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Sharanya Rao

Sharanya Rao (she/her) comes from India and is currently a clinical psychology doctoral candidate at GWU. She is currently completing her health psychology internship at Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School. Sharanya's research is focused on the health and healthcare care experiences of sexual minority women and gender diverse individuals of color. Clinically, her work is focused on child/adolescent populations, with a specialization in working with transgender/gender diverse youth.

Before beginning her doctoral program, Sharanya worked as a research consultant and program associate at Nazariya: A Queer Feminist Resource Group, a nonprofit NGO based in New Delhi, India that works on issues concerning lesbian, bisexual, queer women, transmen, and queer individuals assigned female at birth.

Research interests: LGBTQ+ health and healthcare experiences; LGBTQ+ women and trans communities; Barriers to healthcare access among sexual minorities; Stigma

Publications

Strang, J.F., Fischbach, A.L., Rao, S., Clawson, A., Knauss, M., Bernstein, S.N., van der Miesen, A.I.R., Inge, A.P., Alonzo, K., Zeroth, J., Kenworthy, L., Morgan, C.I., Brandt, A., Moore, C.C., Ahlers, K., Jankowski, M.K., McClellan, L.S., Henise, S.B., Cap, C.J., Exley, A.L., Youmatz, A., Song, M., McLaren, J.L., & Parchem, B. (in press). Gender and Autism Program: A novel clinical service model for gender diverse/transgender autistic youth and young adults. The Clinical Neuropsychologist.

Kalwicz, D.A., Rao, S., Modrakovic, D.X., Zea, M.C., Dovidio, J.F., Eaton, L.A., Holt, M., MacGibbon, J., Zaheer, M.A., Garner, A., & Calabrese, S.K. (in press). The implications of PrEP use, condom use, and partner viral load status for openness to serodifferent partnering among US sexual minority men (SMM). AIDS and Behavior.

Calabrese, S.K., Krakower, D.S., Rao, S., Hansen, N.B., Mayer, K.H., Magnus, M., Bunting, S.R., Marcus, J.L., & Dovidio, J.F. (2023). Acceptability and effectiveness of a one-hour healthcare provider intervention integrating pre-exposure prophylaxis and cultural competence training. AIDS and Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-023-04108-x

Calabrese S.K., Kalwicz, D.A., Dovidio, J.F., Rao, S., Modrakovic, D.X., Cheriko, B.A., Magnus, M., Kharfen, M., Patel, V.V., Zea, M. (2023). Targeted social marketing of PrEP and the stigmatization of Black sexual minority men. PLOS One,18(5), e0285329. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0285329

Kalwicz, D.A., Rao, S., Modrakovic, D., Zea, M.C., Dovidio, J.F., Magnus, M., Kharfen, M., Patel, V., & Calabrese, S.K. (2023). “There are people like me who will see that, and it will just wash over them”: Black men who have sex with men's perspectives on messaging within PrEP visual advertisements.Culture, Health, and Sexuality, 25(10), 1371-1386. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2022.2157491

Calabrese, S.K.*, Rao, S.*, Eldahan, A.I., Tekeste, M., Modrakovic, D., Dangaran, D., Booke, C.A., Underhill, K., Krakower, D.S., Mayer, K.M., Hansen, N.B., Kershaw, T.S., Magnus, M., Betancourt, J.R., & Dovidio, J.F. (2022). “Let’s be a person to person and have a genuine conversation”: Comparing perspectives on PrEP and sexual health communication between Black MSM and healthcare providers in the US. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 51, 2583-2601. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-021-02213-3.

 Rao, S., Albritton, T., Pina, P., Liang, Y., & Taggart, T. (2021). “You don’t want your parents knowing you’re taking PrEP”: PrEP stigma among Black and Latinx adolescents in higher prevalence areas in the United States. Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, 33(4), 395-405. https://doi.org/10.1097/JNC.0000000000000313

Rao, S.*, Reed, A.E.*, Parchem, B., Edelman, E.J., Magnus, M., Hansen, N.B., Kershaw, T.S., Earnshaw, V.A., Krakower, D.S., Dovidio, J.F., Mayer, K.H., Underhill, K., Rosenberger, J.G., Ogburn, D. F., Betancourt, J.R., & Calabrese, S.K. (2021). Optimizing provider preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) training: A cross-sectional analysis of recommendations from providers across the PrEP implementation cascade. AIDS and Behavior, 26, 218-231. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-021-03375-w

