Lorraine Halinka Malcoe

Dr. Lorraine Halinka Malcoe is a Professor and Public Health Undergraduate Program Director at the Zilber School of Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She holds a PhD in Epidemiology, an MPH in Epidemiology and Biostatistics, and a BS in Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley and San Diego State University. Her work focuses on eliminating health consequences of structural inequality through interdisciplinary, community-engaged research integrating social sciences, public health, and epidemiology.

• PhD, Epidemiology, University of California, Berkeley
• MPH, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, Berkeley
• AB, Biology, San Diego State University

Dr. Malcoe specializes in community-based participatory research (CBPR) to address systemic oppression in urban and rural marginalized communities, including Indigenous, African American, Latinx, and immigrant populations. Her work spans topics like child health, mental health, mass incarceration, violence against women, and environmental health disparities. She has led federally funded studies with NIDA, NIJ, NIEHS, CDC, and CIHR, producing actionable insights for policy and public health practice.

Her recent publications examine racial health disparities through critical race praxis, structural racism in housing policy, and the intersectionality of stressors affecting Hispanic women. Dr. Malcoe co-edited Critical Inquiries: Methods and Methodologies for Social Justice in Mental Health (2017), a foundational text for research with marginalized communities. She teaches graduate-level courses on inequality and public health, and undergraduate courses on population health frameworks.

Through collaborations with Indigenous nations and local agencies, Dr. Malcoe has addressed lead exposure, policing inequities, and health impacts of incarceration. Her research integrates structural violence theory and intersectional approaches, particularly in LGBTQ+ and transgender health justice.