Episode #431 Milwaukee's Fight For Its Children, With Micheal Totoraitis, PhD
- Laura Hollabaugh
- 8 hours ago
- 3 min read
On This Episode Of The Public Health Epidemiology Conversations (PHEC) Podcast
In this powerful episode, Milwaukee’s Health Commissioner Mike Totoraitis joins Dr. Charlotte H. Huntley to share an insider’s view of navigating a citywide public health crisis and the evolving realities of public health leadership in 2025. Mike recounts how discovering a severe lead crisis in Milwaukee’s schools exposed systemic vulnerabilities while underscoring the urgent importance of community engagement, open information sharing, and cross-sector partnerships. Their conversation highlights lessons learned from the frontlines, both in leading crisis response and in the broader struggle for advocacy, trust, and progress in public health at a time of national turbulence and resource disruption.
Meet Mike Totoraitis
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson appointed Mike Totoraitis, PhD, as the City’s Commissioner of Health in May 2023 and reappointed him in 2024 to a four-year term. As Commissioner of Health, Commissioner Totoraitis oversees Wisconsin’s largest local health department, which includes approximately 240 full-time staff and an annual budget of nearly $40 million, and serves as the City of Milwaukee’s health officer. He leads the department in alignment with federal, state, and local public health mandates while setting strategic priorities that strengthen core public health services, improve health outcomes, and advance health equity across the city.
Some of the Commissioner's priorities include achieving national public health accreditation, completing the department’s strategic plan, modernizing data and performance systems, and steering the department toward a Public Health 3.0 model that emphasizes cross-sector partnerships, community engagement, and addressing social determinants of health.
Commissioner Totoraitis joined the City of Milwaukee Health Department in 2021 as Director of Health Data and Evaluation, leading epidemiologists and analysts throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier in his career, Commissioner Totoraitis served as a program supervisor at Safe & Sound, managing community organizing initiatives, and previously worked in the health department’s former Office of Violence Prevention as a violence prevention research coordinator. He co-authored a national manual on establishing public health violent incident review teams, reflecting his career-long focus on the intersection of public health, community engagement, and violence prevention.
Commissioner Totoraitis earned his PhD in Public and Community Health from the Medical College of Wisconsin, where he studied childhood maltreatment and resilience, and holds a bachelor’s degree in criminology and law studies from Marquette University. He is an active member of the Big Cities Health Coalition, the Wisconsin Public Health Association, the Wisconsin Association of Local Health Departments and Boards, and the Milwaukee Rotary Club. He also holds an adjunct appointment with the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee’s College of Public Health.
Listen To This Episode Of The Public Health Epidemiology Conversations (PHEC) Podcast
Conversation Highlights
Transparent communication and community information sharing were essential in managing Milwaukee’s school lead crisis.
Community advocacy and public support played a pivotal role in restoring CDC assistance during the crisis.
Public health leaders must foster strong internal teams and external partnerships across multiple sectors, from clinics and labs to environmental safety.
Professional resilience and relationship-building—with colleagues, mentors, and community—fuel long-term impact and career growth.
Practicing empathy and humility (rather than “telling people what to do”) is vital for building public trust in today’s polarized environment.
Effective public health communication means distilling complex evidence into simple, actionable messages for diverse audiences.
Local health departments must be prepared to “step up” during times of federal uncertainty, relying on agile strategy and local leadership.
Sustaining public health progress requires collective advocacy—connecting everyday community conversations to policy change.
“One of the main successes of a strong community is access to information... I might not be able to convince someone to get a flu shot, but I can provide access and a sounding board so they feel heard and respected.” – Mike Totoraitis
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DrCHHuntley LLC is a public health consulting firm that specializes in epidemiology consulting, supporting large nonprofit organizations in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, and Florida that serve Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). We also provide nationwide public health consulting and epidemiology consulting support to BIPOC organizations across the United States.