Javaid Sheikh, MD, MBA
Dr. Javaid I. Sheikh, dean of Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, is an internationally renowned medical executive and creative thought leader in global academic medicine. Since beginning his tenure in 2010, Dr. Sheikh has pioneered many innovative biomedical education and research programs, enabling Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar to become widely acknowledged as a leading institution preparing global physician-scientists for the 21st century.
In addition to being dean, Dr. Sheikh is also professor of psychiatry and of population health sciences. Under his leadership, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar established a comprehensive research infrastructure, with core laboratories in genomics, proteomics and other cutting-edge areas. These laboratories allow the institution to perform deep molecular phenotyping of the Qatari population, as well as personalized medicine approaches to diabetes and other complex diseases.
Having established the Institute for Population Health (IPH) in 2012 at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Dr. Sheikh conceived and implemented comprehensive programs to advance health promotion and disease prevention in Qatar, beginning with school-age children. In early 2024, the IPH organized the first Lifestyle Medicine Global Alliance Leadership Forum at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar. The initiative advances the principles of lifestyle medicine to enhance the health and well-being of diverse populations worldwide.
In 2016, Dr. Sheikh joined forces with National Academy of Medicine in the United States, to create Innovations in Global Health Professions Education (IGHPE), a globally interconnected forum that provides an international platform for health professions education. IGHPE has evolved into Precision Health Innovations and Education (PHIE) to reflect an increasing emphasis on Precision Health and technological innovations, including the use of large language models in medical education.
Inspired by the promise of artificial intelligence, Dr. Sheikh launched an Artificial Intelligence Center for Precision Health in 2021. The center uses advanced data analytics for remote assessments from wearables and sensors for the purpose of risk mitigation and prevent illness. Dr. Sheikh and his group has recently published highly cited scientific papers in the most prestigious digital medicine journals including Nature (NPJ Digital Medicine) and Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR).
Before joining Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Dr. Sheikh built a distinguished career at Stanford University School of Medicine. He was a tenured professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, associate dean for veterans’ affairs and was board chair of the Palo Alto Institute for Research and Education. He is a professor emeritus in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford.