Dr. Koumari Mitra

Biography

Koumari Mitra is a Professor at the University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, specializing in Biomedical Anthropology, Human Genetics, and Biological Anthropology. She holds a PhD in Human Cytogenetics from the University of Delhi, India, and has completed postdoctoral training at the University of New Brunswick and the University of Massachusetts. Mitra developed a program in biological medical anthropology and created a biological anthropology laboratory at UNB. Her research primarily focuses on gender issues related to women's health in India and Canada, particularly in cancer prevention and control. Major projects include studying adolescent health, cervical cancer awareness among youths, and challenges faced by HIV-positive women in Canada. Mitra’s work also examines gendered impacts of globalization on HIV/AIDS in urban slums in India and explores reproductive health of young women. Currently, she investigates traditional medicine practices and social entrepreneurship related to health in Indian tribal populations as well as marginalized groups in selected areas. Her research efforts are supported by several funding agencies, including the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Canadian Institute of Health Research. She has supervised numerous MA theses on related health issues and is currently overseeing a PhD thesis on Social Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Development in New Delhi.

Research Interests

Experience