Meet the Team

Mal Lea

Mal Lea graduated with an Associate's Degree from Santa Fe College in Spring 2022 and is currently an undergraduate student at USF’s School of Public Health. In the summer of 2022, Mal completed the Maternal Child Health Care/ Research Initiatives for Student Enhancement- Undergraduate Program (MCHC/RISE-UP) at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, an affiliate of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. In the fall, they also completed an advocacy internship with Planned Parenthood. Both internships focused on health advocacy for underrepresented communities. 
 
Mal's research interests include health equity and community health. They have completed projects pertaining to HIV/AIDS accessibility, social media ethics in health care, and local events advocating for sex destigmatization. While completing their undergraduate degree, Mal has been focusing on breaking barriers to transgender health- particularly in Florida. They're currently working on a research project about non-binary youth experiences when accessing mental, physical, and gender-affirming care. They hope to pursue their MPH/Ph.D after graduation to continue their work empowering LGBTQ+ and other minoritized communities with accurate, safe, and accessible health information. They currently live in Gainesville, FL, where they are an active member of the social justice community.