Dr Pavitra Mohan graduated in Medicine and Surgery, and following a residency program in Pediatrics, earned a Doctor in Medicine from University of Delhi. He also earned a Masters of Public Health from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has earlier served as faculty of Paediatrics at Udaipur Medical College, coordinated research and child health programs at ARTH, a not-for-profit organization and worked as a Senior Health Specialist at UNICEF India Country Office. He has worked and contributed extensively to the field of newborn and child health, equity in health care and in Human resources for health in India. For his contribution to the field of neonatal health, he was awarded Fellowship by National Nenotology Forum of India.

In 2012, he founded Basic Health Care Services, a not-for-profit organization to promote models of high quality, low cost primary care health services in underserved areas. Since January 2013, he also leads the Health Services portfolio at Aajeevika Bureau, setting up models of primary healthcare for the migrants. He has published in reputed journals on issues related to equity in health care and human resources in healthcare.