Alfonso Silva-Santiesteban
Biographic Data
| ID | 2197930 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Alfonso Silva-Santiesteban |
| GIVEN NAMES | Alfonso |
| FAMILY NAME | Silva-Santiesteban |
| SIGNATURE | SILVA-SANTIESTEBAN A |
| AFFILIATIONS | Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-7225-3515 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 30 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 4 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 30 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2010 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Navigating sexual and reproductive health among Venezuelan women sex workers in Peru
Migration to Peru from Venezuela has reshaped engagement in informal labour for many women who turn to sex work as a survival strategy amid legal precarity and systemic exclusion. Yet little is known about how migrant sex workers navigate sexual and reproductive health (SRH) in this context. In 2023, we conducted 34 semi-structured interviews with Venezuelan migrant cisgender women sex workers living in Lima, Peru. Interviews explored migration t…
“We live at the crossroads”
Lifetime homelessness among young transgender women in Lima, Peru is associated with HIV vulnerability
Transgender youth face disproportionately high rates of homelessness, which can increase vulnerability to HIV. In Peru, the incidence of HIV among transgender women has increased 19% since 2010 and young transgender women are a priority population for HIV prevention. We sought to estimate the proportion of young transgender women experiencing homelessness and associations between homelessness and HIV vulnerabilities. We recruited transgender wome…
Post-migration sexual health and pleasure among gay and bisexual venezuelan migrant men in Lima, Peru
This paper explores how migration (re)shapes the sexual lives of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM) from Venezuela now living in Lima, Peru. While global public health discourses have predominantly framed GBM migrant sexualities through narratives of risk, especially in relation to HIV, this study draws attention to the dynamic interplay between pleasure and vulnerability in post-migration sexuality. Based on five focus grou…
Design and pilot evaluation of a brief intervention to reduce transphobia and improve attitudes of government officials to address legal gender affirmation needs of transgender people in Peru
Legal gender affirmation – legal name and gender marker change – is an important health-promoting health determinant for transgender people. In Peru, the state's failure to universally recognize transgender people’s legal identity limits standardized legal affirmation procedures, including the paucity of government officials trained in gender affirmation strategies. This project, in partnership with Registro Nacional de Identificación y Estado Ci…
Nos trata por igual, nos guía»
Motivation for the study. In Peru, men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TW) present low levels of linkage to HIV medical care, which is crucial to consider it a chronic disease, guarantee a healthy life and prevent transmission. Main findings. We implemented a program with specialized personnel called peer navigators, which helped MSM and TW to identify personal strengths and become autonomous within a fragmented and unfriendly …
The “Cycle” of HIV
Globally, transgender women (TW) face a high burden of the HIV epidemic. In Peru, HIV prevalence among TW rises at age 25, indicating a need to understand HIV vulnerability as adolescents reach adulthood. The life course of TW is often marked by abuse, discrimination and poverty fueled by transphobic stigma. Approaches to the HIV epidemic among TW and adolescents emphasize problem behaviors such as unprotected sex and substance. However, there ha…
Covid-19 violence and the re-making of urban space through solidarity networks among transgender women in Lima, Peru
From risk factors to disease situations
The goal of this qualitative research study, part of an interdisciplinary project, was to understand the overlapping geographical distribution of COVID-19 and tuberculosis burden in Lima. Using an ethnographic approach, we applied the concept of disease situations to explore how inhabitants' social and spatial situatedness affected their capacity to respond to the pandemic. Our results show that for some populations in Lima, the risk to develop C…
A Rapid Ethnography to Inform a Biobehavioural HIV Preventions Study Among Venezuelan Migrant Sex Workers in Peru
The Venezuelan refugee crisis has triggered Latin America's largest mass migration, displacing over a fifth of the country's population. A significant number of migrants have sought refuge in neighboring countries like Peru. Within this context, Venezuelan migrants confront an array of vulnerabilities, including xenophobia and economic hardship, which have compelled some to sex work for their livelihoods. Venezuelan sex workers (VSWs) in Peru fac…
Contributing factors for self-reported HIV in male Peruvian inmates
