Samhita Kumar

Samhita Kumar is a Senior Associate Director at the Carter Center, a nongovernmental, not-for-profit organization founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter in partnership with Emory University. Samhita leads the Mental Health Program’s global behavioral health portfolio, which focuses on enhancing policies, services, health systems, and social inclusion to improve population mental health and access to mental health care globally. Her work has focused in low- and middle-income countries affected by conflict and violence. Prior to the Carter Center, Samhita worked at the World Bank, where she collaborated with experts across sectors on analytical and operational work addressing mental health and psychosocial support as well as conflict and violence. Samhita is co-author of the first-ever joint United Nations – World Bank flagship study on preventing violent conflict, Pathways for Peace. Samhita holds a master’s degree in epidemiology and global health from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and is pursuing her PhD from Emory University Rollins School of Public Health. Her research interests are in the integration of mental health with current and emerging health priorities, such as tuberculosis, health systems strengthening, priority-setting, and financing, and global health leadership training.