US Senator Charles Schumer, D-NY, has appointed Dr. Gunisha Kaur, an anesthesiologist, to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) May 21, 2026
Dr. Kaur is an anesthesiologist specializing in human rights research. She serves as the Director of the Weill Cornell Medicine Human Rights Impact Lab, a board member of Ensaaf, a Stephen M. Kellen Term Member at the Council on Foreign Relations, and a Faculty Fellow at the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies.
Her appointment marks the first time that a member of the Sikh community has been asked to serve on the Commission, the Sikh Coalition which advocated for her appointment, said in a press release.
USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the White House and Democratic and Republican leaders in the House and Senate for two-year terms. As an independent, bipartisan legislative branch agency, USCIRF is responsible for monitoring the universal right to freedom of religion or belief abroad; making policy recommendations to the President, Secretary of State, and Congress; and tracking the implementation of its recommendations.
“I am proud to recommend the exceptional Dr. Gunisha Kaur for the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. Dr. Kaur will make history as the first and only Sikh to serve on the commission, and I am honored to support a commissioner with such extensive experience in human rights and community leadership,” Schumer said in his statement.
“Dr. Kaur is a physician, anthropologist, international human rights advocate, and Sikh community leader. ….I am confident that she will bring her deep medical, academic, research, and leadership expertise to her service on the commission,” Sen. Schumer added.
According to her full biography available on the eponymous website, Dr. Kaur has dedicated her career as a physician-scientist to advancing the health of forcibly displaced individuals such as refugees and asylum seekers who are facing persecution based on religion, LGBTQ+ identity, or other minority statuses.
With her background in neuroscience research, Dr. Kaur has pioneered the study of human rights through scientific methodology. Her research has been supported by several funders including the National Institutes of Health, the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research, the National Academy of Medicine, and Cornell University.
Her academic writing on forcibly displaced populations has been published by highly respected medical journals including The New England Journal of Medicine, Nature, JAMA, and The Lancet. She has translated her medical and scientific expertise in mainstream outlets including TIME, CNN, NBC News, The New York Times, PBS, and NPR, amongst others. Dr. Kaur has given more than 100 national and international keynote presentations and talks, including with global leaders and at the United Nations.
A member of the Sigma Xi Scientific Research Honor Society, Dr. Kaur is also a Faculty Fellow at the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies, and a Stephen M. Kellen Term Member at the Council on Foreign Relations. In 2022, she was selected by the National Academy of Medicine as an Emerging Leader in Health and Medicine, and in 2025 was awarded the New York State Assembly Woman of Distinction Award.
Dr. Kaur earned her B.S. from Cornell University in 2006, graduated from Weill Cornell Medical College in 2010, and completed her Anesthesiology Residency training at Weill Cornell Medical College/New York Presbyterian Hospital in 2014. She earned a Master’s Degree in Medical Anthropology from Harvard University in 2015.
Related posts:
Spotlight series: Some leading Indian-Americans in the war on Coronavirus in North America
New York City launches citywide anti-discrimination campaign in response to rise in bias incidents and harassment against vulnerable New Yorkers
The webcam will see you now: Doctors urge patients to replace in-person visits with apps
Related posts:
Spotlight series: Some leading Indian-Americans in the war on Coronavirus in North America
New York City launches citywide anti-discrimination campaign in response to rise in bias incidents and harassment against vulnerable New Yorkers
The webcam will see you now: Doctors urge patients to replace in-person visits with apps
Diversifying NYPD Blue: Twenty year old becomes first turbaned Indian-American Sikh in NYC law enforcement
