Kiran T. Thakur, MD

Dr. Kiran Thakur, MD FAAN FANA is an internationally recognized physician–scientist and clinician-educator specializing in neuroinfectious diseases and health equity. She is a leader in advancing clinical care, research, and education at the intersection of neurology and infectious diseases, with a particular focus on improving outcomes for patients with central nervous system infections in resource-limited settings. Her expertise spans a broad spectrum of neuroinfectious diseases, including viral encephalitides such as herpes simplex virus and West Nile virus, tuberculous and fungal meningitides, vaccine preventable neuroinfectious diseases including Japanese Encephalitis Virus and Poliovirus, emerging pathogens such as Zika and Nipah viruses, HIV-associated neurological complications, and post-infectious immune-mediated syndromes.

Dr. Thakur serves as Associate Professor of Neurology at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center, where she directs the clinical and research Programs in Neuroinfectious Diseases. She is founding Director of the Neuroinfectious Diseases Program and leads educational and research initiatives to train the next generation of clinicians and scientists in this rapidly evolving field. Following her neurology residency training at the Harvard Neurology Residency Program of Massachusetts General Hospital and the Brigham and Women's Hospital, where she served as chief resident, Dr. Thakur completed post-doctoral fellowship training in neuroinfectious disease and neuroimmunology at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. She joined the Neurology faculty at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in 2015.

Dr. Thakur’s work is distinguished by a strong emphasis on clinical outcomes and implementation research aimed at closing the gap between evidence and practice in neuroinfectious diseases. Her implementation research integrates health systems analysis, diagnostic optimization, task-shifting strategies, and clinical pathway development to strengthen care across the continuum—from early recognition and triage to treatment initiation and long-term outcomes. Dr. Thakur leads multidisciplinary collaborations locally and internationally, including working with collaborators in Malawi, Ethiopia, Colombia, India and Indonesia. Her work emphasizes point-of-care diagnostics, health systems strengthening, and improving access to life-saving therapies for vulnerable populations.

Dr. Thakur has published extensively in leading peer-reviewed journals and has contributed to international clinical guidelines and consensus statements in neuroinfectious diseases and global neurology. She serves on major editorial and scientific boards, as well as national committees of the American Academy of Neurology, American Neurological Association, Encephalitis International and World Federation of Neurology, to advance brain health locally and internationally. She is actively engaged in mentorship, curriculum development, and advocacy for global health equity in neurology.

A dedicated educator and mentor, Dr. Thakur is deeply committed to training clinicians across disciplines and settings, with a focus on mentorship for women in medicine. She has developed innovative educational programs focused on emerging neuroinfectious diseases and leads international training efforts that build sustainable scientific and clinical capacity in low- and middle-income countries.