young trans women ages 18-24 years old in Brazil called Brilho e Transcender (BeT, or Shine and Transcend). BeT is a digital systems navigation intervention utilizing peers to address stigma in the health care setting and youth-specific barriers to HIV prevention and care.