Introduction: Worldwide, prisons are high-risk settings for the transmission of infectious diseases such as HIV. There is a need to understand the health conditions of prisoners to improve and implement timely strategies for HIV diagnosis and control. Hence, we aimed to identify factors associated with self-reported HIV (srHIV) among Peruvian inmates. Methods: This study is a secondary data analysis of the First Peruvian Prison Census conducted i…
Covid-19 vaccine equity and the right to health for displaced Venezuelans in Latin America
Given the magnitude of Venezuelan displacement in Latin America, there is a need to assess how migrants were, and will continue to be, addressed in COVID-19 vaccination policies. To explore migration status as a dimension of vaccine equity in Latin America and in relation to international human rights, we assessed national vaccination plans, peer-reviewed, and gray literature published between January 2020 and June 2021. Three key rights-related …
Intersectional stigma and the arc of intranational migration
Findings advance understandings of intranational migration and forced displacement as key determinants of trans women's health. Dimensions of violence at the intersection of classism and cisgenderism render trans women highly vulnerable at every step of their migratory journeys. Experiences of intranational mobility and relocation were described as uniquely tied to age, intersectional transphobic stigma, engagement in sex work, and multiple forms…
Políticas públicas dirigidas al acceso de vacunación de Covid-19 para migrantes en situación irregular
El presente artículo tiene como objetivo describir y analizar las políticas públicas para el acceso a la vacunación contra el COVID-19 para migrantes con estatus migratorio irregular en seis países donde se concentra cerca del 80% de la población venezolana migrante: Argentina, Brasil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador y Perú. Llevamos a cabo un análisis desde un marco de interseccionalidad para delinear el problema, examinar cómo se desarrollaron las pol…
Exploring Contextual Differences for Sexual Role Strain Among Transgender Women and Men Who Have Sex with Men in Lima, Peru
The Peruvian Covid-19 vaccine scandal and re-thinking the path to public trust
In February 2021, the Peruvian 'vaccinegate' scandal broke when the media reported that nearly 500 experimental doses of an ongoing COVID-19 trial were given to key individuals not enrolled in the trial. Indeed, vaccine doses were administered to leading politicians, such as the former President and his wife, and other high-level health officials and academic leaders at the universities overseeing ethical compliance and administration of the tria…
Vaccines for all? A rapid scoping review of Covid-19 vaccine access for Venezuelan migrants in Latin America
Findings presented underscore the extreme complexity and associated variability of providing access to COVID-19 vaccines for Venezuelan migrants across Latin America. By querying the timely question of how migrants and specifically Venezuelan migrants access vaccinations findings contribute to efforts to both more equitably respond to COVID-19 and prepare for future pandemics in the context of displaced populations. These are intersectional and e…
Social Network Organization, Structure, and Patterns of Influence Within a Community of Transgender Women in Lima, Peru
Perceived Barriers and Facilitators to Integrating HIV Prevention and Treatment with Cross-Sex Hormone Therapy for Transgender Women in Lima, Peru
Proyecto Orgullo’, an HIV prevention, empowerment and community mobilisation intervention for gay men and transgender women in Callao/Lima, Peru
We used qualitative, quantitative, and observational methods to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and potential efficacy of Proyecto Orgullo (PO), a pilot community mobilisation intervention to decrease sexual risk, promote health-seeking behaviours, and facilitate personal and community empowerment among gay men (GM) and transgender women (TW) in Peru. PO was adapted from Mpowerment and Hermanos de Luna y Sol, two US interventions. PO inclu…
You should build yourself up as a whole product’
Transgender women in Lima, Peru have, until recently, been grouped together with gay and bisexual men in the category MSM, or men who have sex with men, with little consideration of their unique situation and needs. Transgender women, self-identified in Peru as travesti, are a socially vulnerable population with many unmet health needs, including an HIV prevalence of 30%. Understanding specific transgender identities and their contexts will contr…
Partner-Level Factors Associated with Insertive and Receptive Condomless Anal Intercourse Among Transgender Women in Lima, Peru
HIV Status Communication with Sex Partners and Associated Factors Among High-Risk MSM and Transgender Women in Lima, Peru
Mind the gap
Sampling strategies such as respondent-driven sampling (RDS) and time-location sampling (TLS) offer unique opportunities to access key populations such as men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women. Limited work has assessed implementation challenges of these methods. Overcoming implementation challenges can improve research quality and increase uptake of HIV services among key populations. Drawing from studies using RDS in Brazil and …
HIV risk and preventive interventions in transgender women sex workers
