Gunisha Kaur Becomes First Sikh Named To US Religious Freedom Commission

India-West News Desk

WASHINGTON, DC– In a first, Dr. Gunisha Kaur, a physician and human rights researcher, has been recommended for appointment to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, becoming the first Sikh selected to serve on the federal panel.

The nine-member commission includes appointees selected by the president and congressional leadership for two-year terms.

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer announced the recommendation for a two-year term on the independent bipartisan commission. In a statement, Schumer said Kaur would bring experience in medicine, research and community leadership to the role.

Kaur is an anesthesiologist and medical anthropologist whose work has focused on displaced populations, including refugees, migrants and asylum seekers.

She currently serves as Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, Director of the Anesthesiology Global Health Initiative, and Founding Director of the Human Rights Impact Lab. She is also the Salvatore Family Medical Director of the Weill Cornell Center for Human Rights.

Kaur graduated from Cornell University and Weill Cornell Medical College, and completed her residency at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine. She later earned a master’s degree in medical anthropology from Harvard University.

Her research has received support from Cornell University, the National Institutes of Health, the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research, and the National Academy of Medicine.

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom was created under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. The commission monitors religious freedom conditions abroad and makes policy recommendations to the president, Congress and the State Department.