Dr. Riya Mathew is a public health physician at Believers Church Medical College Hospital (BCMCH), Kerala, where she works in multiple capacities including clinical practice, research, teaching, project coordination, healthcare innovation, and administration. She has contributed to projects at the National Resource Centre for Non-Communicable Diseases, Kerala, and serves as the Nodal Officer for the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Centre (IEDC) under the Kerala Start-Up Mission, both at her institution and at the district level in Pathanamthitta. Additionally, she is a faculty advisor for the BCMCH E-Cell, mentoring students in healthcare innovation, and a member of the scientific committee of the Institutional Research Board. Her work focuses on key areas such as migrant health, global health, geriatric health, occupational health, mental health, and cancer advocacy.
Previously, Dr. Riya served as a Medical Officer and Community Health Specialist at Christian Hospital Bissamcuttack (CHB), Odisha, and as a Senior Registrar at Christian Medical College, Vellore. With over a decade of experience, she has led public health initiatives in underprivileged communities, integrating clinical care, research, and community engagement. She holds an MBBS, an MD in Community Medicine, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Family Medicine from Christian Medical College Vellore. She also earned a certification in Global Health from Ben Gurion University of the Negev and an International Master’s in Public Health from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, graduating with highest honors and receiving the Dr. Osnat Keidar Memorial Prize for health promotion. She is a recipient of the Pears Seed Grant from the Pears Foundation, UK, for her research on developing inclusive health services for migrants. With a passion for visual storytelling, she studied film direction at the LV Prasad Film and TV Academy, Trivandrum, and co-founded the Medicine, Media, and Arts Collective (MedMAC) at BCMCH to use media and arts for health advocacy. Her directorial debut won Best Short Film at the NIMHANS Suicide Prevention Film Festival.
Through her lens of faith, she aspires to integrate her expertise in medicine, research, innovation, and media to make meaningful contributions to societal well-being.