Makella Coudray, PHD, MPH, CPH

Makella S. Coudray, PhD, MPH, CPH is a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Department of Population Health Sciences, College of Medicine at the University of Central Florida. Dr. Coudray received both her undergraduate (BSc Biology) and master’s (Master of Public Health- Epidemiology) training at St. George’s University, Grenada. She later served as the Technical Officer of Vector Borne Diseases for the Caribbean Public Health Agency before completing her PhD in Public Health (concentrated in Epidemiology) at Florida International University.

As an infectious disease epidemiologist, Dr. Coudray investigates sexual health and health disparities among marginalized populations- especially transgender women, cisgender women of color, and cisgender women who have sex with women. Specifically, she has examined the correlates of persistent, recurrent ad episodic bacterial vaginosis (BV) among cisgender African American women as well as the vaginal microbial profile of cisgender women with asymptomatic BV. Additionally, her current work explores the use a brief intervention to reduce substance use among trans women in order to improve linkage to HIV/STI prevention services, specifically, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). In addition to the aforementioned areas, Dr. Coudray is particularly interested in research examining the correlates of sexually transmitted infection risk, treatment, and prevention; the longitudinal changes of the vaginal (neo and natal) microbiome, as well as the barriers and facilitators of PrEP use among high-risk populations.