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Zea ​Malawa, MD, MPH

Visiting Professor, Health Equity and Anti-Racism
Zea Malawa is a pediatrician and public health professional focused on advancing racial health equity and birth justice through innovative programming and systems change.

Biography

Zea Malawa is a mother, pediatrician and public health professional committed to improving health outcomes for children of color. Upon completing her undergraduate degree at Columbia University, she earned a medical doctorate from UCLA and a master’s degree in public health from UC Berkeley. Currently, Dr. Malawa is the director of Expecting Justice, a public health program that uses systems change and justice-oriented approaches to dismantle racism and close the racial gap in birth outcomes. In that capacity, she directs the Abundant Birth Project, the first pregnancy Guaranteed Income program in the US. She is the Perinatal Equity Medical Director at the San Francisco Department of Public Health and Adjunct Faculty at UCSF School of Medicine. She also sees patients at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and serves as the Vice Chair of San Francisco’s First 5 Commission.

Research Interests

  • Birth Equity
  • Anti-Racism and Health
  • Guaranteed Income

Education

  • MD – University of California, Los Angeles
  • MPH – University of California, Berkeley
  • BA – Columbia University

Publications

Courses Taught

    • PH 215
    • Anti-Racism and Racial Justice Course