profiles

Ph.D., Social Welfare, Social Policy & Administration — Fordham University, NY

Postdoctoral Research Scientist, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, School of Nursing (NIMHD/NIA funded)

M.Phil., Social Welfare Policy & Human Relations —(Dissertation) University of Delhi

M.S.W., Medical & Psychiatric Social Welfare — Tata Institute of Social Sciences (CSWE Accredited)

B.A. (Hons.), Psychology, Minor: Philosophy — Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi

Dr. Akanksha Anand, Ph.D., M.Phil., MSW, CIBE (Health & Policy) is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the School of Community Health and Policy at Morgan State University. Her research transcends the boundaries of social work and public health, with an emphasis on social welfare policy, healthcare workforce well-being, and mother and child health equity.

Dr. Anand previously served as a Director and Faculty at the State University of New York and as a Postdoctoral Research Scientist at the Columbia University Irving Medical Centre, where she advanced stress and well-being interventions for nurse scientists and frontline clinicians in emergency medicine. She earned her Ph.D. in Mental Health and Social Policy from Fordham University, where her award-winning dissertation examined work-life stressors, organizational and supervisory support, and digital strategies to improve health and wellness outcomes among healthcare employees. 

As part of her professional growth, she earned a certification in the Johns Hopkins University -Measurement Course, which enhanced her knowledge of health equity research methodologies. She was also awarded the prestigious Harvard Fellowship on Emotional Well-Being & Physical Health, jointly hosted by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and University College London, which advanced her interdisciplinary training in health policy and population well-being.

In addition to supporting projects that address juvenile well-being and cardiovascular health inequalities in rural communities, she has been recognized and supported by institutions including the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services and the New York Academy of Medicine. To enhance the capacity of social service and healthcare institutions and promote health equity for underserved individuals, Dr. Anand is committed to securing external research funding and developing evidence-based, scalable solutions.

Selected Publications

Anand, A., Lindong, I., & Barrett, S. (2025). Bridging gaps in birth equity: Advancing maternal health for minority women and immigrant communities. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. (in press).

Anand, A. (2025). Book review: Beyond coercion and malign neglect: Black women and the struggle for birth justice. American Journal of Medicine and Health Studies.(in press).
Anand, A. (2024). Policy implementation: A study of higher education in India. International Journal of Social Policy and Education, 4(12), 7–17.

Anand, A. (2022). Intimate partner violence and South Asian families in the United States: Towards bringing visibility to an unrecognized population. US–China Law Review, 19(2), 72–84. https://doi.org/10.17265/1548-6605/2022.02.002

Anand, A. (2021). Do work demands influence job satisfaction? Moderating effects of job control within non-profit employees’ job satisfaction. US–China Law Review, 18(44).
Anand, A. (2021). Managerial behaviors of executive women in India’s service sector. Management Studies, 9(3), 177–189. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.mgt.20210903.19

Anand, A. (2020). Testing workplace support’s direct and interactive effects on perceptions of time management and work-family conflict: Using a sample of frontline hospital employees in New York City (Doctoral dissertation, Fordham University). ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.