Dr Soumitra Shankar Datta is a research active clinician and consultant psychiatrist at Tata Medical Center, Kolkata, India, where he leads the Department of Palliative Care & Psycho-oncology. Dr Datta holds an honorary dual affiliation with the UCL Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology, University College London. He is also a lead reviewer with Cochrane Collaboration.

His current research touches upon psycho-oncology, patient and public involvement in research, doctor-patient communication, child psychiatry, and staff mental health.

After his MBBS, he obtained DPM, MD and DNB degrees in psychiatry from Christian Medical College, Vellore, India and trained as a child psychiatrist in the UK. Dr Datta has a Certificate of Completion of Training in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry from the UK (CCT). Prior to joining Tata Medical Centre, he worked as a substantive consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist at Kings College Hospital, London and The Maudsley Hospital, London. 

He was awarded the Donald Cohen Fellowship by the International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professionals in 2008.

In his spare time, he likes reading and painting.