Anand Kumar

Anand Kumar, M.D., MHA is the Lizzie Gilman Professor and Head of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). He leads the department within UI Health, UIC's academic health enterprise, with his office located at the School of Public Health / Psychiatric Institute in Chicago.

Dr. Kumar received his medical degree from Madras Medical College in Madras, India. He completed his Psychiatry Residency training at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and subsequently served as a Medical Staff Fellow in the Laboratory of Neurosciences at the National Institute on Aging.

Dr. Kumar's research primarily focuses on late-life depression and mental disorders of the elderly, including Alzheimer's disease and dementia. His work bridges clinical psychiatry with neuroscience to understand the neurobiological underpinnings of geriatric mental health conditions. He has made significant contributions to understanding the structural and functional brain changes associated with depression in older adults.

His publication record shows consistent focus on neuroimaging techniques (particularly MRI and PET) applied to geriatric depression and dementia. The research demonstrates evolving methodologies from structural MRI studies in the 1990s to more sophisticated biochemical and metabolic analyses in later years, reflecting advancements in neuroimaging technology and geriatric psychiatry research.

• Jack Weinberg Award for Geriatric Psychiatry from the American Psychiatric Association

Dr. Kumar has been consistently funded by NIH research grants for over 18 years and is author or co-author of more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. As an educator and mentor, he has trained numerous psychiatrists who have gone on to prestigious positions at institutions including UCLA, Brown, Emory, Duke, Johns Hopkins, Harvard, and Yale University. His former trainees have secured clinical, research, and training positions at these esteemed institutions, demonstrating his significant impact on the field of geriatric psychiatry.

Dr. Kumar serves as an active thought leader in his field, contributing op-eds on mental health topics to major publications including the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times, and Orlando Sentinel, particularly addressing issues related to adolescent mental health, Alzheimer's disease, and athlete mental health.