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Maranda Ward Assistant Professor of Clinical Research and Leadership Office Phone: 202-994-0202 Email: Email Department: Clinical Research and Leadership |
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Education
- BA Sociology, Spelman College, 2002
- MPH, Tulane University School of Public Health, 2003
- EdD, The George Washington University, 2017
Biography
Maranda C. Ward, EdD, MPH is an Assistant Professor and Director of Equity in the Department of Clinical Research and Leadership in the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences. In this role, she designs, evaluates, and teaches health equity curriculum for student and faculty learners. Her teaching excellence was recognized in 2021 with the highest teaching honor at GW- the Morton A. Bender Teaching award. She is a member of the Academy of Distinguished Teaching as well as among the multi-disciplinary faculty within GW’s Trustworthy AI efforts.
As an affiliate faculty for the GW Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service, she translated her participatory action research on youth identity into a youth-led canvas-based mural on preserving D.C. legacy. Dr. Ward's research is further converted into practice as the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Promising Futures - a youth development pipeline for D.C. youth ages 11-24 that integrates a social justice approach to positive youth development using edu-tainment to invite youth to explore their civic and social identities, social inequities, and health seeking behaviors. When she is not teaching or serving on-campus, she is engaged in DC in a range of capacities. For instance, she is on the board of trustees for the Washington School for Girls and founding board member of Girls Rock DC. She also serves on the Sibley Memorial Hospital & Johns Hopkins Medicine advisory board for wellness projects in wards 7 and 8. The DC Mayor, Muriel Bowser, appointed her to fill an advisory board seat on the Mayor's Commission on Health Equity.
When asked, she describes herself as a community educator, curriculum developer, and youth builder. She has strong commitments to service-learning, equity, community legacy, youth development, and honoring youth voice. Maranda earned the 2024 American Public Health Association Sarah Mazelis Health Promotion Award, the 2024 Boston Congress of Public Health Health Innovators to Watch Award, 2024 GW School of Medicine Clara Bliss ‘Rising Star’ Mentoring Award, 2024 Dorothy Nyswander Health Equity award by the Society for Public Health Education, the 2023 GW Black Alumni Impact award, the 2022 Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Community Engagement Award by Transform Mid-Atlantic, the 2020-2021 GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences Diversity and Inclusion Award as well as the 2021 Stigma Warrior Award during the 12th Annual International Conference on Stigma at Howard University for going above and beyond in her field to fight discrimination among historically marginalized populations. She has been consulted by Ebony.com, Rolling Out Magazine, DCist, the Washington Post for her research on HIV disparities and featured on a live segment of Good Morning Washington, NPR’s Morning Edition and the KevinMD podcast for her health equity expertise.
Maranda earned her Doctorate in Education from GW, her Master's in Public Health from Tulane University, and her Bachelor's degrees in Sociology and Anthropology from Spelman College. She enjoys learning from youth, traveling, and brunch.
For more information, visit www.marandaward.com
Research
Dr. Ward is an expert in advancing anti-racism efforts within health professions education and in designing curricula to enable students and faculty to competently promote health and racial equity in practice. Her research focuses on diversity, equity, inclusion, justice and antiracism educational interventions as well as stakeholder-engaged community-focused studies on HIV, Black women's health, and youth identity. As a member of the DC Center for AIDS Research (DC CFAR), she is the principal investigator on Two in One: HIV and COVID Screening & Testing Model that allows her to lead national research-based educational intervention for primary care practitioners to routinize screening and testing HIV, PrEP, and the COVID vaccine. This research will lead to a set of policy recommendations for overall practice-based changes and culturally responsive messaging for racial, ethnic, sexual and gender minoritized patients. She is also skilled in the application of participatory action research methods.
Peer-Reviewed Publications
Peer-Reviewed
Abstracts:
McDonald, P., Ward, M.C., Corr, P.G., Konopasky, A., Kalita, N., Xavier, J., Singh, S., & LeLacheur, S. (2023). Supporting physician assistants with culturally responsive HIV and COVID screening. E-Poster published in the Association of American Physician Assistants (AAPA) Digital Research Conference.Ward, M.C., Xavier, J., Corr, P., McDonald, P., & Konopasky, A. (2023). From knowledge, skills and attitudes to values, identification, and communication: A proposed revision to the Tool for Assessing Cultural Competence (TACCT). Abstract on equity in medical education accepted for the AMA’s externally commissioned book compendium. MedEd’s horizon: Just, merciful, diverse and equitable. AMA Press.
