Global Consortium - Executive Council Members
Mark Cohen, President
Carle Illinois College of Medicine, USA
Mark S. Cohen, MD, FSSO, FACS, is Dean of the Carle Illinois College of Medicine and Senior Vice President and Chief Academic Officer of Carle Health. Previously, he was a professor of Surgery, Pharmacology, and Biomedical Engineering and Vice Chair in Surgery for Clinical Operations at the University of Michigan, where he directed the Center for Surgical Innovation, the Center Initiative for Medical and Surgical XR, as well as the Medical School Path-of-Excellence in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. He is board-certified by the American Board of Surgery, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and a Fellow of the Society of Surgical Oncology. He has mentored over 200 faculty, residents, and students on surgical innovation projects. Dean Cohen holds 6 patents and has advised 15 startups that combined have raised over $100M in capital. He serves on the editorial board for SURGERY, has held several national leadership positions in surgical societies, is a founding member and program co-lead of the Holomedicine Association, and chairs the American College of Surgeons Committee on Emerging Surgical Technology and Education. At the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Dean Cohen is also Founder Professor in The Grainger College of Engineering and is affiliated with the Beckman Institute and the Cancer Center at Illinois.
Shuu-Jiun Wang, Vice-President
NYCU, Taiwan
Shuu-Jiun Wang, MD, is a practicing neurologist and the Chair Professor and Director of the Brain Research Center at National Yang-Ming University School and Director of The Neurological Institute, Taipei Veterans General Hospital. Currently, he is the Chair of the Asian Regional Consortium of Headache. He was the President of the Taiwan Neurological Society from 2017 to 2019 and the founding President of the Taiwan Headache Society from 2005-2011. He serves as an associate editor of the journals Cephalalgia, Headache, and Journal of Headache and Pain and others. Dr. Wang has received numerous awards for his work, including the Bruce S. Schoenberg's International Neuroepidemiology Award by the American Academy of Neurology in Washington DC in 1994, and the Outstanding Research Award by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan in 2012 and 2018. Dr. Wang has authored more than 400 scientific papers.
Alison Keogh, Secretary/Treasurer
Trinity College Dublin Ireland
Alison Keogh, PhD, MSc, joined Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, in 2022 as an assistant professor in Healthcare Innovation. Her research interests include the development of digital tools to self-manage chronic conditions, designing research with patient and public involvement, and the human factors of digital health solutions. Between 2017 and 2022 Alison worked in the personal sensing unit of the Insight Centre for Data Analytics where her work focused on the use of wearable technology within health care with a specific interest in the usability of digital health technology by participants and researchers. As part of this she gained extensive experience in designing and developing research projects with digital health tools, working on commercialization projects; and collaborating with industry and clinical partners. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Physiotherapy in 2010 and a master’s degree in Sports & Exercise Medicine from Trinity College Dublin in 2012.
Gregory Polites, Executive Director
Carle Illinois College of Medicine, USA
Greg Polites, MD, is the executive vice dean and a professor of Emergency Medicine and Clinical Sciences at Carle Illinois College of Medicine at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. In this role, he provides high-level oversight for CI MED’s student and faculty recruitment and development, admissions, as well as strategic academic partnerships and programs, including international partnerships, new certificate and degree programs, and pathway partnerships for the medical school. Dr. Polites joined CI MED in 2023 following a distinguished 20-year career at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis where he achieved the rank of professor of emergency medicine. Polites holds national leadership positions as chair of the International Conference Committee for the American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) and co-chair of the CPC task force for the Council of Residency Directors in Emergency Medicine. He has also worked extensively in international educational efforts, directing one of the most successful study-abroad courses for pre-health students at Washington University.
Hisanori Hasegawa, Councilor
Tokyo Medical & Dental University, Japan
Hisnori Hasegawa, MD, PhD, is an associate professor at the Tokyo Medical and Dental University in Tokyo, Japan. He is a board-certified rheumatologist and rheumatology instructor and a Fellow of the Japanese Society of Internal Medicine. His research interests include connective tissue disease and allergy.
Yen-Hsuan Ni, Program & Planning Committee Co-Chair
NTU, Taiwan
Yen-Hsuan Ni, MD, PhD, is the Dean of the College of Medicine and Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics a National Taiwan University (NTU). His research and clinical interests include pediatric liver diseases, gut microbiota, and pediatric inflammatory bowel disease. Yen Hsuan Ni is internationally recognized for his excellence in medical services, research, and teaching. His recognition includes the Award for Excellence in Medical Service by National Taiwan University Hospital, the Oustanding Research Award by National Taiwan University Hospital, Outstanding Resarch Award by Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Taiwan Pediatrics Association Medical Education Award.
