Ongoing Support                             

Project Director:  FHI 360 Authorship Pipeline Program to Promote Thought Leadership Equity. As part of an FHI 360 locally led development-focused Strategic Change Initiative, this project created and is implementing a mentorship program to promote scientific authorship opportunities for staff based in country and regional offices. Maragh-Bass oversees all components including data culling to assess authorship inequities, scholarship application and scoring, orientation and mentorship for candidates and coordinating long-term sustainability of funding efforts. (FHI 360 internally funded; PD: Maragh-Bass). 2024–present.

Site Principal Investigator: UNC CFAR Developmental Core. As part of role at FHI 360, serving as a research liaison between UNC CFAR research consortium institutions with specific emphasis on supporting the scientific development and advancement of early-stage investigators. Activities include providing methodological consults to UNC faculty and other scientists, assisting with review of applications for competitive funding awards, overseeing training and mentorship of awardee cohorts, and assisting with grant renewal applications as needed. Maragh-Bass is Assistant Director at UNC CFAR Developmental Core and Site PI at FHI 360 (P30-AI050410; PI: Swanstrom). 2023–present.

Project Director: Identifying Best Practices to Promote Equity in Partnership. This mixed-methods evaluation  conducted surveys and key informant interviews with current and former grantee and subcontractor organizations partnered with FHI 360. Data collection explored ways in which power inequities occur across the life cycle with concrete recommendations for improvements. Maragh-Bass was Principal Investigator and oversaw all components of data collection instrument creation, IRB approval, data collection and analyses, and led manuscript production. (FHI 360 internally funded; PD: Maragh-Bass). 2023–present.

Multiple Principal Investigator: Formative Research to Understand the Needs and Experiences of LGBT Youth of Color and Service Providers in Pleasure-based PrEP Counseling. This project conducts formative research to understand the needs and experiences of young sexual/gender minorities of color and service providers in pleasure-based PrEP counseling in sites located in the current Ending the HIV Epidemic Plan for America priority areas (Mecklenburg County, NC and Los Angeles County, CA) using equity-based approaches. Maragh-Bass is MPI (P30-AI050410; MPI: Maragh-Bass, Sukhija-Cohen). 2022–2025.

Co-Investigator: Increasing PrEP Choices for Young MSM of Color. This five-year program is focused on promoting PrEP uptake and adherence among MSM of color by addressing patient-provider communication and in the context of newly FDA-approved long-acting injectable PrEP. Maragh-Bass is Site PI, Co-Investigator, and leading qualitative/community engagement components. (U01-PS005236; PI: Hightow-Weidman). 2021–2026.

Co-Investigator: A Multidimensional Digital Approach to Address Vaccine Confidence and Increase COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake among African American Young Adults in the South. This community trial in 3 areas of the South will address needs for COVID vaccine education and support among young African Americans ages 18 to 29, and will not require COVID vaccination in clinical sites. The study has ensured geographic and racial representation in the study advisory board, youth advisory board, and study team. Maragh-Bass is Co-I and leading digital storytelling and community engagement components (R01-MD016834 ; MPI: Hightow-Weidman, Budhwani). 2021–2025.

Completed Support

Project Director:  It’s Not About Us Without Us: Strengthening Youth-Led Community Approaches to Reducing STD Disparities. This programmatic award supports community-engaged activities to reduce HIV and STI prevalence for Black adolescents and young adults in Durham, who identify as sexual/gender minorities. Maragh-Bass is Project Director, facilitated community advisory board meetings, and completed grants and publications. (NH-25PS005196; PD: Maragh-Bass). 2020–2024.

Principal Investigator: Strengthening the HIV PrEP Care Continuum for Sexual/Gender Minority Youth of Color.  The study's secondary analyses will aggregate de-identified client records from AIDS Healthcare Foundation seeking care before and after key policy initiatives such as the availability of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and the onset of the COVID-19 global pandemic. The goal is to document long-term PrEP Care Continuum outcomes to evaluate the success of these initiatives in benefitting populations most in need. Maragh-Bass is leading all activites and completing grants and publications through the Visiting Professorship program at the UC San Francisco Center for AIDS Prevention. (R25-MH067127; [Center PI: Neilands]; Site PI: Maragh-Bass). 2022–2024.

Site Lead and Facilitator: USAID Global Leaders Meeting. As part of a inter-office dissemination meeting, Maragh-Bass was invited and funded by USAID to convene a panel of experts on decolonizing global health with representation from Global South organizations. Funding was granted for crafting a presentation, moderating a panel, creating written summaries and a debrief session with USAID staff, through the Meeting Targets and Maintaining Epidemic Control (EpiC) project (7200AA19CA00002; PD: Mahler). 2021-2022.

Project Director: Decolonization, Localization, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion White Paper. Led a qualitative substudy through USAID-funded Research for Scalable Solutions (R4S). R4S is an implementation science grant focused on family planning best practices throughout multiple countries in Africa and Asia. Maragh-Bass led production of a white paper and publication documenting a qualitative study to identify best practices for decolonizing global health in partnership Makarere University and EVIDAHF. Maragh-Bass was the facilitator, PI, senior author, and led dissemination efforts. (7200AA19CA00041; PD: Sow). 2021-2023.

