Kisha B. Holden, Ph.D., MSCR is the Poussaint-Satcher Endowed Chair in Mental Health and Associate Director of the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM). Also at MSM, Dr. Holden is Professor and Director of Research & Scholarship for the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences; and Professor in the Department of Community Health & Preventive Medicine.
Dr. Holden earned undergraduate, masters, and doctoral degrees from Howard University in counseling psychology, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins University in both the School of Medicine and School of Public Health. She earned a Master of Science in Clinical Research degree from MSM. She has completed professional leadership development trainings at Brandeis University, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), American Psychological Association (APA), and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Prior to joining MSM, Dr. Holden held positions at Georgetown University, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Urban Health Institute, Children’s National Medical Center, and Evaluation and Research Associates, Inc. Dr. Holden serves on many national, regional, and local boards/committees; she is a reviewer for several academic journals; and she has received professional awards from various organizations and agencies. She has been awarded millions of dollars in research funding from public and private sources; co-edited two books; developed several book chapters; published numerous articles in peer-reviewed academic journals; and served as a guest co-editor for Ethnicity and Disease and the Journal of Healthcare for the Poor and Underserved. Dr. Holden has provided numerous presentations at international, national, regional, and local professional conferences/meetings/symposiums/forums. Globally, she has studied and/or provided trainings in Greece, Italy, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, Spain and various Caribbean countries (St. Lucia, Jamaica, Barbados, Grenada, Cuba, Haiti, & U.S. Virgin Islands).
Dr. Holden has dedicated her career to encouraging mental health and well-being among ethnically and culturally diverse families through research, programmatic initiatives, and the development of innovative strategies for informing health policies. She has placed a special emphasis on addressing the needs of underserved and underrepresented populations that are often overlooked, yet prevail in contributing to the myriad of health disparities. She aims to: (1) promote excellence in community-based clinical and translational mental health research, (2) develop innovative programs that improve accessibility of individuals to comprehensive healthcare, and (3) develop culturally centered, gender specific, resilience based prevention and intervention models for individuals at risk for depression.
She is an advocate for the Lupus Foundation of America, Atlanta Ballet, and Delta Sigma Theta, Inc., A Public Service Sorority. She enjoys gourmet vegan cooking with her stepdaughter Michele and husband Dr. Elton Holden.