Deepa Rao

Deepa Rao, Ph.D., M.A. is a Professor in the Department of Global Health at the University of Washington with joint appointments in the School of Public Health and School of Medicine. She also serves as Associate Vice Provost at the University of Washington. As a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, her work focuses on implementing behavioral interventions in non-psychiatric settings to improve mental health, reduce stigma, and enhance patient engagement in care.

Dr. Rao's research spans multiple critical health areas including HIV/AIDS, mental health, chronic diseases, and social justice. Her work particularly emphasizes stigma reduction across various contexts, with significant focus on HIV stigma among Black women in the United States and intersectional approaches to understanding health disparities.

Her publication record demonstrates consistent contributions to global mental health research, with particular emphasis on implementation science approaches to addressing health disparities. Her work bridges clinical psychology with public health implementation, focusing on practical interventions that can be deployed in real-world settings.

• Licensed Clinical Psychologist
• Ph.D. from Illinois Institute of Technology
• M.A. and B.A. from University of Chicago

Dr. Rao maintains country affiliations with Canada, India, and the United States, and speaks Kannada. She is affiliated with the Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) Behavioral Science Core and the UW Consortium for Global Mental Health.