Medical School: Kasturba Medical College (1980)
Internship Program: Englewood Hospital (1986)
Residency Program: Englewood Hospital (1988)
Fellowship Program: MedStar Georgetown University Hospital (1990)
Board Certification: American Board of Internal Medicine, Internal Medicine
Board Certification: American Board of Internal Medicine, Infectious Disease
Dr. Kumar is the Chief of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and has served as the Program Director for its ID Fellowship. She also serves as the Senior Associate Dean of Students at Georgetown University School of Medicine where she is a Professor of Medicine and Microbiology.
Dr. Kumar’s peers look up to her as an influential figure and role model in both medicine and the field of medical education. She has garnered many prestigious awards and recognition throughout her career including becoming the first woman to be inducted into Georgetown’s Golden Apple Orchard in 2004 for sustained teaching of medical students, continuing to receive Golden Apple Awards each time she is eligible. In 2010, she was inducted into the Magis Society for Master Teachers and was presented with the 2015 Founders’ Medal for Dedication and Leadership of Cura Personalis.
In 2019, the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) Foundation named Dr. Kumar a Women of ID to recognize her profound impact on the field of infectious diseases and the lives of those around her. In 2021, she was awarded the Karen Gale Award, which recognizes a faculty member within the Georgetown University Medical Center for outstanding professional achievements in research, education, and service. She was awarded the DC Medical Society’s Dr. Charles H. Epps, III Community Service Award, which is presented to a physician member of the Medical Society of DC for outstanding public service to the community, in specific recognition of her work on best practice for COVID-19 safety protocols.
Dr. Kumar is a member of the American College of Physicians (ACP) and received the 2016 Mastership in the American College of Physicians (MACP). Dr. Kumar was awarded the 2024 Jane F. Desforges Distinguished Teachers Award by ACP. This award is bestowed on a physician who has exemplified the qualities of a great teacher as judged by the acclaim and accomplishments of former students who have been inspired and have achieved positions of leadership in the field of medical education. She was also inducted into the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) in May 2024.
In addition, Dr. Kumar served as the Director of the Clinical Population Sciences Core for the DC Center for Aids Research until June 2020. She is the Principal Investigator for the DC Cohort, which is a unique NIH-funded, city-wide longitudinal cohort for outpatients with HIV who receive care in Washington, DC. Her public service includes serving as the Medical Director and volunteer at Gift of Peace, a Missionaries of Charity home founded by Mother Teresa and provides care to the uninsured and homeless in Washington. She also received a certificate of appreciation from the Peace Corps for the medical advising and teaching she has provided to their medical officers.