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Mike Totoraitis, PhD

Commissioner of Health

 

Mayor Cavalier Johnson appointed Mike Totoraitis, PhD, as Commissioner of Health in May 2023. He was reappointed in May 2024 to serve a four-year term. As Commissioner, he leads the City of Milwaukee Health Department (MHD), Wisconsin’s largest local health department, and serves as Milwaukee's health officer.

Commissioner Totoraitis first joined MHD in 2021 as Director of Health Data and Evaluation, leading the department’s epidemiology and data team during the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier in his career, he worked in community organizing at Safe & Sound and in violence prevention research with the health department’s former Office of Violence Prevention, where he co-authored a national manual on establishing public health violent incident review teams. His career has focused on injury prevention, public health data and strengthening connections between institutions and communities.

Commissioner Totoraitis earned his PhD in public and community health from the Medical College of Wisconsin, where his research focused on childhood maltreatment and resilience. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in criminology and law studies from Marquette University.

Commissioner Totoraitis’ priorities include reducing childhood lead exposure, improving maternal and child health outcomes and addressing persistent health disparities, and strengthening the public health programs and services that serve Milwaukee residents. He is also focused on strengthening the department through public health accreditation, strategic planning, modernized data systems and improved performance management.

Commissioner Totoraitis is an active member of the Big Cities Health Coalition, Wisconsin Public Health Association and Wisconsin Association of Local Health Departments and Boards, and holds an adjunct appointment with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s College of Public Health. Outside of the health department, Commissioner Totoraitis enjoys spending time with his family, being a dad, and exploring the city on his bike.