Sarah MacCarthy

Sarah MacCarthy is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Behavior at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Public Health. She holds the Magic City LGBTQ Health Studies Endowed Professorship and serves as a Scientist in UAB’s Center for AIDS Research and Center for Outcomes and Effectiveness Research and Education. Her research focuses on LGBTQ+ health inequities, HIV/AIDS prevention, and healthcare access disparities, with a global emphasis on marginalized populations. MacCarthy holds a Doctor of Science from Harvard University.

Education: Doctor of Science (2012), International/Global Studies, Harvard University; Master of Science in Public Health (2007), International Public Health, Harvard University.

Research Interests: LGBTQ+ health equity, HIV/AIDS epidemiology, behavioral economics in healthcare decision-making, rural health disparities, and global health interventions. She frequently collaborates on community-based studies to address systemic inequities in healthcare access and outcomes.

Grants: Recent funding includes NIH grants for PrEP delivery studies in Brazil, LGBTQ health data initiatives, and HIV prevention innovations. Her work emphasizes partnerships with community organizations to translate research into actionable policy.

Teaching & Mentorship: Teaches courses like 'Introduction to LGBTQ Health' and mentors doctoral students in public health research. Current advisees include Aaliyah Burt, Jorge Bonnet, and Joshua Bruce.

Labs/Teams: Leads UAB’s LGBTQ Health Equity Lab and collaborates with the Center for AIDS Research on HIV-related disparities. Engages in interdisciplinary teams addressing minority stress and environmental health exposures.