Yusuf Ali, Program & Planning Committee Co-Chair
NTU, Singapore
Yusuf Ali, MD, PhD, is an associate professor of Metabolic Disease and assistant dean of External Affair at Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine. Ali earned his bachelor’s degree in Biochemisty (Hons, 1st Class) from National University of Singapore (2004), his Technopreneurship, Management Science and Engineering, Stanford University, CA, U.S.A. (2003), and his PhD in Pharmacology, School of Integrative Sciences and Engineering (2008). Ali’s research aim is to increase the natural production of insulin to combat type-2 diabetes (T2D). One of his research team’s key projects for drug target discovery include (i) identifying the precise role of immune cells in pancreatic islets, the latter being the sitewhere beta-cells reside. Ali has been awarded the Nanyang Education Award, LKC Medicine Dean’s Award in Excellence in Teaching, an A*STAR Postdoctoral Fellowship (Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden), an A*STAR Graduate Scholarship (National University of Singapore), and he was named to the Vice-Chancellors’ List (National University of Singapoore).
Deb Virant-Young, Local Arrangements Chair
Carle Illinois College of Medicine, USA
Deb Virant-Young, PharmD, BCPS, is the associate dean for Faculty Affairs and Development in the Carle Illinois College of Medicine at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Young holds diverse background in academia, pharmacy, and medical education and previously served as the Director of Faculty and Professional Development at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine’s (MSUCOM’s) Statewide Campus System which includes 28 hospitals. As the course director for the ACGME-MSUCOM Hub course in Developing Faculty Competencies in Assessment, Young played a vital role in shaping the educational experience for future medical professionals. She consistently demonstrates a strong commitment to enhancing the curriculum and education system including serving as the director of the Innovative Teaching to Excel and Advance MedEd (I-TEAM) initiative where she worked collaboratively with ACGME to promote high-quality teaching standards. Her efforts contribute significantly to the well-rounded education of medical students.
Tzung-Dau Wang, Membership
NTU, Taiwan
Tzung-Dau Wang, FESC, MD, PhD, is a professor of Medicine at National Taiwan University Hospital & National Taiwan University College of Medicine in Taipei, Taiwan. He serves as the Director of the Division of Hospital Medicine and Cardiac Function Lab, Cardiovascular Center, and Department of Internal Medicine at National Taiwan University Hospital. He also serves as the Honorary President of Taiwan Hypertension Society. Tzung-Dau Wang is a member of the editorial board for the Journal of Asian Pacific Society of Cardiology, published by Radcliffe Cardiology on behalf of the Asian Pacific Society of Cardiology.
Sandeep Verma, Membership
Gangwal School of Medical Sciences & Technologies, Kanpur
Sandeep Verma, FNA, FASc, FNASc, FNAE, is an Indian bioorganic chemist and chemical biologist, and a professor in the Department of Chemistry at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. Sandeep Verma completed his doctoral work from University of Illinois Medical Center, Chicago (1994), followed by postdoctoral stints at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, USA, and at Max-Planck-Institute for experimentelle Medizin, Goettingen, Germany. He joined Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, in 1997, where he currently holds the positions of Professor of Chemistry and heads Sandeep Verma's Research Group. His work has been recognized by the B. M. Birla Science Prize (2003), Swarnajayanti Fellowship (2005) in Chemical Sciences, and Bronze Medal (2005) of the Chemical Research Society of India. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, one of the highest Indian science awards, in 2010. He is an elected fellow of the Indian National Science Academy (INSA), the Indian Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, India, and the Indian National Academy of Engineering. He serves as an associate editor of Chemical Communications (RSC, UK) and served on the Editorial Advisory Boards of Cell Chemical Biology, ChemBioChem and Journal of Peptide Science. His research interests include ordered peptide assemblies, metal-mediated systems, new antimicrobials and small molecule stem cell interaction.
Chiun Hsu, Engineering in Med. Ed/Curriculum
NTU, Taiwan
Chiun Hsu, MD, PhD, is the director of the Department of Education and Research at National Taiwan University Cancer Center. He is a professor at the Graduate Institute of Oncology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, and was recently promoted to Associate Dean of the National Taiwan University College of Medicine. He is also a visiting staff physician at the Department of Oncology, National Taiwan University Hospital. Dr. Hsu’s major research interest is clinical and translational research of new drug development for hepatobiliary cancers, and hepatitis B reactivation in cancer patients. He is currently the Education Committee Chair of the Asia-Pacific Primary Liver Cancer Expert (APPLE) meeting. He has served as an Editorial Board member for Journal of Hepatology since 2020.
