Medical and Public Health Doctor
Columbia University
General Session #2: The Rabbit Effect
Kelli Harding, MD, MPH, is dedicated to creating a kinder and healthier world for all. An expert in mental health, medicine, and public health, she teaches at Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (VP&S) in New York City and is a diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, also boarded in the sub-specialty of consultation-liaison psychiatry or psychosomatic (mind-body) medicine. Known for making complex scientific research understandable to general audiences, she’s the author of the critically acclaimed book The Rabbit Effect: Live Longer, Happier, and Healthier with the Groundbreaking Science of Kindness. Dr. Harding has appeared on Today, Good Morning America, BBC, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Prevention, LA Times, Oprah Magazine, Parents, Medscape, Sesame Street Workshop, and The World Economic Forum. Additionally, she has spoken on global stages, including at the United Nations, World Happiness Summits, TEDx, and SXSW. She has served on the Boards of Organizations such as the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), The Foundation for Social Connection, and the social media platform Nextdoor. Dr. Harding lives in New York City with her husband and three sons—a twelfth-grader, a tenth-grader, and a seventh-grader—and their beloved rescue pup, Athena.
Her next book is Different (March 2027), co-authored with Sara Blanchard.
