Kartika Palar

Kartika Palar is an Associate Professor at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), School of Medicine. Her research focuses on health inequity in HIV and chronic diseases, particularly addressing food insecurity and social determinants of health. She leads the NIH-funded Women, HIV/AIDS and Diabetes (WAND) Study and co-leads the Changing Health through Food Support (CHEFS) Study, both evaluating food support interventions for vulnerable populations. Her international work in Latin America includes collaborations with the World Food Programme. Palar is committed to mentoring underrepresented students and has received the 2017 UCSF-Gladstone Early Career Award in Behavioral Research.

Education:

• PhD in Policy Analysis, Pardee RAND Graduate School (2012)
• MA in International Affairs, Tufts University (2006)
• BA in Development Studies & Ethnic Studies, Brown University (2001)

Research Interests: Health equity, food insecurity, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, community-based interventions, and policy solutions targeting systemic inequities. She emphasizes collaboration with communities to design equitable health programs.

Grants & Projects:

• NIH-funded studies on food insecurity and HIV-diabetes co-management
• CHEFS Study: RCT evaluating food support for HIV patients
• Urban garden interventions in the Dominican Republic and Bay Area

Awards:

• UCSF-Gladstone CFAR Early Career Award (2017)

Labs/Teams: Collaborates with Project Open Hand and the World Food Programme on food security initiatives.