I am an Associate Professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in the Department of Epidemiology and Community Health. My public health research and service focus on reducing health disparities among members of sexual and gender minority groups. My current projects use community-engaged and implementation science frameworks to enhance interventions and develop implementation strategies to reduce barriers to HIV services.
I received my PhD in Public Health (Community Health Sciences concentration) from the LSU Health Sciences Center School of Public Health in 2016. After graduation, I completed an NRSA Postdoctoral Fellowship in HIV Prevention at the Medical College of Wisconsin’s Center for AIDS Research (CAIR) in 2019 followed by an HIV Implementation Science Fellowship through Johns Hopkins University’s Inter-Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) Implementation Science Working Group in 2022. I previously completed a Masters in Medical Anthropology from the University of Memphis (2011) and a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of South Carolina at Columbia in (2006).
Current Projects:
Community Engaged Approaches to HIV Self-Testing (CATEST)
UNC Charlotte Violence Prevention Center
Courses Taught
PhD Public Health (Behavioral Science Concentration)
- HLTH 8221 Qualitative Research in Behavioral Science
- HLTH 8220 Theories and Interventions in Behavioral Science
Masters of Public Health (MPH)
- HLTH 6226 Community Health Methods
- HLTH 6212 Health Promotion Program Management
Bachelors of Science in Public Health (BSPH)
- HLTH 2101 Healthy Lifestyles
Awards & Honors
- Nexus Innovation Award (APHI), UNC Charlotte (2023)
- CHHS Faculty Excellence Award in Community Engagement, UNC Charlotte (2023)
- Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health, Elected Member (2022)
- UNC Charlotte Catalyst Fellow (2020)
- MU Chapter UNC Charlotte Phi Beta Delta Honor Society for International Scholars (2019)
- NIH Loan Repayment, National Institute on Minority Health & Health Disparities (2017-2019)
- Postdoc Travel Award, Medical College of Wisconsin (2018)
- Women in Science Opportunities Fund Award, Medical College of Wisconsin (2018)
Selected Publications
1. Elkins, J. S., Dale, I., Okumu, E., Zinck, M., Golin, C., McCrimmon, J., Esposito, M., Duguid, I. T., Craven, D. M., Onyeama, U., Marin-Cespedes, S., Diggs, A., Dennis, A. M., & Zarwell, M. (2025). Survival, trust, and compassion: Persistent HIV prevention concerns faced by Black sexual and gender minority communities in the US South – A qualitative study. Frontiers in Public Health.
2. Dale, I., Zarwell, M., Diggs, A., Elkins, J. S., Okumu, E., Weissman, S., Lin, F.-C., Mobley, V., Golin, C. E., Rudolph, A. E., & Dennis, A. M. (2025). An Enhanced Social Network Strategy to Increase Uptake of HIV Services: Protocol for Type I Hybrid Implementation Study (Carolinas RESPOND). JMIR Public Health and Surveillance.
3. Yang G, Dale I, Zarwell, M., Elkins J, Diggs A, Golin C, Lin F, & Dennis A. (2025) Harnessing Egocentric Networks to Inform an Enhanced Social Network Strategy in a Southern US “Ending the HIV Epidemic” Region. Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.
4. Zarwell, M., Dale, I., Okumu, E., Elkins, E., Esposito, C.; Golin, C.; McCrimmon, J., Zinck, M., Robinson, P., & Dennis, A.M. (2025). The Peer Paradox: Formative Research to Inform the Implementation of an Enhanced Social Network Strategy for Black Sexual and Gender Minorities. Implementation Science Communications.
5. Nwaozuru, U., Miller, L., Gunn, L., Marin-Cespedes, S., Hanff, M., Robinson, P., Dulin, M., Muralidhar, M., Jha, P., Mirikwe, G., Conserve, D., Gulden, C., Davis, B., Foley, K., Tucker, J., & Zarwell, M. (2025). Co-creating Strategies to Promote Uptake of HIV Self-testing among Young Adults in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina: A Protocol for a Pilot Implementation. Frontiers in Health Services.
6. Zarwell, M., Witt, B., Marin-Cespedes, S., Gorman, B., Kumtap, M.U., Hoff, R., Rysbayeva, A., Jha, P., Boehm, E., Issel, M., Harihar, S., & Robinson, P. (2023). Uptake and Discontinuation of PrEP among Uninsured Cisgender and Transgender Women: A Public-Private Partnership Model. AIDS Patient Care & STDS.
7. Zarwell, M., Patton, A., Gunn, L.H., Benziger, A., Witt, B., Robinson, P.A., Terrell, D.F. (2023). PrEP awareness, willingness, and likelihood to use future HIV prevention methods among undergraduate college students in an Ending the HIV Epidemic jurisdiction. Journal of American College Health.
8. Walsh, J., Zarwell, M., John, S., & Quinn, K. (2022). Sources of Information about Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and Associations with PrEP Stigma, Intentions, Provider Discussions, and Use. Journal of Sex Research.
9. Zarwell, M., Bowling, J., Gunn, L.H., Kissler, N., McComas, M., Patton, A., Ragunathan, R., & Brown, R. (2022). Collectives for Care: Perspectives of Providers and Community Members in Trans Health Care in a Southern U.S. City. Journal of Homosexuality.
10. Dang, M., Scheim, A.I., Teti, M., Quinn, K.G., Zarwell, M., Petroll, A.E., Horvath, K.J., John, S.A. (2022). Barriers and Facilitators to HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Uptake, Adherence, and Persistence Among Transgender Populations in the United States: A Systematic Review. AIDS Patient Care and STDs.
11. Kaniuka, A., Zarwell, M., Cramer, R., Quinn, K., Broaddus, M., Patton, A., & Walsh, J. (Epub 2021). Perceptions of HIV Research Participation among Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men who have Sex with Men and Transgender and Non-Binary Adults. Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics.
12. Zarwell, M., Walsh, J., Quinn, K., Kaniuka, A., Patton, A., Robinson, W.T., & Cramer, R. (2021). A Psychometric Assessment of Network Level Social Capital Among Gender and Sexual Minority Individuals. BMC Public Health.
13. Zarwell, M., John, S.A., Westmoreland, D., Mirzayi, C., Pantalone, D., Golub, S., Nash, D., & Grov, C. (2021). PrEP Uptake and Discontinuation Among a National Sample of Transgender Men and Women. AIDS & Behavior.
