Faculty & Staff

Professor & Head / Microbiology

Dr. Mary Dias currently holds the position of Professor in the Department of Microbiology at SJMC (St. John’s Medical College) 

She teaches and works at the diagnostic laboratory. In the microbiology laboratory, she oversees the work, reports the results of microbiological tests and provides active support to the clinicians. The hospital houses the clinical microbiology laboratory. This is a clinical service laboratory catering to the samples coming for culture and serology. 

Teaching involves lectures and practical sessions for Undergraduates (MBBS) and Postgraduates (MD) and the sessions are about 4-6 hours/week. She also guides master’s and MD thesis projects.

The institution's environment is conducive to research; all faculties are encouraged to pursue their research interest and presently she has also been given an additional responsibility of supervising the activities at the Infectious disease unit of the Research Institute which is a separate unit of the Academy. 

The unit is currently involved in projects including HIV, Dengue, Enterobacteriaceae, Tuberculosis, COVID-19, and recently HPV.  The diagnostics at division effectively handle methodologies ranging from bacterial culture and sensitivity, Mycobacterial culture and sensitivity using MGIT and molecular methods of real time PCR and CBNAAT for various pathogens including HIV and TB. She was instrumental in setting up and obtaining the NABL and ICMR approval for COVID testing in St. Johns and currently supervises the COVID19 RT-PCR diagnostic facility at the unit. She is also involved in collaborating with partners in developing and standardizing and validating diagnostic kits.

She has also involved herself with quality control and accreditation in microbiology and is empanelled as an Assessor in Microbiology (NABL assessor as per ISO 15189: 2012). I have conducted audits of several Microbiology laboratories in India as a technical assessor for NABL. She has served as a Quality Manager of St. John’s Laboratory services (SJLS) from 2010- 2012. She has also undergone training in research methodologies (both basic and advanced courses) conducted at SJMCH. She has also undergone training in Medical Research Ethics and was a part of the Human Research Protection Plan of SJMCH and served as an Assistant Institution Official of SJNAHS HRPP program. In her capacity as a clinical microbiologist, she has trained and guided interns, students and observers coming to the department.