Peninnah Kako

Peninnah Kako, PhD, is a full-time Professor in the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) College of Nursing, where she has served since 2008. She is board-certified as a Family Nurse Practitioner and chairs the Executive Committee of her faculty research group, Local to Global Community Health.

Education:

• PhD in Nursing – University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI
• MSN, Family Nurse Practitioner – University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI
• BSN – University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI
• Associate Degree in Nursing – Milwaukee Area Technical College, Milwaukee, WI

Research Interests:

Dr. Kako’s scholarship centers on improving healthcare access for underserved populations both in the United States and sub-Saharan Africa. Her work integrates ethnographic, qualitative, and mixed-methods designs to examine:

• HIV prevention and chronic disease self-management among women in Kenya and Malawi
• Gender-based violence and its health sequelae
• Culturally tailored community health interventions delivered through school-based clinics and peer-support networks

She currently directs the HRSA-funded Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) training program at UWM.

Publication Trends:

Across more than two dozen peer-reviewed articles (2011-2022), Dr. Kako’s research consistently addresses HIV care trajectories, mental health burdens among women, and structural barriers to treatment adherence. Studies span rural Kenyan villages, Malawian communities, and underserved urban U.S. populations, employing qualitative and mixed-methods lenses to highlight culturally embedded determinants of health.

Scientific Awards & Honors:

• 2024 AACN Elevating Leaders in Academic Nursing (ELAN) Fellow
• 2016 DAISY Award for Extraordinary Faculty
• Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA)

Grants & Advising:

She has served as principal investigator or co-investigator on grants totaling over $2 million from NIH-NIMH, NIH-NINR, HRSA, UWM Research Growth Initiative, and the UW System Institute on Race & Ethnicity. These awards fund longitudinal cohort studies of HIV-positive women in Kenya, development of overseas field-research experiences for undergraduates, and faculty-diversity initiatives in nursing academia.

Labs & Teams:

Dr. Kako leads the Local to Global Community Health faculty research group within the College of Nursing and mentors an interdisciplinary team of doctoral, DNP, and undergraduate students. She also spearheads a Winterim study-abroad program in Kenya focused on community health and cultural humility training for nursing and health-professions students.