Akbar K. Waljee, a global health equity leader who leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning approaches and translates complex data into actionable knowledge to improve health outcomes, has been appointed director of the Center for Global Health Equity at the University of Michigan.
Waljee, the Lyle C. Roll Professor, professor of learning health sciences and of internal medicine and assistant dean for global health research, in the Medical School, will assume the role of the Leslie D. Yamada and Tachi Yamada M.D. Director of the center April 1. Waljee is also a professor of epidemiology in the School of Public Health.
Waljee will succeed inaugural director Joseph C. Kolars, whose leadership laid the foundation for the center’s success since its inception in 2019 and launch in 2021.
Kolars will serve as director of strategic development for global initiatives for the Medical School, where he will continue to support the Center for Global Health Equity as well as Michigan Medicine’s Global REACH, which facilitates international partnerships, programs and exchanges across the Medical School.
Building on Kolars’ legacy, Waljee will further the center’s mission to enable communities worldwide to “live longer and better” through the innovative use of data, collaborative research and strategic partnerships.
Originally from Nairobi, Kenya, Waljee has dedicated his career to improving health and healthcare access, quality and efficiency, particularly in resource-constrained settings.
He is widely recognized for leveraging advanced methodological approaches, including AI, to inform better decision‐making and to deliver effective, equitable care both locally and globally.
His work has been supported by a range of grant funding, including from the Veterans Affairs Health Systems Research, National Institutes of Health, the state of Michigan, and the Department of Defense.
In addition to his medical school roles as a professor of learning health sciences and internal medicine gastroenterology, and as a research scientist at the VA Ann Arbor Center for Clinical Management Research, Waljee has actively fostered research collaborations and led influential initiatives such as the Michigan Integrated Center for Health Analytics and Medical Prediction, e-Health and Artificial Intelligence, the IHPI Data and Methods Hub, and as director of the Data Collaborative at the Center for Global Health Equity.
His leadership in these endeavors has demonstrated his capacity to galvanize teams and tackle complex healthcare challenges.
Waljee earned his undergraduate degree in biology and his medical degree from Emory University. He completed his internal medicine residency and gastroenterology/hepatology fellowship at U-M, joining the Medical School faculty in 2009.
In his new position, Waljee will continue to collaborate closely with Kolars and with Global REACH programs to further strengthen research initiatives across the Medical School and campuswide global health efforts.