Ward, M.C., Xavier, J., & Essel, K. (2023). Community voices in medical education: Building anti-racist capacity in future physicians. Abstract on equity in medical education accepted for the AMA’s externally commissioned book compendium. MedEd’s horizon: Just, merciful, diverse and equitable. AMA Press.
McDonald, P., Ward, M. C., Corr, P. G., Konopasky, A., Kalita, N., Xavier, J., Singh, S., and LeLacheur, S. (2023). Supporting Physician Assistants with Culturally Responsive HIV and COVID Screening. E-Poster published in the Association of American Physician Assistants (AAPA) Digital Research Conference.
Book Chapters:
Corr, P., Konopasky, A., McDonald, P., Singh, S., & Ward, M.C. (2024). Good trouble: Teaching and assessing diversity, equity, inclusion and justice (DEIJ) competencies in medical and health professions education. Book chapter in press.Ward, M.C. (2023). Black women stay fighting structural racism: Other-mothering as community praxis. In J. Barlow (Ed.), Writing Black girls’ & women’s health science: Implications for research and praxis. Roman & Littlefield. https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781666911749/Writing-Blackgirls’-and-Women’s-Health-Science-Implications-for-Research-and-Praxis
Ward, M.C., Moore, B., & Barickman, A. (2023). Approaches to applying an intersectional lens to Black women’s reproductive and sexual health. In R. D. Moss (Ed.), Black women’s reproductive health and sexuality: A holistic public health approach. APHA Press. https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/book/10.2105/9780875533414
Ward, M. C., Corr, P. G., Fernes, V. A., & Wang, T. (2022). How an Anti-Racist Organizational Change Model Can Build Capacity to Support Historically Excluded Students: A Guide for Advisors and Administrators of Pathway Programs. In R. Ganjoo, & L. Schwartz (Ed.), Handbook of Research on Developing Competencies for Pre-Health Professional Students, Advisors, and Programs (pp. 389-414). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-5969-0.ch019
Ward, M.C. (2015). Promising Futures: A compelling model of youth work. In B. Kirshner & K. Pozzoboni (Eds.), The changing landscape of youth work: Theory and practice for an evolving field (pp. 167–169). Information Age Publishing.
Ward, M.C., & Bullock, K. (2008). Beyond academic walls: Paradigms for intercommunity and interdisciplinary collaboration. In G. Chuan, V. D’Rozario, A. Heong, & C. Mun (Eds.), Character development through service and experiential learning. Pearson Education.
Invited Manuscripts:
Gborkorquellie, T.T, Ward, M.C., Falusi, O.O.,Barber, A.N.,. Smith, T.K. (2023). Diversity, Equity Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) in Medical Education: A Faculty Development Perspective. Pediatric Annals. In press.
