Departmental Affiliations
Tahilin Sanchez Karver, PhD ‘21, MPH, employs social and behavioral theory and mixed-methods to research stigma, HIV prevention and treatment, and sexual and reproductive health to inform equitable, community-driven interventions.
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Research Interests
Gender equity; gender transformative interventions; stigma; intersectionality; HIV prevention, treatment and care; sexual and reproductive health and rights; mixed methods; quality of care; Latinx communities
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Experiences & Accomplishments
Dr. Tahilin Sanchez Karver (she/her/ella) is a social and behavioral scientist with over 10 years of experience in public health research and practice. Her work explores the influence of social-structural determinants of health on quality of life and health outcomes. She specifically examines the barriers and facilitators in accessing quality care among highly marginalized and stigmatized populations in domestic and international settings. Dr. Karver has worked with socially vulnerable populations including cisgender female sex workers living with HIV, women seeking safe abortion services, indigenous women, and Latinx communities. She is dedicated to the application of social and behavioral theories to research and has recently explored the application of intersectionality theory in relation to quantitative methodologies. Dr. Karver is experienced in mixed methods research design and execution, and scale development exploring latent constructs, including individual- and community-level stigmas.
Honors & Awards
Doctoral Distinguished Research Award, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2019.
Center for Qualitative Studies in Health and Medicine’s Dissertation Enhancement Award, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2019.
Gordis Teaching Fellow, Johns Hopkins University Public Health Program, 2018-19.
Doctoral Distinguished Research Award, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2017.
Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health, Omega Chapter member induction, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, 2017.
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Select publications
Karver TS, Atkins K, Fonner VA, Rodriguez-Diaz CE, Sweat MD, Taggart T, Yeh PT, Kennedy CE, Kerrigan D. HIV-Related Intersectional Stigma and Discrimination Measurement: State of the Science. Am J Public Health. 2022 Jun;112(S4):S420-S432. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2021.306639. PMID: 35763725; PMCID: PMC9241460.
Karver TS, Donastorg Y, Perez M, Gomez H, Galai N, Barrington C, Celentano D, Kerrigan D. Assessing the Relationship Between HIV Quality of Care and Treatment Literacy on ART Adherence and Viral Suppression Among Female Sex Workers Living in the Dominican Republic. AIDS Behav. 2022 Mar 19;. doi: 10.1007/s10461-022-03647-z.
Karver TS, Barrington C, Donastorg Y, Perez M, Gomez H, Page KR, Celentano D, Smith KC, Kerrigan D. Exploring peer navigation and support in the quality of HIV care experiences of female sex workers in the Dominican Republic. BMC Health Serv Res. 2022 Jan 11;22(1):56. doi: 10.1186/s12913-021-07439-4.
Kerrigan D, Karver TS, Barrington C, Davis W, Donastorg Y, Perez M, Gomez H, Mbwambo J, Likindikoki S, Shembilu C, Mantsios A, Beckham SW, Galai N, Chan KS. Development of the Experiences of Sex Work Stigma Scale Using Item Response Theory: Implications for Research on the Social Determinants of HIV. AIDS Behav. 2021 Nov;25(Suppl 2):175-188. doi: 10.1007/s10461-021-03211-1.
Sorhaindo AM, Karver TS, Karver JG, Garcia SG. Constructing a validated scale to measure community-level abortion stigma in Mexico. Contraception. 2016 May;93(5):421-31. doi: 10.1016/j.contraception.2016.01.013.