Brandon Kohrt

Brandon Kohrt, MD, PhD is a psychiatrist and anthropologist who has worked for 25 years to improve mental health services in countries affected by war and political violence, disasters, and other forms of adversity. He holds the Charles and Sonia Akman Professorship in Global Psychiatry at George Washington University, where he is Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Global Health, and Anthropology, and Director of the GW Center for Global Mental Health Equity. He works regularly with the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and humanitarian organizations around the world. 

Dr. Kohrt is the academic partner lead for the World Health Organization/Unicef Ensuring Quality In Psychosocial and Mental Healthcare (EQUIP) initiative to establish competency frameworks and assessments for providers of psychological and other mental health services around the world. Dr. Kohrt’s work also addresses development of mental health assessment tools and trials for reducing stigma in healthcare settings to improve the quality of mental health services. 

Dr. Kohrt is co-editor of the book Global Mental Health: Anthropological Perspectives, and co-editor-in-chief of Social Science & Medicine: Mental Health. Dr. Kohrt was Commissioner for the Time for United Action on Depression: a Lancet–World Psychiatric Association Commission and the The Lancet Commission on Ending Stigma and Discrimination in Mental Health.