Muhammad Mamdani
MPH, MA, PharmD
Director, LKS-CHART
Vice President, Data Science and Advanced Analytics, Unity Health Toronto
The coolest things I've done in my career are:
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The most important thing I do? Bridge decision-makers with research to see ‘real-world’ impact on health policies and patient outcomes
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Published about 450 studies in peer-reviewed journals
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Named among Canada’s top 40 under 40 in 2010
If I could have a super power it would be:
My super power would be the ability to make people laugh because most of my jokes aren’t really very funny.
I'm a "closet" fan of:
Comfortable shoes… Ugh! Please don’t tell anyone!!
The nerdiest thing I do in my spare time is:
Play video games!!!!
Three things still on my bucket list are:
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Transform healthcare in a meaningful and tangible way through data and analytics (yes… I’m a geek)
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Do a stand-up routine at a Comedy Club (once I have my super power)
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Take a trip to outer space (it will happen!)
Academic Affiliations
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Faculty Affiliate, Vector Institute
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Senior Adjunct Scientist, IC/ES
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Professor, University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy and Dalla Lana School of Public Health
My past experience includes:
While I’ve had formal training in clinical (University of Michigan), statistical (Harvard University), economic (Wayne State University), and epidemiological (Harvard University) sciences, I’ve always been driven by the desire to see tangible change at a broad level. I suppose I could have went into administration or policy but I tend to be impatient (and I’m not sure if I’m smart enough!). I chose to focus on research that relies on large amounts of data and creative but scientifically sound ways of looking at data in a manner that is useful to decision-makers such as policy-makers, clinicians, and administrators.
Professionally, I’ve authored about 450 studies in peer-reviewed journals and am a Professor at the University of Toronto in several different faculties. My work has always been driven by the desire for change to benefit patients and health systems and I’ve led large research teams to accomplish these goals. In 2008, for example, I established the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network (ODPRN) that has since influenced at least 20 drug policies in Ontario as well as the Applied Health Research Centre (AHRC) that coordinates over 100 clinical research studies in over 40 countries. Both initiatives are now under very capable leadership and continue to flourish as I pursue other interests.
Lately, I’ve developed an interest at the local hospital level in bringing together data scientists with expertise in machine learning / artificial intelligence, operations research, and statistics to work with clinicians and hospital administrators to identify and solve tough problems using data through the Li Ka Shing Centre for Healthcare Analytics Research and Training (LKS-CHART) at St. Michael’s Hospital. With a lot of hard work and some luck, I hope our efforts will benefit patients and make our systems run more efficiently.
My recent insights and projects include:
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