PHLP and Gillings Global Gateway™ welcome Fulbright Scholar

September 3, 2015

Dr. Anant Kumar

Anant Kumar, PhD,  assistant professor of rural management at Xavier Institute of Social Service in Ranchi, Jharkhand, India, has joined the  Gillings School of Global Public Health’s Public Health Leadership Program for the 2015-2016 academic year as a Fulbright Scholar. He will be hosted by the Gillings Global Gateway during his stay at UNC.

Kumar, who will study the use of technology to promote community public health, will work closely with Rohit Ramaswamy, PhD, clinical associate professor in the Gillings School of Global Public Health’s Public Health Leadership Program and implementation science adviser to the Gillings Global Gateway.

“This collaboration will help Dr. Kumar learn about our approaches to use technology to enhance global education and also will help us at the Gillings School by expanding our knowledge and experience,” Ramaswamy said. “Reaching communities is particularly challenging because of language and local culture, and there has been little research in the use of technologies to truly engage communities, not just to push information at them or train them to use mobile technology to input data.”

At the Xavier Institute, Kumar teaches courses in community health, reproductive child health, gender and development, and public health and policy. His research interests include women’s health, mental health, HIV/AIDS, population and reproductive health, international health, public health policy and leadership.

A strong and tireless advocate of public health services for the underserved, Kumar earned a master’s degree in psychology from the University of Allahabad and a doctorate in social medicine and community health from the Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.

Kumar has published in several national and international journals, including Health Sociology Review, Social Work in Public Health, Journal of Health Management, Journal of Health and Development, Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment and the International NGO Journal.

He has served as a reviewer for various national and international journals, is a member of the board of directors of the Canadian Coalition for Global Health Research, and serves on the expert committee of the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI). Kumar was awarded a guest fellow position at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study and recently has co-authored the book, Visionary Leadership in Health: Delivering Superior Value.

“We are delighted to have Dr. Kumar join us at the Gillings School this academic year,” said Jim Herrington, PhD, executive director of the Gillings Global Gateway. “His perspective on community health and the application of low-cost technologies for addressing health needs in low-resources settings will be invaluable.”