Dr. Deepak Kumar serves as the Associate Provost and Dean of Research at North Carolina Central University (NCCU), where he is also a professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences. He oversees the Julius L. Chambers Biomedical Biotechnology Research Institute (JLC-BBRI) and the Biomanufacturing Research Institute and Technology Enterprise (BRITE), each focused on health disparities research and advancing the biomedical workforce.

Dr. Kumar is also the Principal Investigator of the NCCU RCMI Center for Health Disparities Research. Through RCMI, Dr. Kumar has strategically centered health disparities within NCCU’s research agenda. His proactive response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Advanced Center for COVID-19 Related Disparities (ACCORD), addressed critical issues – testing access and vaccine hesitancy among underserved populations. Furthermore, he founded the Health Equity, Environment and Population Health (HOPE) program and the Rural Health Hub, which foster health equity through collaborative efforts with local health departments and community organizations.

Dr. Kumar has been continuously funded by NIH for over two decades as PI.  Throughout his career, Dr. Kumar has mentored numerous undergraduate and graduate students as well as postdocs and junior faculty.  His expertise in cancer biology, health disparities and community programming has substantially advanced the study of health disparities and community-engaged healthcare solutions.