Conference Speakers
Meet the Voices Behind the Conversations
Please note: Sessions and speakers are subject to change as confirmations are finalized. We strongly encourage you to check back regularly for updates and new additions. The final agenda, including session times, will be shared closer to the conference dates.
Adil Shamji, MPP
Dr. Adil Shamji is an emergency physician and public policy advocate with a unique blend of medical and political expertise. He serves as the Member of Provincial Parliament for Don Valley East in Canada, representing the electoral district that is home to the Aga Khan Museum and Ismaili Centre in Toronto.
Educated at Western University, the University of Toronto, and the University of Oxford, he has worked in Indigenous communities across Canada and served as the Medical Director leading the pandemic response in 11 homeless shelters during COVID-19. He is a Lecturer at the University of Toronto and holds a Master’s Degree in Public Policy.
Politically, Adil serves as the Chief Whip of the Ontario Liberal Party and is a critic for healthcare, housing and Indigenous Affairs. He is committed to building healthy civil societies by leveraging his experience at the intersection of medicine, public policy and politics.
Anum Ali, PhD
Dr. Anum Ali is a licensed professional counselor, educator, and mental health systems leader with expertise in clinician wellbeing, burnout prevention, and digital mental health. She holds a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision and brings over a decade of experience across clinical care, supervision, research, and organizational leadership. Dr. Ali serves as Vice President of Clinical at Ginko Labs, where she leads clinical strategy for evidence-informed, AI-enabled mental health tools supporting youth, families, and clinicians. She also consults with large-scale mental health systems to improve clinical quality and clinician experience. Her work focuses on translating research into practical, person-centered tools that support sustainable caregiving and professional resilience.
Aslam Khan Ghalib, MBA
Aslam Ghalib is the Chief Executive Officer of the Ibn Sina Foundation, USA, where he leads initiatives focused on delivering accessible, high-value primary care to underserved communities. With more than 20 years of international healthcare leadership experience, he has held senior roles across South Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East, and North America, including leadership positions at The Aga Khan University Hospital and as Chief Operating Officer of Medya Diagnostic Center in Kurdistan, Iraq. Mr. Ghalib holds an Executive MBA from the United States and a BSc (Honors) in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics. His work reflects a sustained commitment to strengthening community-based care models and improving health system performance across diverse settings.
Bashir Jiwani, PhD, MA
Dr. Bashir Jiwani is Lead Ethicist and Executive Director of Ethics Services at Fraser Health Authority, providing strategic leadership in clinical and organizational ethics across British Columbia’s largest health system. He serves on the Bioethics Council for Canada and is Past President of the Canadian Bioethics Society. With over 25 years of experience, his work sits at the intersection of ethics, health policy, and pluralism, including advising federal and provincial governments on pandemic planning, medical assistance in dying, resource allocation, and equitable access to care. Dr. Jiwani holds a PhD in Public Health Sciences and an MA in Bioethics and is the author of multiple ethics frameworks and scholarly publications.
Faisal Masud, MD
Dr. Faisal Masud is the Mary A. and M. Samuel Daffin, Sr. Centennial Chair in Anesthesia and Critical Care and founding Medical Director of the Center for Critical Care at Houston Methodist, overseeing intensive care units across nine hospitals. He also serves as System Medical Director of Sustainability, leading enterprise-wide efforts to advance environmentally responsible healthcare. Dr. Masud leads the Green ICU Collaborative and convened the world’s first Green ICU Conference, advancing sustainable practices in critical care delivery. He holds academic appointments at Weill Cornell Medicine, UTHealth Houston, Houston Methodist, and Texas A&M. A nationally recognized educator and leader, Dr. Masud has received numerous honors for excellence in teaching, mentorship, infection prevention, and professional service.
