Ongoing projects

Access, Use, and Management of PrEP for HIV Prevention: A Comparative Approach between South America and Western Europe

Project type: Research (post-doctoral studies abroad)
Author: Kris Herik de Oliveira; André Luiz Machado das Neves; Fay Dennis
Summary: This comparative research investigates experiences of access, use, and management of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention in South American and Western European countries. Using a qualitative approach and an ethnographic basis in health, the study analyzes public policies, experiences of PrEP users, and practices of health professionals, combining document analysis, participant observation, and semi-structured interviews. Fieldwork focuses on the city of London, United Kingdom, and seeks to broaden the international dialogue on HIV prevention strategies, contributing to more equitable and people-centered approaches.
Funding: National Council for Scientific and Technological Development – CNPq (Overseas Postdoctoral Fellowship)

"Giving medication to bums so they can have sex without a condom?": PrEP at the HIV/AIDS Reference Center in Campinas/SP in the post-pandemic era.

Project type: Master's degree
Author: Luiá Bolonha Nunes
Supervision: Taniele Rui
Co-supervision: Kris Oliveira
Summary: Based on ethnography and interviews, this study analyzes moral, political, and economic tensions surrounding PrEP in a referral center. It discusses biomedicalization, the implementation of new preventive strategies, and institutional disputes in the post-pandemic context.
Funding: CNPq – Bolsa DTI-B (PrEP América do Sul)

From Body to Screen: Contemporary Transformations of Sex Work in Brazil

Project type: Doctorate
Author: Carolina Bonomi
Supervision: Angela Carneiro Araujo
Co-supervision: Adriana Piscitelli
Summary: This study analyzes the transformations of sex work in Brazil after the pandemic, focusing on platformization. Using in-person and digital ethnography, it investigates strategies of care, visibility, and survival in the face of technological and moral controls.
Funding: CNPq (PhD scholarship until 2022); currently CNPq – DTI-B Fellowship (PrEP South America).

Experiences of PrEP use for HIV among cisgender and transgender women

Project type: Master's degree
Author: Catarina Valentim Vieira da Motta
General Coordination Ivia Maksud
Summary: Qualitative research investigating the experiences of PrEP use by cisgender and transgender women from an intersectional perspective (race, class, generation, gender, and sexuality). It seeks to understand barriers, perceptions, and impacts on prevention, contributing to the improvement of public policies and the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS).
Funding: FAPERJ – Bolsa Mestrado Nota 10

Speaking about AIDS: debate and information in squares, streets and networks.

Project type: University outreach project
General Coordination Mónica Franch; Luziana Silva
Authors: Lídia Aires; Gabriel Cavalcante; Francisco Neto; Akim de Paula Souza; Maio Spellman; Wertton Matias; Marçal Henrique Costa; Beatriz Costa; Rubem Neto; Guilherme Pinto
Summary: This is an outreach project from UFPB (since 2020) focused on combating stigma and promoting information about HIV/AIDS. It operates on social media and through workshops and dialogue sessions, connecting social movements, administrators, healthcare professionals, and people living with HIV.
Funding: UFPB – Pró-Reitoria de Extensão
Link: https://www.instagram.com/falandosobreaids/

PrEP in border territories: knowledge, practices, and narratives among medical students on the border with Bolivia and Paraguay.

Project type: Postdoctoral research in Social Anthropology
Author: Marco Aurélio de Almeida Soares
Supervision: Guilherme Rodrigues Passamani
Summary: Analyzes knowledge and practices related to PrEP among Brazilian medical students trained in Bolivia and Paraguay. It discusses transnational circulation, inequalities, and tensions between medical training and public health policies in a border context.
Funding: —

Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention in the Metropolitan Region of Belém: an ethnography of access, use, and management.

Project type: Scientific Initiation
General Coordination Milton Ribeiro
Authors: Kaynan M. C. Carvalho; Quézia O. Fernandes; Stephan L. S. de Matos; Mateus S. Sampaio
Summary: Ethnography on access, use, and management of PrEP in the Metropolitan Region of Belém. Includes participant observation in services, document analysis, and interviews with users and managers, integrating the international PrEP South America project.
Funding: FAPESPA (2024–2025)

Sexuality, biomedical technologies for HIV/AIDS prevention, and public health policies: the case of PrEP implementation in Rio Grande do Norte.

Project type: Institutional research
Author: Carlos Guilherme Octaviano do Valle
Summary: This study analyzes the social and cultural effects of PrEP implementation in Rio Grande do Norte, focusing on the management of sexuality, risk, and the redefinition of intimacy through the use of biomedical technologies. It highlights processes of subjectivation and identity formation related to the incorporation of PrEP into daily life.
Funding: UFRN (bolsas de IC – 2019/2023)

Uma etnografia sobre a PrEP na fronteira do Brasil com a Bolívia

Project type: Research Productivity Grant
General Coordination Guilherme Rodrigues Passamani
Summary: Ethnographic research on the implementation and use of PrEP in cities on the Brazil-Bolivia border (MS, MT, RO, AC). It analyzes regional inequalities, cross-border mobility, and challenges for equitable prevention strategies.
Funding: CNPq

An ethnography on PrEP in the pulp and paper industry in Mato Grosso do Sul

Project type: Research
General Coordination Guilherme Rodrigues Passamani
Authors: Esmael A. Oliveira; Gabriel L. P. Nolasco; André L. M. das Neves; Kris H. de Oliveira; Luiz F. G. Barp; Marco A. A. Soares
Summary: Ethnographic research on the implementation and use of PrEP in inland cities along the pulp and paper route in Mato Grosso do Sul. It analyzes the internalization of the policy, gender and sexuality dynamics, and structural challenges in contexts of economic expansion.
Funding: FUNDECT/MS