Sandhya L. Kumar, M.D.

Dr. Sandhya Kumar is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Social Medicine at Montefiore Einstein. She serves as Director of Homeless Healthcare Curriculum, overseeing the NYC Homeless Healthcare Fellowship and the Family Medicine Residency's Homeless Healthcare Track, both of which she developed. She is also Project Director of the HRSA-funded Residency Training in Street Medicine initiative and co-leads the Social Medicine Immersion Month for interns across three residency tracks: Family Medicine, Primary Care/Social Internal Medicine, and Social Pediatrics. She previously served as Assistant Program Director and subsequently Associate Program Director for Curriculum Development for the Family Medicine Residency.

Dr. Kumar provides primary care in shelter-based and street-based settings through Care for the Homeless. Dr. Kumar earned her medical degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, completed dual residency training in Family Medicine and Preventive Medicine at Montefiore-Einstein, and earned her Master of Public Health from the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy. She is board-certified by the American Board of Family Medicine.

1. Kana R, Murdaugh D, Wolfe K, Kumar S. Brain responses mediating idiom comprehension: gender and hemispheric differences. Brain Res. 2012 Jul 27;1467:18-26. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2012.05.031.
2. Kumar S. Examining the characteristics of visuospatial information processing in individuals with high-functioning autism. Yale J Biol Med. 2013 Jun 13;86(2):147-156.
3. Herringshaw A, Kumar S, Rody K, Kana R. Neural correlates of social perception in children with autism: local versus global preferences. Neuroscience. 2018 Dec 15;395:49-59. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2018.10.044.
4. Lazaris A, Fricchione J, Kumar S. Hospital-Based Care for Acutely-Ill Adults Experiencing Homelessness: Maximizing Opportunities and Minimizing Harms. Family Doctor Journal. 2024 Apr;12(4).
5. Stevens J, Kumar S. Breaking Down Walls: Collaborating with Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Mobile Teams to Support Patients with Serious Mental Illness in the Primary Care Setting and Beyond. Family Doctor Journal. 2025 Feb;13(3).
6. Prakash A, Kumar S. When a Bed Becomes the Medicine: The Impact of Low-Barrier Shelter on Chronic Wound Healing in a Patient Experiencing Homelessness. Family Doctor Journal. 2025 Oct;14(2).
7. Stouffer A, Kumar S. Neurodegeneration and Homelessness: A Bidirectional Relationship Shaping Health and Vulnerability. Yale J Biol Med. 2026 Mar 31;99(1):257-264. doi: 10.59249/VUUG1126.
8. Kumar S. The Other Side of the Park: Reflections from a Mobile Medical Team. Fam Med. Published July 15, 2026. doi: 10.22454/FamMed.2026.717710.

Selected Awards and Honors

• 2010 - US Fulbright ETA Fellow
• 2015 - National Health Service Corp
• 2019 - Outstanding House Office Award, Montefiore Staff & Alumni Association
• 2019 - Outstanding Community-Clinical Scholar, CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy
• 2019 - Dain Licht Award, Montefiore-Einstein  Residency Programs in Social Medicine
• 2023 - Program Director’s Award, Montefiore-Einstein Family & Social Medicine Residency
• 2024 - Degree of Fellow, AAFP
• 2026 - Resident Educator Award, Montefiore-Einstein Family & Social Medicine Residency