Research Journals:
Ward, M.C. and Omoighe, O. (2024). Dual pandemics disproportionally impact minoritized communities. Harvard Public Health Review (HPHR) Journal;89. https://doi.org/10.54111/0001/KKKK1
Ward, M.C., Kerr, G., Blackstock, O., Barnes, C., Ogunbajo, A., Alberti, P. (2024). Building the capacity of PCPs to eliminate stigma through a research-informed training model. Harvard Public Health Review (HPHR) Journal;89. https://doi.org/10.54111/0001/KKKK2
Ward, M.C. (2024). Culturally responsive communication: Its conceptualization and transferability. Harvard Public Health Review (HPHR) Journal; 89. https://doi.org/10.54111/0001/KKKK3
Ward, M.C., and Singh, S. (2024). Codifying DEIJ values in a national research-informed training effort. Harvard Public Health Review (HPHR) Journal; 89. https://doi.org/10.54111/0001/KKKK4
Corr, P.G., Konopasky, A., Chung, K., Jones, K.L., Ward, M.C. (2024). Making HIV, PrEP/PEP and COVID vaccination screenings the standard of care in primary care settings. Harvard Public Health Review (HPHR) Journal;89. https://doi.org/10.54111/0001/KKKK5
Xavier, J., Ward, M.C., McDonald, P., Kalita, N., Corr, P.G. (2024). Identifying the factors influencing culturally responsive HIV and PrEP screening for racial, ethnic, sexual, and gender-minoritized patients: A scoping review. Harvard Public Health Review (HPHR) Journal; 89. https://doi.org/10.54111/0001/KKKK6
(co-first authors) Ward, M.C., Delgado-Setien, P., Konopasky, A., & Conserve, D. (2024). Conceptualizing national advisory boards in primary care research: Application to the Two in One HIV and COVID screening and testing model. Primary Health Care Research & Development Journal 25, e26. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1463423624000100
Parikh, K., Hall, M., Tieder, J.S., Dixon, G., Ward, M.C., Hinds, P., Goyal, M., Rangel, S., Flores, G., & Kaiser, S.V. (2024). Disparities in racial, ethnic, and payer groups for pediatric safety events in US hospitals. Pediatrics; e2023063714. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2023-063714
Ward, M.C. (2023). Changing how the healthcare workforce sees patients like me. Health Affairs, 42(10). https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10.1377/hlthaff.2023.00459
Konopasky, A., Gadegbeku, A McCrea, L., McDonald, P. Corr, P., & Ward, M.C. (2023). Teaching at the convergence of pandemics and historically excluded patient populations: The challenges, and importance, of culturally responsive communication. Teaching and Learning in Medicine. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10401334.2023.2245382?src=
Kalita, N., Corr, P., Ward, M.C., Xavier, J., & McDonald, P. (2023). Identifying the barriers and facilitators to culturally responsive COVID-19 Vaccine screening for racial, ethnic, sexual, and gender minoritized patients: A scoping review protocol. PLOS One. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0290514
Falusi, O.O., Chun-Seeley, L., de la Torre, D., Dooley, D. G., Baiyewu, M., Gborkorquellie, T.T., Merrill, C. T., & Ward, M.C. (2023). Teaching the teachers: Development and evaluation of a racial health equity curriculum for faculty. MedED Portal. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36999061/
Nwaozuru, U., Obiezu-Umeh, C., Diallo, H., Graham, D., Bourgeau, M.J., Ritchwood, T., Nelson, L.E., Whembolua, G., Ward, M.C., Conserve, D. F. (2022). Perceptions of COVID-19 self-testing and recommendations for implementation and scale-up among Black/African Americans: implications for the COVID-19 STEP project. BMC Public Health 22, 1220. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13619-6
Ward, M.C., & Ganjoo, R. (2022). When I say…health equity. Medical Education, 57(2), 121–122. https://doi.org/10.1111/medu.14962. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/medu.14962
Ward, M.C. (2022). I do. Health Promotion Practice, 23(5), 765–765. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248399221121133
Tyris, J., Gourishankar, A., Ward, M.C., Kachroo, N., Teach, S.J., & Parikh, K. (2022). Social determinants of health and at-risk rates for pediatric asthma morbidity. Pediatrics. 150 (2): e2021055570. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2021-055570
Ward, M.C. (2021). Embedding ethnocultural empathy in a community-based health intervention writing assignment. Prompt: A Journal of Academic Writing Assignments, 5(1), 54–62. https://doi.org/10.31719/pjaw.v5i1.67
Ward, M.C. (2020). How an arts-based youth participatory action research study can prevent further marginalizing a vulnerable research population. In K. Thoma (Ed.), SAGE research methods cases. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781529740110
Ward, M.C. (2015). A future self and a future curriculum: Lessons from the field. Journal of Adolescent Health, 56(2), S114.
Ward, M.C., McMahon, P., & Ingram, E. (2006). Identifying risk factors associated with intimate partner violence perpetration among youth. Journal of Knowledge and Best Practices in Juvenile Justice and Psychology, 1(1), 5–10.
