luis abesamis

Research

My scholarship is primarily situated within the intersections of critical medical anthropology, the sociology of gender and sexuality, and social and Philippine psychology. By deploying qualitative and mixed methodologies, my research explores and analyzes health behaviors and policies within co-occurring contexts and systems in Philippine society. My published research and ongoing projects are focused on critical transgender studies, health social science, community and development studies, and social and public policy analysis.

Published Research

  • Abesamis, L., Suarez, C., Rivera, M.L., Montevirgen, N.M., & Cleofas, J.V. (2022). COVID-19 Community Pantries as Community Health Engagement: The Case of Maginhawa Community Pantry in the Philippines. Community Development Journal. [Link].
  • Abesamis, L. (2022). Intersectionality and the invisibility of transgender health in the Philippines. Global Health Research and Policy, 7(35), 1-4. [Link]
  • Abesamis, L., & Siddayao, K. (2021). Queering Sexual Education in the Philippines: Policy and Program Implications for Filipino LGBTQ+ Youth. Review of Women’s Studies, 31(2), 1-28. [Link]

Ongoing Projects

Transgender Health Justice Among Filipinos

This thesis intends to elucidate the impact of co-occurring ideological structures, social institutions, and interpersonal processes on the experience and sense-making of health among transgender Filipinos by leveraging intersectional and health justice approaches.

Social and Political History of HIV/AIDS in the Philippines
with Dr. Gideon Lasco

Our research maps the shifts in the socio-cultural and political trends and discourses on the HIV and AIDS epidemic in the Philippines beginning in the late 80s and early 90s up to the present. We particularly look at public perceptions, institutional responses, and community behaviors toward the rise of HIV and AIDS in the country.

Attitudes and Behavioral Responses to SOGIE-based Harassment

This project identifies and explores the attitudes of Filipino university students towards the LGBTQI+ community and how it informs their behavioral responses to SOGIE-based harassment. By positioning university students as bystanders in the victim-perpetrator interaction, this research intends to surface the salient facilitators and barriers to intervening in SOGIE-based harassment.