Mary Jo Trepka

Focus

Epidemiology of HIV and STDs

Biography

Dr. Mary Jo Trepka is an infectious disease epidemiologist with a particular interest in HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases. In 2011, she received the 2010 Presidential Early Career Award for Science and Engineering from President Barack Obama for her work analyzing the role of poverty, segregation, and rural/urban status in HIV survival. She has also been studying the role of patient-centered HIV care and women-centered HIV care in helping people with HIV to be retained in HIV care and virally suppressed. She also conducts research on COVID-19 and HIV co-infection and COVID-19 vaccination. Additionally, she leads the Investigator Development Core for FIU’s Research Center for Minority Institutions and co-leads the Genomic Workforce Development Core of FIU’s Center for Genomic Research.

Dr. Trepka received her bachelor’s in chemistry and German at Grinnell College in 1986, her Doctor of Medicine from the University of Minnesota School of Medicine in 1991, and her master’s from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in 1994. She completed her internship in internal medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1992 and her residency in preventive medicine and public health at the University of Colorado in 1994. Dr. Trepka trained as a postdoctoral fellow at the GSF-Research Center for Health and Environment in Munich, Germany from 1994-1996 and as an epidemic intelligence service officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 1996-1998. She was the director of epidemiology and disease control for the Miami-Dade County Health Department from 1998–2003 and joined Florida International University full-time in 2003. She is board certified in preventive medicine and public health and a fellow in the American College of Preventive Medicine.

Education

• University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, MSPH
• University of Minnesota, MD
• Grinnell College, BA

Publications

1. Gray A, Sinclair S, Trepka MJ, Nelson KM. Unmet sex education needs among young adult Black women in the United States: A qualitative exploration of perceived informational gaps in school-based sex education. Sex Res Social Policy. 2026 Apr 20:10.1007/s13178-026-01336-3. doi: 10.1007/s13178-026-01336-3. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 42038965; PMCID: PMC13105314.
   
   
2. Gray A, Sinclair S, Trepka MJ, Nelson KM. Awareness of state-level abortion policy climates among young adult Black women: Examining agreement between state classifications and participant perceptions. Sex Res Social Policy. 2026 Feb 24:10.1007/s13178-026-01303-y. doi: 10.1007/s13178-026-01303-y. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41822871; PMCID: PMC12978747.
   
   
3. Gray A, Sinclair S, Trepka MJ, Nelson KM. School-based sex education experiences among young adult Black women ages 18 to 22: Does state-level sex education policy matter? Am J Sex Educ. 2026 Feb 3:10.1080/15546128.2026.2621224. doi: 10.1080/15546128.2026.2621224. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41728339; PMCID: PMC12922649.
   
   
4. Trepka MJ, Gonzales S, Ward MK, Fennie KP, Sheehan DM, Jean-Gilles M, Devieux J, Gray A, Ladner R, Yoo C. Using dynamic causal Bayesian networks to assess the role of patient-centered care and individual-level barriers on viral suppression changes among a cohort of people with HIV. AIDS Behav. 2026 Feb 22:10.1007/s10461-026-05082-w. doi: 10.1007/s10461-026-05082-w. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41723786; PMCID: PMC13064917.
   
   
5. Barreto GA, Li T, Gwanzura T, Sheehan DM, Trepka MJ. Comparison of premature cause-specific mortality among people with HIV in Florida pre-(2019) and early (2020) COVID-19 pandemic: disparities by race and ethnicity, sex, rurality, and social vulnerability. J Prim Care Community Health. 2026 Jan-Dec;17:21501319261422872. doi: 10.1177/21501319261422872. Epub 2026 Feb 22. PMID: 41723585; PMCID: PMC12926537.
   
   
6. Dhungel S, Ward MK, Barreto GA, Gwanzura T, Zagaynova E, Hoque MA, Cohen C, Bursac Z, Trepka MJ. Excess mortality among people with HIV in Florida during the initial onset of the COVID-19 pandemic: a surveillance-based analysis. AIDS Behav. 2025 Dec 30. doi: 10.1007/s10461-025-05014-0. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41467926.
   