Grants
External
| Jun 2022 – present | Gilead Sciences, Inc. Role: Principal Investigator Title: Two in One: HIV and COVID vaccine Screening & Testing Model Lead national research-based educational intervention for primary care practitioners to offer routine HIV and COVID vaccine screening for racial, ethnic, sexual and gender minoritized patients. Internal |
Internal
| June 2023 - present | GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences Education Research Grant Co-Principal Investigator Title: Evaluating the Outcomes of an Antiracism Training Course: Disrupting Institutional Racism. Lead an evaluation of a two-part antiracism training series for the GW medical enterprise. |
| Mar 2023 – present | GW Nashman Center for Public Service and Civic Engagement Faculty Award Principal Investigator Title: Medicine, Equity, and Technology (MET) Initiative Lead the development of a community advisory board of DC residents and GW faculty develop curriculum to address bias coded in medical algorithms. |
| Apr 2022 – June 2023 | GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences Education Research Grant Principal Investigator Title: Assessing the Health Equity Knowledge, Attitudes, and Capacity of Health Professions Students (NCR202535) Lead interdisciplinary team of GW researchers to collect baseline knowledge on health equity to inform curriculum and policy reform across SMHS and the Nursing School |
| Jul 2020 – Jul 2021 | GW Nashman Center for Public Service and Civic Engagement Faculty Award Principal Investigator Title: Community-engaged Scholarship Course Development Grant Led the development of a community advisory board of DC residents who doubled as content experts for structural racism curriculum. |
| Feb 2018 – Jun 2019 | GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences Education Research Grant Principal Investigator Title: Ethnocultural Empathy as a Measurable Competency of an Online Health Sciences Undergraduate Curriculum Lead IRB-approved research study to collect data across three undergraduate online courses |
| Aug 2022 – Dec 2022 | GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences Anti-Racism Coalition Grant Principal Investigator Title: ARC Study Support Secured funds to hire a student research assistant for SIGN ME UP Allyship Training Program. |
| Jan 2022 – Dec 2023 | GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences Anti-Racism Coalition Grant Principal Investigator Title: ARC Study Support Secured funds to cover study incentives for IRB-approved antiracism demonstration project in the PT program. |
Grant-funded and Contracted Positions
| March 2022 - Feb 2023 | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Role: Co-Investigator; Principal Investigators: Pratt-Chapman and Arem Title: Scaling Social Determinants of Health Screening, Social Support and Anti-Racism Training to Reduce Inequities in Minority Cancer Survivor Health and Wellbeing in Washington, DC Lead the anti-racism training that will lead to system-level improvements in culturally responsive health care service. |
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| Dec 2022- present | Building Bridges Across the River Role: Consultant and Facilitator Contracted to prepare and facilitate community meetings for the Health and Wellness arm of the 11th Street Bridgepark Equitable Development Plan and write final reports. |
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| Jul 2021 – July 2022 | GW Office of the Vice Provost for Research Intramural Funding Role: Principal Investigator, Partnering Faculty Title: How to Decolonize Teaching, Research, Policy and Clinical Practice: Evaluation of a Workshop Series (IRB #NCR224186) Partnering faculty – Black Girls’ and Women’s Health |
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| Aug 2018 – July 2023 | Health Careers Opportunity Program (HCOP), National HCOP Academies, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Role: Co-investigator; Principal Investigator: Bushardt (DH18HP32128) Lead the HCOP Ambassador Program of four annual cohorts of students to include educational co-curricular programming and mentoring support |
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| Aug 2017 – present | Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Primary Care Medicine and Dentistry Career Development Award Role: Consultant; Principal Investigator: Falusi Led the development of the Trainee Education in Advocacy and Community Health (TEACH) Curriculum. |
