Robert A. Malkin

Professor of the Practice Emeritus in the Department of Biomedical Engineering

Professor Malkin is interested in medical instrumentation in the developing world.

Dr. Malkin is also the founder of The International Research Institute,  Engineering World Health and the Global Public Service Academies. These unique study abroad programs allow undergraduates (EWH) and high school students (GPSA) to study and work in developing world healthcare settings.

Dr. Malkin also conducts research and development focused on medical equipment in the developing world.

Professor Malkin's work on medical instrumentation in the developing world has been supported by Engineering World Health, The National Institutes of Health, The American Heart Association, The Whitaker Foundation, the National Science Foundation and other organizations.

The DHT-Lab runs educational programs such as the EWH Summer Institute and formal classes and provides research and product development opportunities for undergraduates interested in developing world healthcare technology.

Engineering World Health Summer Institute is a unique study abroad program that allows undergraduates to study and work in developing world hospitals. Dr. Malkin and his associates have helped hospitals in Sudan, Nigeria, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Haiti, Liberia, Sierra Leone and many other places. If you came to this site looking for high school programs, consider visiting the International Research Institute or  Global Public Service Academies a non-Duke program run by Dr. Malkin.

Appointments and Affiliations

  • Professor of the Practice Emeritus in the Department of Biomedical Engineering
  • Professor of the Practice of Global Health
  • Affiliate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society

Contact Information

Education

  • B.S. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 1984
  • M.S. Duke University, 1990
  • Ph.D. Duke University, 1993

Research Interests

Research and development of medical equipment in the developing world.

Awards, Honors, and Distinctions

  • Save The Children. GSK Foundation. 2016
  • Engineering Hero. IEEE Spectrum. 2015
  • Imhoff Distinguished Teaching Award. Pratt School of Engineering. 2010

Courses Taught

  • BME 271D: Signals and Systems

In the News

Representative Publications

  • Shreeya Prabu, Hana Catherine Zwick, and Robert Allen Malkin. “Teenagers’ future diabetes risk perception.” World Journal of Biology Pharmacy and Health Sciences 18, no. 1 (April 30, 2024): 233–39. https://doi.org/10.30574/wjbphs.2024.18.1.0194.
  • Malkin, Robert, Jingchun Zhou, and Iris Parshley. “Barriers and Facilitators Associated with the History of Colonization on the Vaccination Process of COVID-19 among Indigenous Peoples in Canada.” Canadian Journal of Medicine 6, no. 1 (April 1, 2024): 5–14. https://doi.org/10.33844/cjm.2024.6033.
  • Bhatt, Eeshta, and Robert A. Malkin. “Errors in Metered Dose Inhaler Use Amongst Pediatric Asthma Patients.” Journal of Asthma and Allergy 16 (January 2023): 1259–65. https://doi.org/10.2147/jaa.s435197.
  • Arora, Ashvin, and Robert Malkin. “HANDLINK: A Dexterous Robotic Hand Exoskeleton controlled by Motor Imagery (MI).” Journal of Advances in Medicine and Medical Research, December 1, 2022, 427–36. https://doi.org/10.9734/jammr/2022/v34i234879.
  • Anand, Sanjana, Madeline Wilkerson, and Robert Malkin. “The Effect of Vaping and Nicotine-containing Liquids to Suppress the Immune System: A Pilot Study.” Journal of Advances in Medicine and Medical Research, December 19, 2021, 284–91. https://doi.org/10.9734/jammr/2021/v33i2331212.