   
7. Sobhan M, Islam MM, Trepka MJ, Holt GE, Dimitroff CJ, Mondal AM. TILDA-X: transcriptome-informed lung cancer disparities via explainable AI. Cancers (Basel). 2025 Oct 28;17(21):3454. doi: 10.3390/cancers17213454. PMID: 41228248; PMCID: PMC12607860.
   
   
8. Ramírez-Ortiz D, Moise T, Alemohammad SY, Aymat M, Gray A, Jean-Gilles M, Sheehan DM, Ladner R, Trepka MJ. Barriers to COVID-19 vaccination and strategies to increase trust and uptake among racial and ethnic minorities with HIV in South Florida: a qualitative study. BMC Public Health. 2025 Nov 10;25(1):3885. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-25017-9. PMID: 41214612; PMCID: PMC12604329.
   
   
9. Gray A, Sinclair S, Trepka MJ, Nelson KM. Exploring state- and individual-level characteristics associated with perceived barriers to accessing sexual and reproductive health care among young adult Black women. J Sex Res. 2025 Sep 12:1-14. doi: 10.1080/00224499.2025.2551730. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40937824; PMCID: PMC12685228.
   
   
10. Nawfal ES, Gray A, Ladner R, Li T, Sheehan DM, Fennie K, Jean-Gilles M, Ward MK, Fernandez SB, Beach MC, Dévieux JG, Trepka MJ. Race- and ethnicity-specific patient-provider relationship characteristics associated with antiretroviral therapy adherence and viral suppression among minority women with HIV, Miami-Dade County, Florida, 2021-2022. AIDS Care. 2025 Nov;37(11):1843-1856. doi: 10.1080/09540121.2025.2547943. Epub 2025 Aug 25. PMID: 40851523; PMCID: PMC13016614.
    
    
11. Nawfal ES, Gray A, Sheehan DM, Fernandez SB, Li T, Ladner R, Trepka MJ. Associations of unmet food and housing needs with mental health and overall perceived health among women with HIV: Is there a moderating effect of social support? Womens Health Rep (New Rochelle). 2025 Apr 21;6(1):453-463. doi: 10.1089/whr.2024.0120. PMID: 40520054; PMCID: PMC12165826.
    
    
12. Sheehan DM, Ramírez-Ortiz D, Gwanzura T, Lewis PS, Ertl MM, Duncan DT, Swendeman D, Muñoz-Laboy M, Devieux JG, Trepka MJ. Daily factors associated with antiretroviral therapy adherence among young Latino sexual minority men with HIV: A 28-day daily diary study. AIDS Behav. 2025 May 15. doi: 10.1007/s10461-025-04756-1. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40369303.
    
    
13. Nawfal ES, Sheehan DM, Ibañez GE, Hayes T, Gray A, Trepka MJ. Modeling the mediating effects of HIV-related stigma on the associations between race/ethnicity and antiretroviral therapy adherence and viral suppression among diverse racial and ethnic minority women with HIV. AIDS Behav. 2025 Aug;29(8):2530-2541. doi: 10.1007/s10461-025-04713-y. Epub 2025 Apr 22. Erratum in: AIDS Behav. 2025 Aug;29(8):2542. doi: 10.1007/s10461-025-04758-z. PMID: 40261539; PMCID: PMC12272349.
    
    
14. Cyrus E, Okeke DA, Lavia O, Trepka MJ, Maragh-Bass A, Duthely L, Sciauodone M, Edwards J. A closer look: factors impacting HIV durable viral suppression among a cohort of clinic attendees in Trinidad & Tobago. HIV Res Clin Pract. 2025 Dec;26(1):2443886. doi: 10.1080/25787489.2024.2443886. Epub 2025 Jan 7. PMID: 39773323.
    
