hey y’all!

Courses Taught

Bachelors of Science in Public Health (BSPH)

  • HLTH 2101 Healthy Lifestyles

Masters of Public Health (MPH)

  • HLTH 6226 Community Health Methods
  • HLTH 6212 Health Promotion Program Management

PhD Public Health (Behavioral Science Concentration)

  • HLTH 8221 Qualitative Research in Behavioral Science
  • HLTH 8220 Theories and Interventions in Behavioral Science

I am an Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in the Department of Epidemiology and Community Health. My public health research and service focuses 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)

Respond Carolinas

UNC Charlotte Violence Prevention Center 

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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. 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. Jul 18:1-10. doi: 10.1080/07448481.2023.2232885. PMID: 37463522.
  2. 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. Aug 29:1-13. doi: 10.1080/00224499.2022.2110208. PMID: 36036718; PMCID: PMC9971350.
  3. 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. doi: 10.1080/00918369.2022.2105674
  4. 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, 36(6):236-248. doi: 10.1089/apc.2021.0236. PMID: 35687813.
  5. Kaniuka, A., Zarwell, M., Cramer, R., Quinn, K., Broaddus, M., Patton, A., & Walsh, J. (2022). 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, 17(1-2):15-28. doi: 10.1177/15562646211062707.
  6. 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, 21: 1918. doi: 10.1186/s12889-021-11970-8.
  7. Scott, D., Pereira, N., Harrison, S., Zarwell, M., Sanasi-Bhola, K, & Poteat, T. (2021). “In the Bible Belt:” The Role of Religion in HIV Care and Prevention for Transgender People in the United States South. Health & Place, 70:102613. doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2021.102613.
  8. 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, 25(4):1063-1071. doi: 10.1007/s10461-020-03064-0. PMC7979462.
  9. Quinn, K.G., Zarwell, M., John, S.A., Christenson, E., & Walsh J.L. (2020). Perceptions of Prep Use Within Primary Relationships Among Young Black Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM). AIDS & Behavior, 49:2117-2128. doi: 10.1007/s10508-020-01683-1.
  10. Zarwell, M. & Robinson, W. T. (2019). Network Properties among Gay, Bisexual and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men Differ by Race. AIDS & Behavior 23(5):1315-1325. PMC6511312.
  11. Zarwell, M., Ransome, Y., Gruber, D., & Robinson, W.T. (2019). PrEP Indicators, Social Capital, and Social Group Memberships among Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men. Culture, Health, & Sexuality 21(12):1349-1366. PMC6684860.
  12. Ransome, Y., Zarwell, M., & Robinson, W.T. (2019). Participation in Community Groups Increases the Likelihood of Prep Awareness: New Orleans NHBS-MSM Cycle, 2014. PLoS ONE 14(3): e0213022. doi: 10.1371/journal. pone.0213022. PMC6414008. AIDS & Behavior, Jul;23(7):1951-1963. PMC6571052.
  13. Quinn, K., Dickson-Gomez, J., Zarwell, M., & Pearson, B., Lewis, M. (2019). A Gay Man and a Doctor Are Just Like, A Recipe for Destruction”: How Racism and Homonegativity in Healthcare Settings Influence PrEP Uptake among Young Black MSM. AIDS & Behavior, Jul;23(7):1951-1963. PMC6571052.
  14. Zarwell, M. & Robinson, W. T. (2018). Development of a Social Capital Scale for Constructed Families of Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men.  PLoS ONE 13(12): e0208781. PMC6292593.
  15. Zarwell, M. & Robinson, W.T. (2018). The Influence of Constructed Family Membership on HIV Risk Behaviors among Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men in New Orleans. Journal of Urban Health, 95(2):179-187. PMC5906379.