Leena Mathew, MD

Description

Dr. Leena Mathew is a Professor of Anesthesiology and nationally recognized authority in Pain Medicine, distinguished for her integrative, patient-centered approach to complex pain conditions. She completed her surgical internship, anesthesiology residency, and interventional pain medicine fellowship at Columbia University. Since joining the faculty at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in 2003, Dr. Mathew has helped shape the Division of Pain Medicine and currently serves as Division Chief and Program Director of the Pain Medicine Fellowship. With over more than two decades at Columbia, she has practiced across multiple anesthetic subspecialties, including regional anesthesia and liver transplantation, while mentoring the next generation of pain specialists. Her expertise spans the full continuum of acute and chronic pain management, with distinction in interventional pain medicine. She specializes in advanced minimally invasive therapies for cancer-related and chronic pain, including ultrasound-guided nerve blocks, infusion therapies, radiofrequency ablation, cryoablation, and implantable pain technologies. In addition to being board-certified in functional medicine, she is a certified health and wellness coach and licensed acupuncturist, integrating longevity science, nutraceuticals, mind-body therapies, acupuncture, and lifestyle-based interventions into evidence-informed care. Dr. Mathew’s academic and clinical interests focus on the intersection of pain, longevity, menopause, and metabolic health, particularly conditions that disproportionately affect women. A passionate advocate for equity in women’s health, she lectures nationally and internationally on integrative pain management and chronic pain care. She has been inducted into Columbia University’s Academy of Clinical Excellence and has been consistently recognized in Castle Connolly’s Top Doctors in America and New York Magazine’s Top Doctors listings.