    
15. Gray A, Moise T, Jean-Gilles M, Sheehan DM, Fennie KP, Trepka MJ. Culture and patient-provider trust among people with HIV: psychometric properties of the HCR Trust Scale-revised in Haitian Creole and Spanish. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2026 Feb;13(1):250-263. doi: 10.1007/s40615-024-02241-4. Epub 2024 Dec 9. PMID: 39652242; PMCID: PMC12146422.
    
    
16. Sheehan DM, Gwanzura T, Ibarra C, Ramirez-Ortiz D, Swendeman D, Duncan DT, Muñoz-Laboy M, Devieux JG, Trepka MJ. Psychometric properties of measuring antiretroviral therapy adherence among young Latino sexual minority men with HIV: ecological momentary assessment and electronic pill dispenser study. Online J Public Health Inform. 2024 Nov 21;16:e51424. doi: 10.2196/51424. PMID: 39622710; PMCID: PMC11612584.
    
    
17. Gray A, Alemohammad SY, Ramírez-Ortiz D, Trepka MJ. A systematic review of factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine uptake, hesitancy, and acceptability among adults with HIV: implications for integrating COVID-19 immunization into HIV care. AIDS Patient Care STDS. 2024 Sep;38(9):393-427. doi: 10.1089/apc.2024.0097. Epub 2024 Jul 26. PMID: 39058653; PMCID: PMC12344129.
    
    
18. Fernandez SB, Dawit R, Nawfal ES, Ward MK, Ramírez-Ortiz D, Sheehan DM, Trepka MJ. Psychosocial and socioeconomic changes among low-income people with HIV during the COVID-19 pandemic in Miami-Dade County, Florida: racial/ethnic and gender differences. HIV Res Clin Pract. 2024 Dec;25(1):2363129. doi: 10.1080/25787489.2024.2363129. Epub 2024 Jun 21. PMID: 38907537; PMCID: PMC11256985.
    
    
19. Tamargo JA, Martin HR, Diaz-Martinez J, Delgado-Enciso I, Johnson A, Bastida Rodriguez JA, Trepka MJ, Brown DR, Garba NA, Roldan EO, Hernandez Suarez Y, Marty AM, Bursac Z, Campa A, Baum MK. Drug use and COVID-19 testing, vaccination, and infection among underserved, minority communities in Miami, Florida. PLoS One. 2024 Apr 30;19(4):e0297327. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0297327. PMID: 38687734; PMCID: PMC11060546.
    
    
20. Knight JM, Ward MK, Fernandez S, Genberg BL, Beach MC, Ladner RA, Trepka MJ. Perceptions and current practices in patient-centered care: A qualitative study of Ryan White HIV providers in South Florida. J Int Assoc Provid AIDS Care. 2024 Jan-Dec;23:23259582241244684. doi: 10.1177/23259582241244684. PMID: 38651291; PMCID: PMC11036924.
    
    
21. Trepka MJ, Gong Z, Ward MK, Fennie KP, Sheehan DM, Jean-Gilles M, Devieux J, Ibañez GE, Gwanzura T, Nawfal ES, Gray A, Beach MC, Ladner R, Yoo C. Using causal Bayesian networks to assess the role of patient-centered care and psychosocial factors on durable HIV viral suppression. AIDS Behav. 2024 Apr 4. doi: 10.1007/s10461-024-04310-5. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38573473; PMCID: PMC11161314.
    
    
22. Fernandez SB, Ahmad A, Beach MC, Ward MK, Jean-Gilles M, Ibañez G, Ladner R, Trepka MJ. How patients experience respect in healthcare: findings from a qualitative study among multicultural women living with HIV. BMC Med Ethics. 2024 Mar 27;25(1):39. doi: 10.1186/s12910-024-01015-1. PMID: 38539213; PMCID: PMC10967177.
    
    
23. Martin HR, Brown DR, Fluney E, Trepka MJ, Marty AM, Roldan EO, Liu Q, Barbieri MA, Baum MK. Community-engaged research: COVID-19 testing, infection, and vaccination among underserved minority communities in Miami, Florida. Vaccines (Basel). 2024 Jan 24;12(2):117. doi: 10.3390/vaccines12020117. PMID: 38400101; PMCID: PMC10892380.
    
