Global oral health expert Professor Manu Raj Mathur joins Queen Mary University of London

Professor Manu Raj Mathur

In his new role, Professor Mathur will contribute to research and implementation activities of Barts Centre for Squamous Cancer (BCSC), a new centre of excellence dedicated to improving detection, treatment, and quality of life for patients with squamous cancer funded by Bart’s Charity. Professor Mathur will support the research, policy and programmatic work associated with the strengthening of health systems and health promotion, which are areas of focus for BCSC.

Professor Mathur is a Dental Surgeon with more than 15 years of global experience of working in different health systems. He has a PhD in Epidemiology and Population Health from University College London and a Masters in Public Health from the University of Glasgow.

His research focuses on risk factors for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), especially tobacco cessation. Throughout his career, Professor Mathur has been an advocate for the Universal Health Coverage philosophy and played an active role in ensuring that appropriate quality oral health care is available, affordable, and accessible for all, across different health systems.

Commenting on his appointment, Professor Mathur said: “I’m excited to join Queen Mary and use my global experience and expertise to contribute to the University’s aims to develop into a global centre of excellence for oral health research. Queen Mary is committed to improving health for all, and it would be my endeavour to reduce inequalities in various non-communicable disease indicators, specifically related to oral cancer and risk factors, within the local community and worldwide.”

Professor David Williams, Professor of Global Oral Health and Lead for the Centre of Dental Public Health and Primary Care in the Institute of Dentistry, said: “We are delighted that Professor Mathur is joining us. His appointment will greatly strengthen the research capability in the Institute of Dentistry, and he will play a leading role in the Barts Centre for Squamous Cancer.  Importantly, he will continue to hold the position of Head of Policy at the Public Health Foundation of India and he has strong research links throughout South Asia.  This gives him a remarkable insight into the health inequalities experienced by the South Asian diaspora in East London and the behaviours that put them at particular risk of developing oral cancer.” 

During his research career, Professor Mathur has received several prestigious research scholarships during his career including the Fogarty International Clinical Research Scholarship in 2010-11, a Wellcome Trust scholarship for his doctoral studies and another Wellcome Trust Mid-Career Fellowship to undertake work on psychosocial determinants of oral health inequalities in India.

Professor Mathur is a Commissioner on the recently constituted Lancet Commission on Global Oral Health and Vice President of the Global Oral Health Inequalities Research Network of International Association for Dental Research. He has more than 100 peer-reviewed publications in leading international journals, has been the principal investigator on many projects funded by Government of India, WHO, MRC-UK, BMGF, USAID and NIH-USA. His areas of expertise cover epidemiologic methods, operations, health systems and policy research, and health promotion.

Professor Mathur has also recently been recognised in the top two per cent of impact-making researchers worldwide in the field of Medicine and Public Health. He is also appointed as the Head: Health Policy at Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), New Delhi and currently a Senior Policy Fellow at Queen Mary’s Global Policy Institute.

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