Rao, S., Mason, C.D., Galvao, R.W., Clark, B.A., & Calabrese, S.K. (2020). “You are illegal in your own country”: The perceived impact of anti-sodomy legislation among Indian sexual and gender minorities. Stigma and Health, 5(4), 451-462. https://doi.org/10.1037/sah0000218

Rao, S. & Mason, C.D. (2018). Minority stress and well-being under anti-sodomy legislation in India. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 5(4), 432-444. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000291

Presentations

Rao, S., Safon, C., Zea, M. C., Dovidio, J. F., & Calabrese, S. K. (2021, October). Health service utilization among US women at different intersectional positions of sexual orientation and race/ethnicity. Presented at 2021 American Public Health Association Annual Meeting & Expo, Denver, CO.

Calabrese, S.K., Kalwicz, D.A., Eaton, L.A., Garner, A., Castel, A.D., Modrakovic, D., Rao, S., Zaheer, M.A. (2021, October). The implications of belief in Undetectable=Untransmittable for destigmatizing HIV among US men who have sex with men. Presented at the 2021 American Public Health Association Annual Meeting & Expo, Denver, CO.

Zaheer, M.A., Rao, S., Kalwicz, D.A., Garner, A., Eaton, L.A., Calabrese, S.K., (2021, October).  “No risk” vs. “low risk” messaging about HIV transmission risk when undetectable: Reactions and perceived accuracy among US MSM. Poster presented at the 2021 American Public Health Association Annual Meeting & Expo, Denver, CO.

Zaheer, M.A., Rao, S., Calabrese, S.K., (2021, April).  “No risk” vs. “low risk” messaging about HIV transmission risk when undetectable: Reactions and perceived accuracy among US MSM. Poster presented at the 2021 George Washington University Research Showcase, Washington, D.C.

Calabrese, S. K., Mayer, K. H., Krakower, D. S., Rao, S., Hansen, N. B., Marcus, J. L., Magnus, M., & Dovidio, J. F. (2021). The acceptability and impact of a brief provider intervention integrating pre-exposure prophylaxis and cultural competence training. 16th International Conference on HIV Treatment and Prevention Adherence, Miami, FL.

Rao, S., Kalwicz, D., Modrakovic, D., Zea, M.C., Patel, V., & Calabrese, S.K. (2021, May). "There are people like me who will see that and it will just wash over them": Black men who have sex with men's perspectives on messaging within PrEP visual advertisements. Poster presented at the National LGBTQ Health Conference [virtual].

Calabrese, S.K., Dovidio, J.F., Patel, V.V., Modrakovic, D., Boone, C.A., Galvao, R.W., Rao, S., Kalwicz, D., Wilbourn, B., Kharfen, M., Magnus, M., & Zea, M.C. (2020, July). The stigmatizing effect of “targeting” US Black men who have sex with men in the social marketing of PrEP: A mixed methods study. Presented at the XXIII International AIDS Conference [virtual].

Rao, S.,* Reed, A.E.,* Parchem, B., Edelman, J.E., Magnus, M., Hansen, N.B., Kershaw, T.S., Earnshaw, V.A., Krakower, D.S., Dovidio, J.F., Mayer, K.H., Underhill, K., Rosenberger, J.G., Ogburn, D.F., Betancourt, J.R., Calabrese, S.K. (2020, November). Optimizing provider-targeted PrEP training: A cross-sectional analysis of recommendations from providers across the PrEP implementation cascade. Poster presented at the 15th International Conference on HIV Treatment and Prevention Adherence [virtual]. *co-first author

Rao, S., Mason, C.D., Galvao, R.W., Clark, B.A., Calabrese, S.K. (2019, June). "You are illegal in your own country": The perceived impact of anti-sodomy legislation among sexual minorities in India. Poster presented at the National LGBTQ Health Conference, Atlanta, GA.

Rao, S. (2017, May). Section 377 and well-being: Minority stress in Indian sexual minorities under homophobic legislation. Presented at the Capstone Festival, Mary Baldwin University, Staunton, VA.

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