    
24. Nawfal ES, Gray A, Sheehan DM, Ibañez GE, Trepka MJ. A systematic review of the impact of HIV-related stigma and serostatus disclosure on retention in care and antiretroviral therapy adherence among women with HIV in the United States/Canada. AIDS Patient Care STDS. 2024 Jan;38(1):23-49. doi: 10.1089/apc.2023.0178. Epub 2023 Dec 26. PMID: 38150524; PMCID: PMC10794841.
    
    
25. Ramírez-Ortiz D, Jean-Gilles M, Sheehan DM, Ladner R, Li T, Trepka MJ. Factors associated with COVID-19 vaccination among racial/ethnic minority groups with HIV in South Florida. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2024 Apr 1;95(4):329-341. doi: 10.1097/QAI.0000000000003369. PMID: 38133577; PMCID: PMC10922309.
    
    
26. Martin HR, Hu N, Liu Q, Bastida Rodriguez JA, Gieseken S, Johnson A, Enrione E, Trepka MJ, Brown DR, Marty AM, Sales Martinez S, Campa A, Roldan EO, Hernandez Suarez Y, Barbieri M, Palacios C, Bursac Z, Baum MK. Disability and COVID-19: Challenges, testing, vaccination, and postponement and avoidance of medical care among minoritized communities. Disabil Health J. 2024 Apr;17(2):101571. doi: 10.1016/j.dhjo.2023.101571. Epub 2023 Dec 8. PMID: 38071138; PMCID: PMC10999341.
    
    
27. Gray A, Ward MK, Fernandez SB, Nawfal ES, Gwanzura T, Li T, Sheehan DM, Jean-Gilles M, Beach MC, Ladner RA, Trepka MJ. Exploring the use of self-management strategies for antiretroviral therapy adherence among women with HIV in the Miami-Dade County Ryan White Program. J Behav Med. 2024 Apr;47(2):282-294. doi: 10.1007/s10865-023-00459-x. Epub 2023 Nov 9. PMID: 37946027; PMCID: PMC10947905.
    
    
28. Ramírez-Ortiz D, Ward MK, Sheehan DM, Fernandez SB, Jean-Gilles M, Ladner R, Trepka MJ. Increased alcohol use during the COVID-19 pandemic among people with HIV from racial/ethnic minority groups in South Florida. J Ethn Subst Abuse. 2023 Sep 20:1-12. doi: 10.1080/15332640.2023.2259340. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37729468; PMCID: PMC10950834.
    
    
29. Ramírez-Ortiz D, Fernandez SB, Jean-Gilles M, Flores A, Gonzalez Santander T, Dawit R, Ibarra C, Ward MK, Brock P, Ladner R, Dévieux J, Trepka MJ. Barriers and facilitators to retention in care and treatment adherence among racially/ethnically diverse women with HIV in South Florida: a qualitative study. Women Health. 2023 Aug 9;63(7):562-576. doi: 10.1080/03630242.2023.2238848. Epub 2023 Jul 24. PMID: 37482891; PMCID: PMC10403283.
    
    
30. Trepka MJ, Ward MK, Fennie K, Sheehan DM, Fernandez SB, Li T, Jean-Gilles M, Dévieux JG, Ibañez GE, Gwanzura T, Nawfal E, Gray A, Beach MC, Ladner R. Patient-provider relationships and antiretroviral therapy adherence and durable viral suppression among women with HIV, Miami-Dade County, Florida, 2021-2022. AIDS Patient Care STDS. 2023 Jul;37(7):361-372. doi: 10.1089/apc.2023.0029. PMID: 37432309; PMCID: PMC10354312.
    
    
31. Gbadamosi SO, Boyce G, Trepka MJ, Edwards RJ. The burden of pretreatment HIV drug resistance in Trinidad and Tobago. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses. 2024 Apr;40(4):189-197. doi: 10.1089/AID.2022.0155. Epub 2023 Aug 2. PMID: 37409403; PMCID: PMC11040187.
    
