Ziad Obermeyer Keynote Speaker

Blue Cross of California Distinguished Professor at UC Berkeley
Named a Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Investigator in 2022
Co-founder of the nonprofit data platform Nightingale Open Science, and the venture-backed startup Dandelion, to jumpstart AI innovation in health

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Ziad Obermeyer's Biography

Ziad Obermeyer is a physician and researcher who is revolutionising the field of medicine through his innovative use of machine learning. He is passionate about using data and technology to address critical health issues and improve healthcare outcomes, particularly for marginalised communities.

Born in Lebanon and raised in the US, Obermeyer received his medical degree at Harvard Medical School where he also served as an Assistant Professor. Trained as an emergency doctor, Ziad’s clinical practice inspired him to use data to understand and address health disparities. His work on algorithmic bias is frequently cited in the public debate about artificial intelligence, and in federal and state regulatory guidance and investigations.

Ziad Obermeyer is currently a Blue Cross of California Distinguished Associate Professor at UC Berkeley, a Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Investigator, and a Faculty Research Fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research. He was named an Emerging Leader by the National Academy of Medicine and has won numerous awards from professional societies in medicine and economics. Obermeyer’s papers appear in a wide range of journals including Science, Nature Medicine, and the New England Journal of Medicine.

In his research, Ziad Obermeyer has used machine learning to uncover previously unseen racial and socioeconomic disparities in healthcare access and outcomes. He has shown that these disparities are not simply due to differences in medical need, but also reflect systemic biases in the healthcare system. He continues to push the boundaries of what is possible with machine learning in medicine, developing new algorithms and models that can be used to improve health outcomes for all people, regardless of race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status.

Obermeyer is a sought-after speaker, known for his ability to communicate the power of machine learning in medicine in a way that is accessible and actionable. He is a strong advocate for the responsible use of data and technology in healthcare and is committed to ensuring that these tools are used to improve health outcomes for all.