Vaccines for all? A rapid scoping review of Covid-19 vaccine access for Venezuelan migrants in Latin America
Findings presented underscore the extreme complexity and associated variability of providing access to COVID-19 vaccines for Venezuelan migrants across Latin America. By querying the timely question of how migrants and specifically Venezuelan migrants access vaccinations findings contribute to efforts to both more equitably respond to COVID-19 and prepare for future pandemics in the context of displaced populations. These are intersectional and e…
Mind the gap
Sampling strategies such as respondent-driven sampling (RDS) and time-location sampling (TLS) offer unique opportunities to access key populations such as men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women. Limited work has assessed implementation challenges of these methods. Overcoming implementation challenges can improve research quality and increase uptake of HIV services among key populations. Drawing from studies using RDS in Brazil and …
Implementation effects of GFATM-supported HIV/Aids projects on the health sector, civil society and affected communities in Peru 2004–2007
The emergence of opportunities for support from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) for HIV-related projects has so far generated funding of over US$75 million for three proposals in Peru. The size of this investment creates the need for close monitoring to ensure a reasonable impact. This paper describes the effects of collaboration with the GFATM on key actors involved in HIV-related activities and on decision-making…
Understanding the HIV/Aids Epidemic in Transgender Women of Lima, Peru
Determinants of unequal HIV care access among people living with HIV in Peru
BACKGROUND: Equity in access to health care among people living with HIV (PLHA) has not been extensively studied in Peru despite the fact there is significant social diversity within this group. We aimed to assess the extent to which health care provision to PLHA, including ARVT, was equitable and, if appropriate, identify factors associated with lower access. METHODS: We conducted a survey among adult PLHA in four cities in Peru, recruited throu…
Sampling Methodologies for Epidemiologic Surveillance of Men Who Have Sex with Men and Transgender Women in Latin America
An Empirical Examination of Respondent Driven Sampling Design Effects Among HIV Risk Groups from Studies Conducted Around the World
HIV risk and preventive interventions in transgender women sex workers
Proyecto Orgullo’, an HIV prevention, empowerment and community mobilisation intervention for gay men and transgender women in Callao/Lima, Peru
We used qualitative, quantitative, and observational methods to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and potential efficacy of Proyecto Orgullo (PO), a pilot community mobilisation intervention to decrease sexual risk, promote health-seeking behaviours, and facilitate personal and community empowerment among gay men (GM) and transgender women (TW) in Peru. PO was adapted from Mpowerment and Hermanos de Luna y Sol, two US interventions. PO inclu…
You should build yourself up as a whole product’
Transgender women in Lima, Peru have, until recently, been grouped together with gay and bisexual men in the category MSM, or men who have sex with men, with little consideration of their unique situation and needs. Transgender women, self-identified in Peru as travesti, are a socially vulnerable population with many unmet health needs, including an HIV prevalence of 30%. Understanding specific transgender identities and their contexts will contr…
Partner-Level Factors Associated with Insertive and Receptive Condomless Anal Intercourse Among Transgender Women in Lima, Peru
HIV Status Communication with Sex Partners and Associated Factors Among High-Risk MSM and Transgender Women in Lima, Peru
Mind the gap
Sampling strategies such as respondent-driven sampling (RDS) and time-location sampling (TLS) offer unique opportunities to access key populations such as men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women. Limited work has assessed implementation challenges of these methods. Overcoming implementation challenges can improve research quality and increase uptake of HIV services among key populations. Drawing from studies using RDS in Brazil and …
Perceived Barriers and Facilitators to Integrating HIV Prevention and Treatment with Cross-Sex Hormone Therapy for Transgender Women in Lima, Peru
Social Network Organization, Structure, and Patterns of Influence Within a Community of Transgender Women in Lima, Peru
The Peruvian Covid-19 vaccine scandal and re-thinking the path to public trust
In February 2021, the Peruvian 'vaccinegate' scandal broke when the media reported that nearly 500 experimental doses of an ongoing COVID-19 trial were given to key individuals not enrolled in the trial. Indeed, vaccine doses were administered to leading politicians, such as the former President and his wife, and other high-level health officials and academic leaders at the universities overseeing ethical compliance and administration of the tria…
Vaccines for all? A rapid scoping review of Covid-19 vaccine access for Venezuelan migrants in Latin America
