Local Projects
San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Social Epidemiological Studies
The TEACH (Transfemales Empowered to Advance Community Health) Study is San Francisco’s local effort to gather up-to-date and representative health data among trans women. Topics include, but are not limited to: HIV, HCV, mental health, substance use, discrimination and violence, access to health care, and other health disparities. TEACH studies have been conducted in 2010 (TEACH 1), 2013 (TEACH 1), 2016 (TEACH 3), and 2019 (TEACH 4).
The SHINE Study is the first longitudinal study of risk and resilience among young trans women (aged 16-24) in the San Francisco Bay Area. We spoke to 300 young trans women and learned much about the unique health inequities they face.
The Stripe Study is the largest study of adult trans men in the San Francisco Bay Area. Leveraging both respondent-driven sampling (RDS) and time-location sampling (TLS), we deveoped and implemented a new hybrid sampling approach called starfish sampling and recruited 122 trans men.
The Trans*National Study is the world's largest health study of trans women. We developed longitudinal cohorts in the San Francisco Bay Area and in Sao Paulo, Brazil and a cross-sectional study in Nanjing, China. We spoke to and surveyed more than 400 trans women in the San Francisco Bay Area, almost 800 trans women in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and 200 trans women in Nanjing, China.
The Partners Study is a unique study examining the romantic and sexual relationships that trans women have with cisgender men and other trans women. This study is currenty recruiting 300 participants throughout the state of California to understand what the diversity of relationships that trans women have and what factors influence health.
Intervention Studies
The Brandy Martell Project is a legal empowerment intervention consisting of group-based workshops and free access to a legal services to improve linkage, retention and engagement in HIV care among trans women of color living with HIV. We partnered with TransVision at Tri-City Health Center. This HRSA-funded Special Project of National Significance was named after Brandy Martell, a black trans woman, advocate, and TransVision employee who was murdered in 2012.
Health eNav is a mobile health (mHealth) intervention to support linkage, retention, and engagement in HIV care among young people living with HIV (YPLWH). Leveraging the power of text messaging, Health eNav connects YPWLH with their own digital HIV care navigator - there for you outside of the clinic, outside of business hours, and when you need support and care most.
The STAY study is one of the first PrEP demonstration projects to focus solely on the trans and nonbinary community in the San Francisco Bay Area. We worked with 5 clinical sites - Tri-City Health Center (Fremont, CA), San Francisco Community Health Center, Castro Mission Health Center, Tom Waddell Urban Health Center, and Bridge HIV - to expand PrEP access and support trans and nonbinary folx’s PrEP-specific needs.
mSN is a pilot study using implementation science to test a mHealth systems navigation navigation intervention to improve access to mental health and substance use services for trans women living with HIV in San Francisco. We are partnering with the longest standing trans health in the country - Trans Tuesdays - to improve the health of trans women in our city.
Research 4 Action, Accountability, and Advocacy
Research is the act of producing new knowledge; and knowledge is critcial to achieving equity and justice in society. We believe that research should be applied, utilized, and leveraged to take action, hold organizations and structures accountable to the community, and to advocate for equity and trans rights. Below are some of the projects and on-going partnerships we cultivate to ensure that our work has real-world impact in communities.
TAJA’s Coalition is a San Francisco Bay Area coalition of trans-serving community-based organizations and trans women of color leaders working to end the genocide of trans women of color. TAJA’s Coalition was founded in response to the brutal murder of Taja DeJesus.
CA State Office of AIDS Partnership
in California
San Francisco Annual HIV Epidemiology Report
Key insights and data from our research are included in our annual HIV epidemiology reports to help drive more responsive public health funding to trans-led community-based organizations (CBOs) and other CBOs serving trans people.
#HouseLivesMatter
House Lives Matter is a community organizing and mobilization initiative created for and by the House Ball Community (HBC), comprised of sexal and gender minority people of color. Dr. Arayasirikul serves as a Planning Committee member. We plan national leadership convenings and local direct action campaigns to get out the vote, protest the murder of trans people of color in the HBC, and more.