Lawrence Palinkas is the Albert G. and Frances Lomas Feldman Professor of Social Policy and Health at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. He also holds secondary appointments as professor in the departments of anthropology and preventive medicine at USC.

A medical anthropologist, his primary areas of expertise lie within preventive medicine, cross-cultural medicine and health services research. Palinkas is particularly interested in behavioral health, global behavioral health and health disparities, implementation science, community-based participatory research, and the sociocultural and environmental determinants of health and health-related behavior with a focus on disease prevention and health promotion. His research has included studies of psychosocial adaptation to extreme environments and manmade disasters; mental health needs of older adults; cultural explanatory models of mental illness and service utilization; HIV and substance abuse prevention in Mexico; evaluation of academic-community research practice partnerships; and the dissemination and implementation of evidence-based practices for delivery of mental health services to children, adolescents and underserved populations. This work has been funded by the National Science Foundation, NASA, National Institutes of Health, MacArthur Foundation and the William T. Grant Foundation. His current research encompasses mental health services, immigrant health and global health. He also provides expertise to students and colleagues in the use of qualitative and mixed research methods.

Among his scholarly achievements are the Antarctic Service Medal by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Navy in 1989; deputy chief officer of the Life Sciences Standing Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research in 2002; chair of the National Space Biomedical Research Institute's External Advisory Council in 2003; and membership on committees of the National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Palinkas is an elected fellow of the American Anthropological Association, Society for Applied Anthropology, American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare, and the Society for Social Work and Research, and the author of more than 450 publications.