Javaid I. Sheikh, M.D., M.B.A.
Dean, Professor of Psychiatry, Professor of Healthcare Policy and Research, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar
Dr. Javaid I. Sheikh is an internationally renowned medical executive and creative thought leader in global academic medicine. Since beginning his tenure as dean of Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) in 2010, Dr. Sheikh has pioneered and implemented innovative biomedical educational and research programs, enabling WCM-Q to become widely acknowledged as a leading institution preparing “global physician-scientists” for the 21st century, equipped with the skills, knowledge, and outlook to provide exceptional standards of healthcare while also driving advances in scientific discovery.
In addition, Dr. Sheikh led the establishment of a comprehensive research infrastructure at WCM-Q, equipped with core laboratories with advanced capabilities in genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics and metabolomics amongst others. Multiomics analyses and deep molecular phenotyping performed in these laboratories facilitate precision medicine approaches for complex disorders like diabetes and cancer. In addition, these laboratories play an important role in fulfilling Qatar’s National Vision of advancing Precision Population Health.
In 2012, Dr. Sheikh established the Institute for Population Health (IPH) at WCM-Q. The IPH has led the conceptualization and implementation of comprehensive programs to advance scientific wellness and disease prevention for the Qatari population, beginning with school-age children. In early 2024, the IPH organized the first-ever Lifestyle Medicine Global Alliance Leadership Forum at WCM-Q to advance the principles of lifestyle medicine and to identify specific strategies that enhance health and well-being for diverse populations worldwide.
In 2016, Dr. Sheikh joined forces with the National Academy of Medicine to create Innovations in Global Health Professions Education (IGHPE), a globally interconnected forum that provides an international platform for profiling conceptual and technological innovations in health professions education. IGHPE has recently been rebranded as Precision Health Innovations and Education (PHIE) to reflect increasing emphasis on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) approaches toward early detection and prediction of medical and psychiatric conditions (e.g., diabetes, autism, anxiety, and depression), with a particular focus on women’s health, such as gestational diabetes and postpartum depression, among others. The broader aims of the PHIE are to identify and mitigate health risks and to promote precision health.
Before joining WCMQ, Dr. Sheikh built a distinguished career as a tenured professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, and Associate Dean at Stanford University School of Medicine, and Chairman of the Board at the Palo Alto Institute for Research and Education.