Gijs Walraven, MD, MPH, PhD, is the Director for Health at the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) and General Manager of the Aga Khan Health Service (AKHS) companies across South and Central Asia, East Africa, and the Middle East. Based in Geneva, he joined AKDN in 2003 after 15 years of health care leadership, management, and research in Africa, with a focus on district health systems. Dr. Walraven is an Honorary Professor of Community Health Sciences at Aga Khan University, a former technical advisor to the World Health Organization, and has co-chaired global expert committees on optimizing health workforce roles. He has authored over 150 peer-reviewed publications and frequently advises on health systems strengthening and capacity-building initiatives worldwide.
Gulshan Harjee, MD
Dr. Gulshan Harjee is a physician and community health leader whose work centers on advancing health equity and patient-centered care for underserved populations. After a 35-year career in primary care, she co-founded a comprehensive, multi-award-winning clinic for uninsured communities in Clarkston, Georgia—often referred to as the “Ellis Island of the South”—where she has served pro bono for more than 11 years. Educated in Tanzania, Pakistan, Iran, and the United States, she completed medical school and residency at Emory University. Dr. Harjee’s work integrates clinical care, education, mentorship, and advocacy, addressing the social and cultural determinants of health. She is the recipient of numerous humanitarian and health equity honors, including state and national recognition.
Jin Xiao, DDS, PhD
Dr. Jin Xiao is a tenured Professor and Associate Dean for Oral Health Education at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry and Founding Director of Perinatal Oral Health. She leads the Pregnancy and Infant Oral Health Program, delivering integrated oral health services to pregnant women and young children. Dr. Xiao also directs the K12 clinician-scientist training program at the University of Rochester’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute. An international leader in dental research, she serves as President of the IADR e-Oral Health Network, Past President of the IADR Clinical and Translational Science Network, and Vice Chair of the American Dental Association Scientific Council. Her NIH- and NSF-funded translational research focuses on maternal and child oral health, oral microbiome science, and AI-enabled early detection and prevention of oral disease.
Muhammad Mamdani, PharmD, MPH
Dr. Muhammad Mamdani is Clinical Lead for Artificial Intelligence at Ontario Health and Director of the Temerty Faculty of Medicine Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research and Education in Medicine (T-CAIREM) at the University of Toronto. He is also a Professor of Medicine, Pharmacy, and Health Policy and an Affiliate Scientist at ICES and the Vector Institute. Previously, he served as Vice President of Data Science and Advanced Analytics at Unity Health Toronto, where his team deployed over 50 AI solutions to improve patient outcomes and operational efficiency. Dr. Mamdani has authored more than 600 peer-reviewed publications and is the recipient of multiple national and international honors for healthcare innovation and AI leadership.
Muhammed Walji, PhD
Dr. Muhammad F. Walji is the D. Bradley McWilliams Professor and inaugural Chair of the Department of Clinical and Health Informatics at the McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics at UTHealth Houston. He holds a joint appointment as Professor and Endowed Chair in Dental Informatics at the UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry and serves as Director of the Texas Center for Oral Healthcare Quality and Safety. Dr. Walji is Principal Investigator on NIH- and AHRQ-funded studies applying informatics to improve patient safety and quality, including dental diagnostic accuracy, quality measurement, patient-reported outcomes, and antibiotic stewardship. He led the development of the BigMouth Dental Data Repository and is a recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award and a Fellow of the American College of Medical Informatics.
Nasiruddin Jamal, MD
Dr. Nasiruddin M. Jamal is a board-certified interventional cardiologist and Emeritus Clinical Professor of Medicine at SUNY Upstate Medical University. He has provided long-standing leadership within Jamati institutions, serving as Chair of the Aga Khan Health Board for the USA and as President of the Aga Khan Council for the Northeastern United States. A Fellow of multiple national and international professional societies, Dr. Jamal has also contributed extensively through Time and Knowledge Nazrana (TKN), supporting the development of advanced cardiology services within the Aga Khan Health Services network. His work includes helping establish cardiac catheterization laboratories at Aga Khan Hospitals in Tanzania and Kenya, strengthening cardiovascular care capacity across AKDN institutions.
