Professor Priya Abraham

Soon after joining the Indian Council of Medical Research -National Institute of Virology (ICMR-NIV), Professor Abraham found herself leading this Institute which had one of the most pivotal roles in India, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Garnering the skills of her scientists, she and the team were able to report many “firsts” in India - first cases of SARS-CoV-2 in India, first electron micrograph, first whole genome sequences, first virus isolation, first indigenous ELISA, the first indigenous vaccine in partnership with BBIL, and the report of the first Variant of Concern in India. 

She also received the “Business Excellence and Innovative Best Practices” Academia Award in 2020 from the New Delhi Institute of Management, the Janani award for Medical Research Leadership and the Rotary Vocational Excellence Award, Dharwad.

Prior to joining ICMR-NIV, Professor Abraham was the head of the Department of Clinical Virology at the Christian Medical College (Vellore, India).

She has 167 publications to her credit.