    
32. Ward MK, Aleite S, Sheehan DM, Li T, Gbadamosi SO, Jean-Gilles M, Ladner RA, Trepka MJ. Self-reported nonadherence to antiretroviral therapy among Miami-Dade Ryan White Program clients during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study. J Assoc Nurses AIDS Care. 2023 Mar-Apr 01;34(2):198-206. doi: 10.1097/JNC.0000000000000382. Epub 2023 Jan 6. PMID: 36607312; PMCID: PMC10062022.
    
    
33. Ward MK, Gwanzura T, Rojas RR, Trepka MJ, Bursac Z, Wagner EF. Nonfatal opioid-related overdoses treated by emergency medical services in Florida, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prev Med Rep. 2023 Feb;31:102102. doi: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2022.102102. Epub 2022 Dec 26. PMID: 36590443; PMCID: PMC9791786.
    
    
34. Gbadamosi SO, Trepka MJ, Dawit R, Bursac Z, Raymond A, Ladner RA, Sheehan DM. Person-time spent with HIV viral load above 1500 copies/mL among Miami-Dade County Ryan White Program clients, 2017-2019: a retrospective analysis. Ann Epidemiol. 2023 Feb;78:19-27. doi: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2022.12.006. Epub 2022 Dec 21. PMID: 36563765; PMCID: PMC9885974.

View more of Dr. Trepka's publications on FIU Discovery

 

ONGOING AND COMPLETED RESEARCH SUPPORT (last 5 years)

1UG3HG013615 (NIGHR)                 Wang (PI)                                            9/2024 – 8/2031

$11,316,260

FIU Center for Genomic Research (FIU-CGR)

During Phase I (UG3), we have been developing plans and testing the feasibility of achieving the primary goals to enhance diversity in genomic research by establishing FIU-CGR to carry out innovative, state-of-the-art genomic research studies; foster genomic research career development and enhancement for trainees and investigators at all career levels; enhance the genomic infrastructure, computational, analytical and ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI) of genomic research capability; establish sustainable partnerships and disseminate resources and findings. 2) During Phase II (UH3), we will build the genomic center, which is expected to support an Administrative Core, Workforce Development Core, Community Engagement Core, and three interrelated, innovative research projects.
Role of Trepka: Co-leader of Genomic Workforce Development Core

1R21CA290324-01 (NCI)                   Mondal (PI)                                         04/2024-03/2026       

Amount: $370,600

Explainable AI-Based Multi-Omics Analysis of Lung Cancer Health Disparity

The goals of the proposed research are to understand and discover the biological factors of health disparities in lung cancer between African Americans and European Americans at the multi-omics level (including genomics, epigenomics, and transcriptomics) using explainable artificial intelligence. 

Role of Trepka: Co-investigator

2 S21 MD010683-06 (NIMHD)           Gil and De La Rosa (Co-PIs),            07/2023 - 06/2028    

Amount: $10 million

Florida International University-Health Disparities Initiative (FIU-HDI)

Using community-engaged multidisciplinary approaches, the proposed Florida International Health Disparities Initiative (FIU-HDI) will strengthen and expand capacity-building efforts of the current, ongoing FIU-HDI. These efforts include expanding FIU’s research infrastructure to train the next generation of public health, clinical, biomedical, and behavioral researchers at FIU’s Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work and Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine to address health disparities in communicable and noncommunicable health conditions—and advance health equity—among underserved populations in South Florida and the Caribbean

Role of Trepka: Mentor

F31 MD018550-01 (NIMHD)              Gwanzura (PI)                          05/9/2023-05/08/2025

Amount: $76,848

Identifying individual and community factors associated with high COVID-19 incidence and mortality rates among people with HIV

