Deepak Kumar

Dr. Deepak Kumar serves as Associate Provost and Dean of Research and Sponsored Programs at North Carolina Central University (NCCU) while holding a professorship in Pharmaceutical Sciences. As NCCU's chief research officer, he provides strategic leadership for the university's research enterprise overseeing the Julius L. Chambers Biomedical/Biotechnology Research Institute (BBRI), Biomanufacturing Research Institute and Technology Enterprise (BRITE), animal research complex, research compliance, and technology transfer operations. His leadership has modernized research infrastructure and significantly expanded extramural funding through initiatives like the Office of Research Development.

His research program centers on molecular biomarkers of cancer progression with primary focus on prostate cancer, extending into genomics, epigenomics, cell signaling, environmental health, and implementation science. A defining characteristic of his work is its community-engaged approach that bridges biomedical discovery with the health needs of underserved populations, driving advancements in health services research, chronic disease prevention, and health disparities interventions across North Carolina.

Dr. Kumar's distinguished contributions have earned significant recognition:

• Election to the North Carolina Institute of Medicine (2022)
• NIMHD History Maker award (2019)

He has secured over $75 million in competitive funding as principal investigator or co-investigator, mentoring dozens of trainees from underrepresented backgrounds. Current leadership roles include directing the NIH/NIMHD RCMI Center for Health Disparities Research, Duke-NCCU Clinical and Translational Science Award partnership, mobile health units, and the NC Collaboratory opioid abatement project. His transformative $10.5 million New Market Tax Credit investment established the Enfield Rural Health Hub.

Dr. Kumar oversees NCCU's major research institutes while maintaining vital partnerships with community-based organizations, Federally Qualified Health Centers, and county health departments to ensure research translates into tangible community health outcomes across eastern North Carolina.