Findings presented underscore the extreme complexity and associated variability of providing access to COVID-19 vaccines for Venezuelan migrants across Latin America. By querying the timely question of how migrants and specifically Venezuelan migrants access vaccinations findings contribute to efforts to both more equitably respond to COVID-19 and prepare for future pandemics in the context of displaced populations. These are intersectional and e…
Exploring Contextual Differences for Sexual Role Strain Among Transgender Women and Men Who Have Sex with Men in Lima, Peru
Contributing factors for self-reported HIV in male Peruvian inmates
Introduction: Worldwide, prisons are high-risk settings for the transmission of infectious diseases such as HIV. There is a need to understand the health conditions of prisoners to improve and implement timely strategies for HIV diagnosis and control. Hence, we aimed to identify factors associated with self-reported HIV (srHIV) among Peruvian inmates. Methods: This study is a secondary data analysis of the First Peruvian Prison Census conducted i…
Covid-19 vaccine equity and the right to health for displaced Venezuelans in Latin America
Given the magnitude of Venezuelan displacement in Latin America, there is a need to assess how migrants were, and will continue to be, addressed in COVID-19 vaccination policies. To explore migration status as a dimension of vaccine equity in Latin America and in relation to international human rights, we assessed national vaccination plans, peer-reviewed, and gray literature published between January 2020 and June 2021. Three key rights-related …
Intersectional stigma and the arc of intranational migration
Findings advance understandings of intranational migration and forced displacement as key determinants of trans women's health. Dimensions of violence at the intersection of classism and cisgenderism render trans women highly vulnerable at every step of their migratory journeys. Experiences of intranational mobility and relocation were described as uniquely tied to age, intersectional transphobic stigma, engagement in sex work, and multiple forms…
Políticas públicas dirigidas al acceso de vacunación de Covid-19 para migrantes en situación irregular
El presente artículo tiene como objetivo describir y analizar las políticas públicas para el acceso a la vacunación contra el COVID-19 para migrantes con estatus migratorio irregular en seis países donde se concentra cerca del 80% de la población venezolana migrante: Argentina, Brasil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador y Perú. Llevamos a cabo un análisis desde un marco de interseccionalidad para delinear el problema, examinar cómo se desarrollaron las pol…
Design and pilot evaluation of a brief intervention to reduce transphobia and improve attitudes of government officials to address legal gender affirmation needs of transgender people in Peru
Legal gender affirmation – legal name and gender marker change – is an important health-promoting health determinant for transgender people. In Peru, the state's failure to universally recognize transgender people’s legal identity limits standardized legal affirmation procedures, including the paucity of government officials trained in gender affirmation strategies. This project, in partnership with Registro Nacional de Identificación y Estado Ci…
Nos trata por igual, nos guía»
Motivation for the study. In Peru, men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TW) present low levels of linkage to HIV medical care, which is crucial to consider it a chronic disease, guarantee a healthy life and prevent transmission. Main findings. We implemented a program with specialized personnel called peer navigators, which helped MSM and TW to identify personal strengths and become autonomous within a fragmented and unfriendly …
The “Cycle” of HIV
Globally, transgender women (TW) face a high burden of the HIV epidemic. In Peru, HIV prevalence among TW rises at age 25, indicating a need to understand HIV vulnerability as adolescents reach adulthood. The life course of TW is often marked by abuse, discrimination and poverty fueled by transphobic stigma. Approaches to the HIV epidemic among TW and adolescents emphasize problem behaviors such as unprotected sex and substance. However, there ha…
Covid-19 violence and the re-making of urban space through solidarity networks among transgender women in Lima, Peru
From risk factors to disease situations
The goal of this qualitative research study, part of an interdisciplinary project, was to understand the overlapping geographical distribution of COVID-19 and tuberculosis burden in Lima. Using an ethnographic approach, we applied the concept of disease situations to explore how inhabitants' social and spatial situatedness affected their capacity to respond to the pandemic. Our results show that for some populations in Lima, the risk to develop C…
Medicine (26 works) · HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions (18 works) · Public health (16 works) · Psychology (15 works) · Transgender (15 works) · Family medicine (14 works) · Political science (14 works) · Sex work and related issues (14 works) · Sociology (14 works) · Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV (11 works)