Dr Mathew George | Tata Institute of Social Sciences

Dr Mathew George

Professor
Mumbai Campus, Centre for Public Health, School of Health Systems Studies

Qualification

M.P.H. (MGU), M.Phil., Ph.D. (JNU)

Contact

mathewg [at]tiss[dot]edu

Tel +22 25525512 M +9969607444

https://tiss.edu/view/9/employee/mathewg/

Mathew George is Professor with the Centre for Public Health, School of Health Systems Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. He has a basic training in Public Health with a doctorate in Social Medicine and Community Health from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) New Delhi.

His doctoral thesis has examined the discourse of epidemic fevers in Kerala using multisite ethnography at a societal level and at the microcontext of fever clinics. This work was published by Springer in 2017 entitled “Institutionalising Illness Narratives: Discourses on Fever and Care from Southern India”. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-10-1905-0

His background in public health has created a keen interest in developing a social epidemiological approach in public health as it is relevant in Indian context. Currently, he is engaged with research on the scope of restructuring the Indian Health Services System from a public health perspective.

He is also engaged in the field of Sociology of Health and Illness with special emphasis on the sociology of medical practice and medical knowledge in biomedicine and its interactions between multiple systems of medicine.

Restructuring of Indian health services: A 'public health' perspective
Social Epidemiological approach in Public Health
Anthropology of Biomedical Practices
Interaction of bomedicine and other medical systems

George M (2022) Trust in Public Health Practice, EPW Commentary, 57, 7, https://www.epw.in/journal/2022/7/commentary/trust-public-health-practice.html
George M (2021) Slippery Slopes in Public Health Practice, Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health, 5, 2, 12 November 2021 Elsevier, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213398421002128
George, M (2020) Fragmentation and Weakening of Institutions of Primary Health Care: A prescription for revival, Economic and Political Weekly, 55, 42, accessed at: https://www.epw.in/journal/2020/42/special-articles/fragmentation-and-weakening-institutions-primary.html
George, M (2020) Sociocultural determinants of the spread of covid 19, Health and Primary Care, In press, https://www.oatext.com/socio-cultural-determinants-of-the-spread-of-covid-19.php
George, M (2020) How people-centric public health surveillance can help control COVID-19, Down to Earth, 11 May 2020, https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/health/how-people-centric-public-health-surveillance-can-help-control-covid-19-71044
George, M (2020) Specialist-Entrepreneur and the business of medical care, The Wire, 22 January 2020, https://thewire.in/health/the-specialist-entrepreneur-and-the-business-of-medical-care
George M. (2019) Public health-oriented healthcare systems: Need for a modified typology. Natl Med J India [serial online] 2019 [cited 2020 Feb 21];32:171-4. https://nmji.in/public-health-oriented-healthcare-systems-need-for-a-modified-typology/
George, M (2019) The Vaccine Conundrum, Economic and Political Weekly, 54, 6, 19-22.https://www.epw.in/journal/2019/6/commentary/vaccine-conundrum.html
Bansode, M.; Rai, J. and George, M. (2018) AYUSH and Health Services: Policy and Practice in Maharashtra, Economic and Political Weekly, 53, 37, 20-24.
George, M (2017) Narrative Analysis in Doctor-Patient Interaction: Reflections on the Context, In N, Jayaram (ed) Knowing the Social World: Perspectives and Possibilities, Hyderabad: Orient Blackswan
George, M (2016) Health care Norms under Universal Health Care (UHC) for Maharashtra: Relieving Illness and Ensuring Public Health, Journal of Health Management, 18, 4, 569-583. http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0972063416666163.
George, M (Book, 2017) Institutionalizing Illness Narratives: Discourses on Fever and Care from Southern India, Springer, ISBN: 978-981-10-1904-3 (Print) 978-981-10-1905-0 (Online), http://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-10-1905-0
George, M (2016) Being Fair in Universal Health Coverage: Prioritize Public Health Services for Low- and Middle- Income Countries, Invited Commentary, Global Health Forum, American Journal of Public Health, May 2016, vol 106, no. 5, 830-831.
George, M (2015) Book Review: V Sujatha: Sociology of Health and Medicine: New Perspectives, New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2014, Sociological Bulletin, 64, 2, May-August 2015.
George, M (2014) Re-instating a 'Public Health' System under Universal Health Care in India, Journal of Public Health Policy, available at http://www.palgrave-journals.com/doifinder/10.1057/jphp.2014.37
George, M (2014) Book Review: V Sujatha and Leena Abraham (eds): Medical Pluralism in Contemporary India, New Delhi: Orient Blackswan, 2012, Sociological Bulletin, 63, 2, May-August 2014.
George, M (2014) How Not to Modernize Alternative Medicine Systems, Commentary, Economic and Political Weekly, vol. XLIV, no.32, 30-32.
George, M (2014) Book Review: Mahesh Ananth: In Defense of an Evolutionary Concept of Health: Nature, Norms and Human Biology, Ashgate, 2008, Medicine Studies,DOI10.1007/s12376-014-00889, http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12376-014-0088-9
George, M. (2014) Heterogeneity in Private Sector Health Care and its Implications on Urban Poor. Journal of Health Management, 16 (1), 79-92.
George, M. (2012). We Need a Robust Public Health System. Commentary, Future Medicine, 1 (6), 55-57.
George, M. and Sujay Joshi (first author) (2012). Healthcare through Community Participation: Role of ASHAs. Economic and Political Weekly, 47 (10), 70-76.
George, M. (2011) Fever epidemics and fever clinics: Institutionalising disease and cure in contemporary Kerala. Contributions to Indian Sociology, 45 (3), 373-397. Sage Publications.
George, M. (2011) The Role of Basic Laboratory Services in Strengthening Primary Health Centres. Indian Journal of Medical Ethics, 8 (3), 161-163.
George, M. (2010). Voice of Illness and Voice of Medicine in Doctor-Patient Interaction. Sociological Bulletin, May- August, 159-178.

