Dr. Adil Haider, a Pakistani-born surgeon-scientist and academic leader, has been appointed as the first Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer at Carle Illinois College of Medicine, a pioneering institution that integrates engineering, medicine, and data science from its foundation.
Leading AI Integration in Medical Education
Carle Illinois College of Medicine, a collaboration between the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Carle Health, is recognized as the world’s first engineering-based medical school. Its curriculum uniquely combines computational thinking, systems engineering, and innovation with physician training. Dr. Haider’s appointment underscores the growing emphasis on embedding artificial intelligence into medical education, research, and clinical care.
Mark Cohen, Dean of Carle Illinois, highlighted the significance of this new role, stating that AI is central to the future of medicine. He praised Dr. Haider’s blend of academic excellence, clinical expertise, and entrepreneurial experience, emphasizing that his leadership will ensure AI is applied innovatively, ethically, and effectively to improve health outcomes.
Responsibilities and Vision
In his role, Dr. Haider will oversee the strategic development and responsible implementation of AI technologies throughout the college. His focus will include AI-driven medical education, translational research, and clinical innovation. Additionally, he will serve as medical director for research informatics at Carle Foundation Hospital, aligning AI research with clinical practice across the Carle Health system.
Expressing enthusiasm about his new position, Dr. Haider remarked on the unique opportunity to shape how AI is developed and governed to enhance human health, noting that no other institution is designed to integrate engineering, medicine, and data science as intentionally as Carle Illinois.
Background and Experience
Before joining Carle Illinois, Dr. Haider served over six years as dean of Aga Khan University Medical College in Pakistan, where he advanced research funding, improved global rankings, and secured international accreditations. His previous roles include senior academic and clinical leadership positions at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and Johns Hopkins University, where he specialized in trauma surgery and outcomes research.
Dr. Haider is also an entrepreneur, having founded two health technology companies. His startup Doctella was acquired by Masimo, and his more recent venture, Boston Health AI, operates in the US, UAE, and Pakistan. At the University of Illinois, he will hold a visiting professorship at the Siebel School of Computing and Data Science, further linking medical education with advanced computing and data science.
