In November 2019, just two months before the first coronavirus case was detected in India, Dr. Priya Abraham (Batch ’81) was appointed as the Director of the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune, India. Since then, Dr. Abraham and her team have been actively engaged in various aspects of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, including diagnostic and vaccine-related efforts.
In this interview with Dr. Honorine Ward (Batch ’69), Dr. Abraham discusses NIV’s leading efforts in diagnostics and vaccine development in India and her role at a prominent governmental institution as a CMC alumna.
ABOUT DR. PRIYA ABRAHAM
Director of the National Institute of Virology and Professor of Clinical Virology, CMC Vellore
Dr. Priya Abraham (Batch ‘81) completed her MD and PhD in biology at CMC and has an illustrious career studying viral infections. She was particularly interested initially in hepatitis and human papilloma viruses, and she was head of the department of Clinical Biology at CMC. While at CMC, she has served on committees for different viral infections, and has served as a consultant for the World Health Organization on various viral infections. She has also served on the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Indian Council of Medical Research. Additionally, Priya has been involved in national surveillance studies of viral infections.