Response of Urban Health Service Systems to Road traffic Injuries, ICMR funded project.
Morbidity Prevalence and Treatment seeeking behaviour: Gap Analysis of Curative Care Utilisation in Maharashtra, ICMR funded project. MPTSB Full Report
Health and Well being of Cotton Seed Girls in Telengana and Maharashtra, PHFI-TISS Collaboration,
Health Issues of Adolescent Girls in Ashram Schools of Maharashtra, Funded by TRTI, Health of Ashram School Girls full report
Being a member of Maharashtra Universal Health Care (UHC) group, worked on preparing a guideline for rolling out UHC in the State of Maharashtra, India primarily focussing on ensuring essential public health functions (EPHF) and developing health care norms based on prevalence of reported morbidity.
A projct entitiled “Review of the MNCHN Program of Apnalaya to Improve MNCH Services in Mumbai Slums” was carried out during October 2011.
A project entitled “User’s Perceptions about Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy therapies for Diabetes” was carried out funded by Real Medicine Foundation during 2010-11.

Masters level

Social Science Perspectives in Health
Evolution and Administration of Health Services
Health Policy and Systems Research
Human Resources for Health
Ethics and Legislation in Public Health

M Phil/ PhD

Medical Anthropology and Public health
Theoretical Perspectives on Social Sciences in Health

PhDs Guided:

Shinde, Rohini (2015) Interpreting government responses to malnutrition among children: A Study of Thane district, Maharashtra, School of Social Work (SSW), TISS.
Bansode, Milind (2020) Medical education and Health Care Services: A Study on Homoeopathic Medical Colleges and Professionals in Maharashtra, School of Health Systems Studies (SHSS), TISS.
Manjari Sinha (2021) Medicalisation of Women’s Health in the context of Hysterectomy: A study in Pune District, Maharashtra, School of Social Sciences, TISS.

Tel +22 25525512 M +9969607444

https://tiss.edu/view/9/employee/mathewg/

Restructuring of Indian health services: A 'public health' perspective

Social Epidemiological approach in Public Health

Anthropology of Biomedical Practices

Interaction of bomedicine and other medical systems

Response of Urban Health Service Systems to Road traffic Injuries, ICMR funded project.

Morbidity Prevalence and Treatment seeeking behaviour: Gap Analysis of Curative Care Utilisation in Maharashtra, ICMR funded project. MPTSB Full Report

Health and Well being of Cotton Seed Girls in Telengana and Maharashtra, PHFI-TISS Collaboration,

Health Issues of Adolescent Girls in Ashram Schools of Maharashtra, Funded by TRTI, Health of Ashram School Girls full report

A projct entitiled “Review of the MNCHN Program of Apnalaya to Improve MNCH Services in Mumbai Slums” was carried out during October 2011.

A project entitled “User’s Perceptions about Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy therapies for Diabetes” was carried out funded by Real Medicine Foundation during 2010-11.