Laika Maganga, a PhD candidate at the School of Nursing and UJMT Fogarty Fellow, is doing her dissertation research in Malawi, drawing on her family roots while centering the lived experiences of young women to take on HIV stigma and support healthier futures.
How has your training and clinical work shaped your approach to gender, culture, and HIV stigma?
As a PhD candidate in the School of Nursing doing my dissertation research at UNC Project Malawi in Lilongwe, I’m focused on understanding the implications of culture, specifically gender, on the HIV stigma experienced by young Malawian women (aged 15 to 24) living with HIV. In my exploration of this intersectional stigma, my formative research will inform the future development of an intervention rooted in the lived experiences of young Malawian women living with HIV, helping them cope with stigma and achieve and maintain healthy outcomes.
I joined the Hillman Scholars in Nursing Innovation Program in 2021, as an undergraduate student. This program is an accelerated BSN-PhD program to produce the next generation of nurse scientists. In my honors project, I explored the effects of stigma among older Black women living with HIV in Malawi, and this cemented my commitment to addressing stigma among marginalized populations. From 2022-2023, I worked as a bedside nurse on a medicine-psychiatric unit at ECU Health. There, I saw how the culmination of social disadvantages and chronic illness manifest in our patient populations.
What made this feel like the right move for you, and what has living in Malawi actually been like?
Adjusting to life in Malawi has definitely come with a learning curve—from driving on the opposite side of the road and figuring out roundabouts, to fully embracing the slower, more relaxed pace of life. Seeing a lizard in my house is now a regular thing, though I still scream every once in a while when one catches me off guard. I’ve loved taking in the country’s natural beauty, from the stunning landscapes of Lilongwe to the mountains in Zomba and Rumphi, and of course, Lake Malawi. I’m also working on my Chichewa (the national language of Malawi) ‘pang’ono pang’ono’ or ‘little by little.’ Overall, it’s been such an eye‑opening, grounding experience, and I’m incredibly grateful for it.
How did mentorship and timing come together to steer you toward HIV research?
The biggest influence has been my dissertation chair and mentor, Dr. Natalia Villegas, who supported me throughout this entire process. During conversations with my dissertation committee, I learned about the UJMT Global Health Scholars Program through the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases. I put together my application shortly after, and a few months later, I was accepted.
As a nurse, I truly believe in holistic care—not just treating disease but understanding how the social and psychological side of illness impacts people’s lives. That belief is what pushed me toward studying stigma among people living with HIV. In 2023, I visited Malawi briefly before starting my PhD and had conversations with my family about my research interests. Those conversations sparked curiosity about HIV and stigma in Malawi, especially among young women.
Soon after, I met Dr. Ashley Leak‑Bryant, who leads the Global Affairs office at the School of Nursing and connected me with folks at UNC Project Malawi. Through that network, I was fortunate to meet Dr. Agatha Bula and Dr. Melissa Stockton, who later became mentors and members of my dissertation committee. Around the same time, I was taking coursework and realized I wanted to do qualitative research, which is when I gained another mentor, Dr. Jessica Williams, who also now serves on my committee. Overall, it’s been a mix of mentorship, timing, and listening to the questions that kept coming up for me—and each step made the direction of my research feel more and more clear.
How did this experience shape where you want your work to go next?
Long term, I want to lead my own program of research as an independent nurse scientist focused on advancing health equity—specifically by studying the intersections of HIV and stigma among marginalized populations in a global context, with a strong focus on Malawi. As someone who is originally from Malawi, this work feels deeply personal. Young Malawian women living with HIV often experience stigma in their relationships, communities, and society at large, and that stigma can seriously impact their ability to stay healthy and thrive.
As a nurse researcher, I’m motivated by the idea of expanding care beyond one patient at a time to entire communities. Through research and stigma‑reduction interventions, I hope to improve health outcomes for young Malawian women living with HIV in a way that’s meaningful and sustainable.
The UJMT fellowship has been a huge part of shaping that vision. It gave me hands‑on experience in global health research—something no amount of coursework or reading could fully prepare me for. I’ve had the privilege of working alongside incredible people, from research assistants and collaborators to mentors, community advisory board members, and teams in finance, administration, and internal supply. While I came to Malawi with a research plan, the people I worked with brought invaluable lived experience and local expertise that made the project stronger and more grounded.
Looking ahead, I’m excited to build on my dissertation findings and continue collaborating in Malawi as I grow my research program. This experience didn’t just align with my goals—it helped clarify them.