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Brandon A. Kohrt

Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Psychiatry, Child & Family Mental Health & Community Psychiatry

Overview


Brandon Kohrt is a medical anthropologist and psychiatrist who completed his MD-PhD at Emory University in 2009. He is currently Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Global Health, and Cultural Anthropology at Duke University. Dr. Kohrt has worked in Nepal since 1996 researching and aiding victims of war including child soldiers. Since 2006 has worked with Transcultural Psychosocial Organization (TPO) Nepal. Dr. Kohrt has been a consultant to The Carter Center Mental Health Program Liberia Initiative since 2010. Dr. Kohrt is the component lead for the Grand Challenges Canada funded Mental Health Beyond Facilities (mhBeF) program in Nepal, Liberia, and Uganda. Dr. Kohrt has published scientific articles and book chapters about mental health among conflict- and disaster-affected populations in Nepal, Liberia, and Haiti. Dr. Kohrt has collaborated on numerous documentary films about human rights and global health including Returned: Child Soldiers of Nepal’s Maoist Army.  

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences · 2024 - Present Psychiatry, Child & Family Mental Health & Community Psychiatry, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
Adjunct Professor of Global Health · 2024 - Present Duke Global Health Institute, University Institutes and Centers

In the News


Published July 26, 2016
Study of Former Child Soldiers Suggests Resilience Can Minimize PTSD Effects
Published July 13, 2016
Avoiding the sickening effects of stress
Published October 15, 2015
DGHI Professor to Discuss Mental Health Response to Nepal Earthquakes Next Week

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Recent Publications


Relief from stress via social protection in Senegal (RESTORE): Study protocol for a pilot feasibility cluster-randomized controlled trial of self-help plus (SH+) mental health intervention in Senegal

Journal Article Ssm Mental Health · June 1, 2026 Background: Despite the growing prevalence of mental health disorders in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), significant barriers to seeking and accessing mental health services persist. Within lower-income populations, the prevalence of mental healt ... Full text Cite

What retrospective and dynamic assessments tell us about youth depression: A network analysis perspective.

Journal Article J Affect Disord · April 15, 2026 PURPOSE: Traditional assessments of depressive symptoms often rely on retrospective self-reports, which may be affected by cognitive and memory biases. Few studies have compared retrospective and dynamic (real-time) assessments to examine the consistency a ... Full text Link to item Cite

Transdiagnostic stage-based monitoring of public mental health

Journal Article Nature Reviews Psychology · January 1, 2026 Public health monitoring based on the presence or absence of discrete health diagnoses helps to mitigate the burden associated with some health conditions, such as infectious diseases. However, this binary approach to disease monitoring misses opportunitie ... Full text Cite
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Recent Grants


Optimizing Provider Attitudes and Competence in Learning Mental Health Systems (OPAL)

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2016 - 2017

Reducing Barriers to Mental Health Task Sharing: Stigma Reduction in Primary Care

Clinical TrialPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2014 - 2017

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Education, Training & Certifications


Emory University · 2009 M.D.
Emory University · 2009 Ph.D.

External Links


Psychiatry Profile