Michele Diane Kipke

Michele Diane Kipke serves as Professor of Pediatrics and Population and Public Health Sciences at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California and Associate Senior Vice President for Strategic Health Initiatives. She co-directs USC's Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute (SC CTSI) and leads the VaccinateLA initiative addressing vaccine inequities across 34 U.S. states.

Her research spans three decades of NIH-funded behavioral epidemiology focusing on HIV prevention among at-risk youth, health disparities in pediatric populations, and neonatal care transitions. Key interests include minority stress in LGBTQ+ youth, substance abuse interventions, sickle cell disease outcomes, and digital health solutions for NICU-family transitions. Her work integrates community-engaged methods with policy-focused translational research.

Dr. Kipke chairs NIH's HIV/AIDS Scientific Review Committee and has authored over 100 publications demonstrating consistent focus on health equity. Her research portfolio reveals evolving expertise from early HIV needle-exchange evaluations to contemporary vaccine equity initiatives, with persistent emphasis on marginalized populations including racial/ethnic minorities, sexual minorities, and low-income communities.

• Los Angeles Business Journal: Women of Influence in Healthcare (2021)
• USC Associates Award for Creativity in Research and Scholarship (2020)
• American Pediatric Society Elected Member (2013)
• Society for Pediatric Research Elected Member (2013)

As School Board President for South Pasadena Unified School District (2008-present), she bridges academic research with community health policy. Her leadership extends to CASA advocacy for foster youth and national advisory roles shaping pediatric research priorities. Current initiatives focus on mobile health interventions for NICU transitions and scalable models for vaccine equity in underserved communities.