Meet the Team
Our Leaders
NNDC-IF is proud to welcome the international institutions and leaders that have joined us to further our mission.
Dr. Murali Rao is the Professor and Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago. He specializes in liaison and emergency psychiatry. Additionally, he serves as a member of multiple professional bodies including the American College of Psychiatrists, the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine, CINP, the Indian Psychiatric Society, and the American College of forensic Psychiatry.
Dr. Rao has received multiple awards and fellowships including Distinguished Life Fellow by the APA, Outstanding Academician Award by the Indo-American Psychiatric Association, and the Master Teacher Award by the Stritch School of Medicine. Dr. Rao has also had more than 50 journal publications.

Dr. Hina Sharma is currently serving as the Executive Director of the National Network of Depression Centers- India Foundation (NNDC-IF). She received her Ph.D. in Neurosciences from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. She is a qualified Biotechnologist and possesses knowledge in clinical research from Quintiles Research India Pvt. Ltd. She has worked as a senior research fellow for ICMR funded projects at AIIMS, New Delhi, and has also worked with international sponsors on Phase 2 and 3 drug trials in collaboration with Quintiles in various renowned hospitals in Ludhiana, Punjab. Dr. Sharma won first prize in the poster presentation funded by ICMR at TROPICON in 2015. She is also a certified trainer in ICH-GCP guidelines defined by the USA’s FDA.

Kiku Namita Paul is currently serving as the Associate Executive Director for NNDC- India Foundation. Her mission is to wholeheartedly participate in the efforts being made to tackle the epidemic of mental illness, as well as to help provide solutions through communication to effectively counter and eradicate the stigma around mental illness. She is an accredited Mental Health First Aid Instructor, and she has conducted workshops for the Pranab Mukherjee Foundation and READ India for grassroots school teachers in collaboration with NNDC-IF. She has also worked as an instructor, conducting training workshops for corporations- including big names in the pharma and travel industries. Additionally, Kiku has developed content for and conducted Happiness and Emotional Wellness Workshops as part of an outreach program for villages in rural Haryana, organized by the Pranab Mukherjee Foundation. Kiku has spent years building an experiential understanding of mindfulness and the positive impact it can have in our lives. She is a strong advocate for a routine practice of meditation, and believes it is essential for promoting positive mental well-being.

Dr. Nand Kumar is currently a Professor in the departments of Neuropsychiatry and Psychiatry at AIIMS in New Delhi, India. He established the neuromodulation lab and clinic at AIIMS to provide clinical care to patients and conduct research to further the use of neuromodulation. Dr. Kumar also provides training for young psychiatrists, psychologists, neuroscientists, and researchers.
Dr. Kumar is the Founder and President of the Neuromodulation Society in India. He has also held various leadership positions across multiple organizations such as the Indian Psychiatric Society, the International Headache Society, the Delhi Psychiatric Society, the Indian Association of Social Psychiatry, and TIDE.

Our Honorable Patrons


