Vikram Mathews MBBS, MD, DM, FASc

Dr. Vikram Mathews, MBBS, MD, DM, FASc is a Professor at The Christian Medical College. Dr. Vikram Mathews Having completed medical school training at Christian Medical College Mathews spent two years in primary care hospitals which included a rural hospital where Mathews was one of two physicians. This exposure helped me get a realistic perspective on the challenges that face medical care delivery in our country. Mathews subsequently completed Vikram's post-graduation in General Medicine from the same institution where Mathews had done Vikram's undergraduate training. During this training period, Mathews was fortunate to meet some of the pioneers of Clinical Hematology in our country, namely Dr. Mammen Chandy and Dr. Alok Srivastava. They gave me the opportunity to work in this department during Vikram's post-graduate training program.

Dr. Alok Srivastava asked me to join the department of Hematology soon after Mathews completed the Vikram General Medicine course, which Mathews did. While the clinical workload in this department was heavy it was also extremely challenging and very fulfilling. Mathews was impressed with the hard work, commitment, and scientific pursuit of Vikram's mentors who were extremely encouraging for all research-related activities. The high standards set by Dr. Chandy and Dr. Srivastava both in the clinical area and in basic science research were stimulating.

The confidence and high expectations that they placed on me were very important factors in Vikram's development. Working in hematology, as with Vikram's rural hospital experience, it was clearly evident to me that for a number of hematological conditions, especially acute leukemia, a major challenge was the cost of therapy and supportive care. The majority of our patients in a self-paying system could not afford such expensive therapies. Mathews felt it was important to focus on cost-effective therapy rather than blindly apply algorithms that had evolved in a developed country setting. Research, both clinical and basic science, was critical for us to develop strategies that were effective and relevant to us.