Departmental Affiliations
Uttara Bharath Kumar, MHS ’97, examines social, structural, and behavioral barriers to positive health outcomes and the design of audience-centered strategic communication interventions to address them.
Experiences & Accomplishments
Uttara Bharath Kumar works on the research, design, implementation, and evaluation of global interventions that address social, structural, and behavioral barriers to positive health outcomes. Since 1993, she has worked in health areas ranging from RNMCH, HIV/AIDs, TB and malaria to non-communicable diseases, including cancers and mental health. Drawing from behavioral science, design thinking, entertainment-education and other SBC approaches, some of the programs she has led in Africa and Asia have won prestigious awards. In addition to co-facilitating SBC capacity-strengthening workshops and courses in 15 countries, she has led the annual South Asia Regional Workshop on Leadership in Strategic Communication (LSC) since 2012. She has also been closely involved in founding and mentoring locally-governed SBC organizations in India and Zambia.