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| Summer 2022 | Institute for Public Health Innovation Role: Training Facilitator and Panelist Contracted to serve as a subject matter expert to lead a didactic session “To Train or Not to Train’ and as a panelist for “Meeting People Where They Are- Accurate and Relevant Content Designed for Usability and Accessibility” for the CDC Training with Intention ECHO Series. |
Awards
| 2024 |
Health Innovators to Watch, Boston Congress of Public Health |
| 2024 |
Winner, American Public Health Association (APHA) Public Health Education and Health Promotions Training Materials Contest |
| 2024 |
Finalist, Patil Teaching Innovation Award, International Assoc of Health Professions Education (AMEE) |
| 2024 |
Sarah Mazelis Award, PHEHP Section of American Public Health Association (APHA) |
| 2024 |
Rising Star Mentoring Award, SMHS Clara Bliss Hinds Society |
| 2024 |
Top Ten Cited Paper, MedEd PORTAL “Teaching the Teachers” Racial and Health Equity |
| 2024 |
Dorothy Nyswander Health Equity Award, Society for Public Health Education |
| 2023 |
Highest Scoring Video Presentation, Xavier University Health Disparities Conference |
| June 2023 |
Impact Award |
| April 2023 |
Spotlighted Faculty |
| Feb 2023 |
Highest Scoring Video Presentation |
| Dec 2022 |
Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Community Engagement Award |
| Nov 2022 |
Diversity and Inclusion Award |
| Oct 2022 |
Academy of Distinguished Teachers |
| May 2022 |
Association of Pediatric Program Directors (APPD) Research Award |
| May 2021 |
Morton A. Bender Teaching Award |
| Nov 2021 |
Stigma Warrior Award |
| Oct 2019 |
40 Under 40 Young Leader in the Metro DC Area |
| Feb 2019 |
40 Under 40 Leader in Minority Health |
| Jun 2018 |
Leadership Award |
Teaching
- Foundations of Health Equity
- Global Women’s Health
- Psychosocial Aspects of Health & Illness
- Applied Health Equity
- Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Community Service
| 2024- present | Member, National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc., Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Chapter |
| 2024- present | Faculty Advisor, Walk with a Doc (GW Chapter) |
| 2023 | Faculty Consultant, National Academy of Medicine 10th Annual DC Public Health Case Challenge |
| 2023- present | President, National Alumnae Association of Spelman College, Washington DC metro chapter |
| 2022 – 2023 | Mentor, Black Public Health Influencer (B-PHI) Design Fellowship (A Project of ETR) |
| 2022 – present | Co-chair, Children’s National Advisory Board on Pediatric Safety Events |
| 2022 – present | Board Member, The Chrysalis Initiative |
| 2020 – present | Board of Trustees, Washington School for Girls |
| 2019 – present | Ward 8 Seat, DC Mayor’s Commission on Health Equity |
| 2017 – present | Advisory Board Member, Sibley Memorial Hospital/Johns Hopkins Medicine Ward Infinity |
Affiliated Programs
- Honey Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service, Affiliated Faculty
- GW Trustworthy AI Initiative, Affiliated Faculty
- District of Columbia Center for AIDS Research (DC CFAR), Affiliated Research Faculty
- GW Honey Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service
- GW Honor’s Program
Publications
Ward, M.C., Xavier, J., Corr, P., McDonald, P., & Konopasky, A. (2023). From knowledge, skills and attitudes to values, identification, and communication: A proposed revision to the Tool for Assessing Cultural Competence (TACCT). Abstract on equity in medical education accepted for the AMA’s externally commissioned book compendium. MedEd’s horizon: Just, merciful, diverse and equitable. AMA Press.
McDonald, P., Ward, M.C., Corr, P.G., Konopasky, A., Kalita, N., Xavier, J., Singh, S., & LeLacheur, S. (2023). Supporting physician assistants with culturally responsive HIV and COVID screening. E-Poster published in the Association of American Physician Assistants (AAPA) Digital Research Conference.
Ward, M.C., Xavier, J., & Essel, K. (2023). Community voices in medical education: Building anti-racist capacity in future physicians. Abstract on equity in medical education accepted for the AMA’s externally commissioned book compendium. MedEd’s horizon: Just, merciful, diverse and equitable. AMA Press.
Industry Relationships and Collaborations
This faculty member (or a member of their immediate family) has reported a financial interest with the health care related companies listed below. These relations have been reported to the University and, when appropriate, management plans are in place to address potential conflicts.
- None