Rethy K. Chhem was born in Cambodia. He holds a medical degree from the University of Paris VI, a PhD in education and a PhD in history, both from the University of Montreal. For the last 20 years, he taught radiology at the University of Sherbrooke, McGill University, and University of Western Ontario in Canada and at the National University of Singapore. His history thesis was on medicine and public health in 13th century in the Khmer empire at Angkor. He was the former Chair of radiology and nuclear medicine at the University of Western Ontario. He is currently the director of the Division of Human Health at the International Atomic Energy Agency and is a guest professor at the Medical University of Vienna and Ulm University.

He has published 9 books with one on Paleoradiology of mummies and fossils. His current research encompasses the history and philosophy of medicine and science with a focus on medical imaging, paleoradiology, Angkorian medicine and natural history in Southeast Asia.