Co-Investigator: PrEP Connect: Bridging HIV Testing to PrEP Screening and Uptake. This two-year project explored the HIV testing and PrEP clinic-based encounter in Durham healthcare settings, by partnering with Black sexual/gender minority in standardized patient approaches. Maragh-Bass was Co-I and conducted community engagement and standardized patient training activities (R21-MH124579; PI: MacQueen). 2020–2023. 

Principal Investigator/Trainee: Exploring the Roles of Stigma and Resilience in Healthcare Engagement Among Men Who Have Sex with Men of Color. This mixed methods research included validation of an HIV PrEP stigma scales among a racially diverse participant sample in a home-based PrEP care intervention in four cities in the US, along with latent factor analysis and qualitative interviews to explore lived experiences of stigma in healthcare and resilience. Maragh-Bass was PI and conducted all activities and grant solicitations. Funded by an NIMH Diversity Supplement (Parent grant: R01-MH114692; MPIs: Siegler, Mayer). 2020–2022. 

Principal Investigator: 'Ending the Epidemic': Exploring the Impact of COVID-19 on HIV Service Delivery for Black Residents in Durham, NC. This FHI Foundation-funded research explored barriers to HIV testing and PrEP uptake in primary care centers in Durham for African Americans in the context of the current global pandemic. Maragh-Bass was PI and conducted all activities and grant solicitations. Funded by the Ward Cates Emerging Scientific Leaders Fellowship (UNF300-100-003; PI: Maragh-Bass). 2019–2022. 

Co-Principal Investigator: Adolescent Health Working Group: Exploring HIV and PrEP Needs in Durham.  This project explored needs for engaging youth experiencing homelessness into HIV testing and care. Maragh-Bass was Co-PI, led youth-focused workshops and conducts qualitative and quantitative analyses. Funded by the UNC-Duke CFAR Joint Program (P30-AI050410; MPI: Maragh-Bass, Mitchell, Stoner). 2019–2020.

Principal Investigator: Exploring Lived Experiences of Stigma among Patients of Color in HPTN 065.  This NIAID-funded scholarship with the HIV Prevention Trials Network Domestic Scholars Program (HPTN) consisted of mixed-methods analyses of HPTN 065 data, to identify barriers and facilitators to HIV treatment adherence among a cohort of predominantly low-income African Americans in Bronx, NY, and Washington, DC. Maragh-Bass was PI and conducted analyses and writing (UM1-AI068619; MPI: Cohen, El-Sadr). 2018–2019.         

NIH Loan Repayment Award: Addressing Racial And LGBTQ Health Disparities in Emergency Medicine. This NIMHD-funded Loan Repayment Award and renewal explored barriers to care access, retention, and outcomes among patients minoritized by race, sexual orientation, and/or gender identity. Maragh-Bass was the awardee, won a renewal through a change of institution, and completed all data analyses and publications ( Loan # 01820094; PI: Haider). 2015–2017. 

Postdoctoral Research Fellow: Patient-Centered Approaches to Collecting Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in the ED. The goal of this PCORI-funded study was to test modes of collecting sexual orientation and gender identity data in the ED. Maragh-Bass was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow who co-led the qualitative phase of the study, independent qualitative and quantitative analyses, and trained ED staff in LGBT health disparities and cultural sensitivity (AD-1306-03980; PI: Haider). 2015–2016. 

Student Investigator: Enhanced Brief Intervention for Linking Substance-using EMS Patients to Treatment. This NIDA-funded study trained EMS providers to screen patients for substance dependence and route them to treatment centers. Maragh-Bass was Student Investigator and conducted interviews and EMS provider trainings (R34-DA034314; PI: Knowlton). 2012–2015. 

Analyst and Interviewer: Behavioral Surveillance Research: National HIV/AIDS Behavioral Surveillance System (NHBS) in Baltimore. This CDC-funded project focused on HIV testing, counseling, and outreach with LGBT populations, high-risk heterosexuals and persons who inject drugs as part of NHBS efforts. Maragh-Bass was an Interviewer and Analyst who conducted independent analyses of health care utilization patterns among persons who inject drugs at high risk of HIV infection (OMB 0920-0770; PI: German). 2013–2016. 

Student Investigator: Informal Caregiving and Medical Adherence among HIV-positive Drug Users. This  NIDA-funded research examined the role of socio-environmental factors and active drug use on HIV outcomes among substance users. Maragh-Bass’ dissertation explored gender differences and adherence outcomes and she as a Student Investigator (R01-DA019413; PI: Knowlton). 2011–2015. 

Graduate Research Director: A Health-Smart Church-Partnered Family Health Self-Empowerment Program. This project was a church-based intervention to improve hypertension and obesity outcomes among African American women and their churches in Gainesville Florida. Maragh-Bass led a Research Operations and Communications team and supervised 10 research staff. Funded by the Blue Foundation for a Health Florida, Maragh-Bass was a Director (FOG08-01-037; PI: Tucker). 2008–2010. 

Data Collection Coordinator: Patient-Centered Culturally Sensitive Health Care and Health Promotion Program. This project validated a patient-defined cultural sensitivity measure, so patients could customize their healthcare experience. Maragh-Bass was Data Collection Coordinator for 70 health care sites across the country. Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Maragh-Bass was a Coordinator and Director (RWJF-59281; PI: Tucker). 2006–2008.