Nizam Damani, MBBS, MSc
Dr. Nizam Damani is an internationally recognized expert in Infection Prevention and Control whose work has shaped health systems strengthening and global public health policy. He has served as Assistant Medical Director within the UK health services and as a Senior Consultant and Advisor to the World Health Organization, contributing to the development of more than 25 WHO guidelines supporting safe, resilient health systems. He currently advises the Public Health Agency of Northern Ireland and serves as Director of the Institute of Infection Control in Pakistan, with additional advisory roles across Africa and Europe. A prolific scholar and author, Dr. Damani has published extensively on infection prevention, pandemics, and health system resilience. He was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his global contributions to public health.
Reef Karim, DO
Dr. Reef Karim is a transformational scientist, humanistic psychiatrist, and educator whose work focuses on the intersection of mental health, human behavior, and communication. Double board-certified and academically trained, he integrates clinical psychiatry, neuroscience, and narrative medicine to help individuals and professionals navigate identity, meaning, and psychological resilience. Dr. Karim has developed educational programs for healthcare professionals and leaders that emphasize effective communication, emotional intelligence, and ethical influence across clinical, academic, and public-facing settings. His work has been widely disseminated through academic, media, and public platforms, contributing to broader conversations on mental wellbeing, storytelling, and the human condition. He has served as a researcher, clinician, and public educator, translating complex psychological concepts into practical frameworks for personal and professional growth.
Shirin Karsan, MS
Shirin Karsan is a bioethicist, educator, and mediator whose work centers on faith-informed ethical frameworks, ethical pluralism, and healthcare decision-making in culturally diverse contexts. She holds a Master of Bioethics from the University of Pennsylvania and was the sole Fulbright Scholar at Penn, where her research examined reproductive ethics and emerging technologies from an Islamic ethical perspective. Her scholarship has been published in academic journals and edited volumes. Ms. Karsan serves on the Medical Ethics and Health Policy External Advisory Board at the University of Pennsylvania and the Dean’s Executive Advisory Council at Drexel University. Informed by lived experience across multiple countries and decades of community service, her work emphasizes dialogue, moral reasoning, and compassionate leadership at the intersection of faith, medicine, and public life.
Hon. Suleman Lalani, MD
Representative Dr. Suleman Lalani is a physician-legislator serving his second term representing Texas House District 76. A board-certified internist, geriatrician, and hospice and palliative care physician, he brings nearly 30 years of clinical experience to health policy and is currently the only general practitioner in the Texas Legislature. Dr. Lalani has authored and passed significant legislation strengthening healthcare access, mental health, public education, and technology safeguards, including funding for family medicine residency training, creation of a statewide dementia institute, and public health protections related to digital harms and substance use. He serves as Vice Chair of the House Committee on Land & Resource Management and as a member of the Higher Education Committee, advancing evidence-informed policy grounded in clinical practice.
Zahra Hoodbhoy, PhD, MBBS
Dr. Zahra Hoodbhoy is an Associate Professor in the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health at The Aga Khan University (AKU), Karachi. Trained as a physician at AKU, she holds a Master’s degree in Health Education from the University of Cincinnati and a PhD in Population and Public Health. Her research focuses on the application of digital health, point-of-care technologies, and artificial intelligence for risk stratification to improve maternal and child health outcomes in low-resource settings. Dr. Hoodbhoy has led hospital- and community-based projects supported by major global funders, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and was named a Global Goalkeeper Champion for her work in maternal nutrition.
Zeenat S. Khan, PhD, MSN, MHA
Dr. Zeenat Sulaiman is the Regional Chief Executive Officer of Aga Sulaiman Health Services in East Africa, overseeing five hospitals and more than 50 outreach centers. She also serves as AKDN Health System Coordinator for Quality and Patient Safety across East Africa and Asia and leads the Aga Khan University Kampala Campus project. With over 35 years of experience, Dr. Sulaiman brings deep expertise in nursing and hospital administration, quality improvement, and patient safety. She has led major hospital development projects across East Africa and serves as a Joint Commission International surveyor and Governing Council member of the International Hospital Federation. An alumna of the Aga Khan University School of Nursing, she holds advanced degrees from Johns Hopkins University and the University of Minnesota.