His scientific work focuses on developing and evaluating solutions to improve the health and survival of mothers, newborns and children. His earliest work on community-based behaviour change management demonstrated a 54% reduction in newborn deaths and has informed the global strategy for newborn survival. Dr. Kumar has authored the "Behavior Change Management" approach to guide the design of programs to achieve accelerated behavior change and targeted epidemiological impact. He is a proponent of community-centric design to 'enculturate' scientific advancements within traditional communities.