The study’s primary objectives are to (1) assess the effect of COVID-19 community-level prevention strategies and the impact of COVID-19 vaccine availability in reducing the risk of COVID-19 in PWH and related disparities; and (2) to identify factors associated with co-occurring high rates of COVID-19 and HIV across communities.
Role of Trepka: Co-Mentor

2 U54 MD012393-06 (NIMHD)           Wagner (PI)                                        09/2017 – 05/31/2027

Amount: $15,414,993

The FIU Research Center in a Minority Institution (FIU-RCMI)

The overarching goals of our Center renewal include: 1. enhancing institutional research capacity, 2. increasing investigator success in obtaining competitive extramural research support, 3. fostering an environment conducive to career development for ESIs, 4. disseminating research generally and specifically for advancing minority health, and 5. establishing sustainable relationships with community-based organizations. Our scientific focus areas will include basic biomedical research, behavioral research and population science, and clinical/health services research, with one R01-equivalent project in each area.
Role of Trepka: PI Investigator Development Core, Co-I Administrative Core, and Co-I Research Project 3

1 R01 MD017205-01A1 (NIMHD)                  Sheehan (PI)                          07/2022-03/2027

Amount: $2,507,213

Efficacy of an mHealth + e-Navigator stepped care intervention for ART adherence among Latino men with HIV

The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of stepped care strategies to improve ART adherence among adult Latino men with HIV using a sequential, multiple assignment, randomized trial (SMART). The trial will compare a stepped care strategy of delivering TXTXT first and stepping up to remote patient navigation for non-responders vs. a stepped care strategy of delivering TXTXT + e-Navigation first and stepping up to EMA-supported e-Navigation for non-responders.
Role of Trepka: Co-Investigator

R01MD012421-01A1 (NIMHD)                                  Trepka (PI)                              1/2019-11/2025

Amount: $1,396,607                                                                                                   NCE

Influence of patient-centered HIV care on retention and viral suppression

The objective of the study is to identify provider-patient-centered care factors that are moderating the effect of changes in individual characteristics on retention in care and viral suppression while considering neighborhood social determinants and medical case management site factors and to predict to what extent changes in patient-centered care factors could improve HIV care retention and viral suppression and thus reduce health disparities. We will accomplish these objectives with a cohort study of people enrolled in the Miami-Dade County Ryan White Program 2019–2021 and dynamic causal Bayesian networks.

3R01MD012421-02S1 (NIMHD)                                Trepka (PI)                             7/2020-11/2025

Amount: $164,916                                                                                                      NCE   

Influence of patient-centered HIV care on retention and viral suppression disparities-COVID 19  Supplement

The COVID-19 Public Health Emergency has led to important changes in how HIV care is delivered to protect people living with HIV from being exposed to the COVID-19 virus. Furthermore, because people living with HIV are more likely to have low incomes, they are particularly vulnerable to the economic hardships from the COVID-19 crisis. This supplemental study will evaluate the effects of the COVID-19-related changes in HIV care delivery and COVID-19-related economic and psychosocial hardships on viral load suppression among people living with HIV in the Miami-Dade County Ryan White Program.

3R01 MD012421-03S1 (NIMHD)                               Trepka (PI)                              9/2021-11/2025

Amount: $570,013                                                                                                      NCE

Influence of patient-centered HIV care on retention and viral suppression disparities-COVID 19 Vaccination Supplement

This supplemental study will use a survey and in-depth interviews to identify barriers to COVID-19 vaccination and potential points of intervention to increase COVID-19 vaccination among African American, Hispanic, and Haitian people with HIV.

R01MD013563-01 (NIMHD)                                       Trepka (PI)                              9/2018-4/2025

Amount: $2,353,572

Women-centered HIV care practices that facilitate HIV care retention and viral suppression in the presence of adverse sociocultural factors.

The objective of the study is to use a mixed-methods approach to identify effective provider and system women-centered HIV care practices within the Miami-Dade County Ryan White Program that positively influence care retention, antiretroviral therapy adherence, and thus viral suppression among women, particularly racial/ethnic minority women experiencing sociocultural challenges.