"I will not lower my voice": Experiences from trans and gender-diverse communities

Senior Advisor, Transgender Law Center, Former San Francisco Health Commissioner. Led the Board of San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Celebration, chaired the San Francisco Human Rights Commission, has served on WHO’s Women Living with HIV Advisory Council & UNAIDS’ NGO PCB Delegation (2022-2024).

Ines Aristegui,  is co-Director of the Interdisciplinary Research Division at Fundación Huésped in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She holds a PhD in Psychology from the University of Groningen (The Netherlands). Her research work focuses on understanding the psychosocial and structural factors that drive health inequities in vulnerable populations.

Senior Advisor, Transgender Law Center, Former San Francisco Health Commissioner. Led the Board of San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Celebration, chaired the San Francisco Human Rights Commission, has served on WHO’s Women Living with HIV Advisory Council & UNAIDS’ NGO PCB Delegation (2022-2024).

Ines Aristegui,  is co-Director of the Interdisciplinary Research Division at Fundación Huésped in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She holds a PhD in Psychology from the University of Groningen (The Netherlands). Her research work focuses on understanding the psychosocial and structural factors that drive health inequities in vulnerable populations.

Dr. Erin Cooney is a social and behavioral public health researcher and faculty in the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Cooney completed her doctoral training in qualitative and quantitative research methods at the Bloomberg School as a Ruth L. Kirschstein Fellow supported by the National Institutes of Health. She has led and contributed to research focused on the HIV prevention needs of transgender women, with an emphasis on leveraging social determinants of health to optimize pre-exposure prophylaxis efficacy and address inequities in health outcomes among and within communities of transgender women. 

Education


Master of Public Health, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (2016 – 2018)
Bachelor of Public Health, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (2008 – 2012)


Professional Experience


Lecturer, Epidemiology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (Dec 2023 - Present)
Researcher, Center for Applied Research on Men and Community Health (CARMAH), Vietnam (Oct 2022 – Present)
Researcher Fellow, Yonsei University, South Korea (May 2024 – Oct 2024)
Quality Manager, Pham Ngoc Thach Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (Feb 2019 - Oct 2023)
Data Team Leader, Pham Ngoc Thach Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (Dec 2012 - Jan 2019)


Research Interests


HIV Epidemiology and Health Equity: the dynamics of HIV, stigma, and substance use among key populations in Vietnam.
Advanced Methodologies: Combining behavioral and genomic epidemiology with statistical modeling to analyze complex health issues.

Public health researcher (SESSTIM, Marseille, France), working on HIV and sexual health, especially neglected and bridging populations and the role of violence in the epidemics, in the Global South.

Am a Nairobi based Community Paralegal, Social Media Manager, and Tour Consultant passionate about human rights, filmmaking, and community development, with experience in advocacy and storytelling.

Senior Advisor, Transgender Law Center, Former San Francisco Health Commissioner. Led the Board of San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Celebration, chaired the San Francisco Human Rights Commission, has served on WHO’s Women Living with HIV Advisory Council & UNAIDS’ NGO PCB Delegation (2022-2024).

Public health researcher (SESSTIM, Marseille, France), working on HIV and sexual health, especially neglected and bridging populations and the role of violence in the epidemics, in the Global South.

Ines Aristegui,  is co-Director of the Interdisciplinary Research Division at Fundación Huésped in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She holds a PhD in Psychology from the University of Groningen (The Netherlands). Her research work focuses on understanding the psychosocial and structural factors that drive health inequities in vulnerable populations.

Dr. Erin Cooney is a social and behavioral public health researcher and faculty in the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Cooney completed her doctoral training in qualitative and quantitative research methods at the Bloomberg School as a Ruth L. Kirschstein Fellow supported by the National Institutes of Health. She has led and contributed to research focused on the HIV prevention needs of transgender women, with an emphasis on leveraging social determinants of health to optimize pre-exposure prophylaxis efficacy and address inequities in health outcomes among and within communities of transgender women. 

Education


Master of Public Health, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (2016 – 2018)
Bachelor of Public Health, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (2008 – 2012)


Professional Experience


Lecturer, Epidemiology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (Dec 2023 - Present)
Researcher, Center for Applied Research on Men and Community Health (CARMAH), Vietnam (Oct 2022 – Present)
Researcher Fellow, Yonsei University, South Korea (May 2024 – Oct 2024)
Quality Manager, Pham Ngoc Thach Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (Feb 2019 - Oct 2023)
Data Team Leader, Pham Ngoc Thach Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (Dec 2012 - Jan 2019)


Research Interests


HIV Epidemiology and Health Equity: the dynamics of HIV, stigma, and substance use among key populations in Vietnam.
Advanced Methodologies: Combining behavioral and genomic epidemiology with statistical modeling to analyze complex health issues.

Am a Nairobi based Community Paralegal, Social Media Manager, and Tour Consultant passionate about human rights, filmmaking, and community development, with experience in advocacy and storytelling.