Biography

Kavita Batra is an assistant professor and senior medical research biostatistician with the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV. Her research interests include maternal and child health, the impact of COVID-19 on mental health, understanding social determinants of health, and vaccine hesitancy. Batra is also part of an interdisciplinary UNLV team studying traffic safety, which includes linked Nevada traffic database research, analysis of improper use of child restraints on roadside injuries, and Statistical Transparency of Policing (STOP) grant.

Batra began her career in India as a dental surgeon and public health officer. After obtaining advanced public health degrees from UNLV, she joined the medical school's faculty, where she provides statistical and research training to faculty, residents, fellows, and medical students.

Batra has published multiple peer-reviewed articles to investigate the far-ranging impact of COVID-19 among diverse groups. Her work has received several mentions in media outlets, such as Medscape and Inside Higher Ed, and by researchers at the global level. One of her meta-analytical pieces of evidence was also utilized by the European Union to synthesize evidence related to mental health and resilience amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Batra serves on the topical advisory panel and editorial boards of several journals, including Dentistry, Vaccines, Annals of Epidemiology, Psychiatric Case Reports and Healthcare. Additionally, she serves as the director of internal medicine resident research at UNLV's medical school and is a member of the Nevada System of Higher Education's Sexual Misconduct Task Force and the state secretary for the Nevada Public Health Association.