Chien-Nan Liu, Engineering in Med. Ed/Curriculum
NYCU, Taiwan
Chien-Nan Liu, PhD, serves as a professor and chairman of the NYCU Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering since 2021. Professor Liu’s field of study is in electronic design automation, with his research expertise including modeling and synthesis of analog/mixed-signal circuits, high-level power and noise modeling, and functional verification for HDL design. He received his bachelor’s degree in electronics engineering at the National Chiao Tung University in 1996 and earned his PhD in the same department and institution in 2001.
Albert Yang, Research & Exchange
NYCU, Taiwan
Albert Yang, MD, PhD, is the director of the Institute of Brain Science at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University and the Deputy Director of the Medical AI Development Center at Taipei Veterans General Hospital. In his role, Yang leverages his dual credentials in medicine and neuroscience, as well as his board certification in psychiatry, to advance the field of brain science and mental health. He has over 20 years of experience in clinical neuropsychiatry, computational neuroscience, and functional neuroimaging, using cutting-edge techniques and tools to investigate the aging and pathophysiology of mental illness. He is a prolific researcher and educator with more than 160 publications in peer-reviewed journals. He has pioneered the application of nonlinear dynamics and biomedical signal analysis to quantify the complexity of brain oscillations and propose a hypothesis on the loss of brain complexity in mental disorders. He is currently leading a large-scale interdisciplinary AI research grant sponsored by the National Science and Technology Council, Taiwan, aiming to develop innovative solutions for smart health care and digital medicine. His mission is to contribute to the understanding and treatment of brain and mental health problems, as well as to foster the next generation of brain scientists and AI experts. He received his medical degree from the College of Medicine, National Yang Ming University in 2002 and earned his PhD from the Institute of Clinical Medicine at the same institution in 2011.
Tahir Pillay, Research & Exchange
Univ. Pretoria, South Africa
Tahir Pillay is Chief Specialist, Professor, and Head of the Department of Chemical Pathology, University of Pretoria and National Health Laboratory service, Director of the Division of Clinical Pathology and Clinical Pathology training program, and Honorary Professor of Chemical Pathology at the University of Cape Town. He was previously head of Chemical Pathology at the University of Cape Town, and Deputy Vice Chancellor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal; Deputy Director, Institute of Cell Signaling, University of Nottingham, UK. He is President of the South African Association for Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine. In South Africa, he has spearheaded the application of state-of-the-art digital technology in textbook publishing with the release of two acclaimed “4-dimensional” digital textbooks in laboratory medicine that have been published in 51 countries; “Practical Clinical Chemistry: core concepts” and “Interactive Mathematics for Laboratory Medicine.” He is also the editor-in-chief of the London-based BMJ group journal, Journal of Clinical Pathology. He serves on several prestigious international committees, including the Communications and Publication Division(CPD) executive committee of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory medicine (IFCC) ; the International Committee of the Royal College of Pathologists, London, and as country advisor to the Royal College of Pathologists; the Publications Core Committee of the American Association of Clinical Chemistry, the only member of an AACC committee from outside North America. He serves as Ministerial appointee to the HPCSA Medical and Dental Board (MDB); a council member of the College of Pathologists, SA, and Senate member of the Colleges of Medicine, SA. He is chair of the Communications & Publication Division, one of three divisions of the IFCC the first time in the history of the IFCC (since 1952) that someone from the African continent will head an IFCC Division.
Seamas Donnelly, Global Health Grand Innovation Challenge
Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Professor Seamas Donnelly is Chief of Medicine at Tallaght University Hospital and Trinity College Dublin. He and his Department have a long-standing research interest in integrating clinical, biological, and community sensor data sets to generate predictive algorithms for better patient care. He is Principal Investigator for Health Innovation Hub Ireland at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and Course Director for a boutique of postgraduate educational offerings in the Healthcare Innovation space. As Professor of Medicine and former Director for Global Relations at the TCD School of Medicine, he has a long-standing interest in connected health and has generated over €40 million in grant funding. He is the outgoing president of the Association of Physicians of Great Britain & Ireland, the leading medical academic society in these islands. He is the editor-in-chief of the Quarterly Journal of Medicine (QJM). He has also been awarded an honorary professorship from the University of Edinburgh for international leadership in Translational Medicine.
Maurizio Trevisan, Global Health Grand Innovation Challenge
Univ. Rome Campus Biomedico
Maurizio Trevisan, MD, is a professor at Universita Campus Biomedico. He is a cardiovascular disease (CVD) epidemiologist interested in ways to prevent CVD through changes in lifestyle habits. He has been engaged in several international epidemiological collaborative studies. His recent global health projects include establishing a new medical school in Vietnam, where he served as Dean of Health Sciences from 2019-2022 and is currently focused on chronic disease prevention in a country in transition with a significant shift in the leading causes of mortality and morbidity. He is also engaged in global health projects relating to emerging risk factors and cardiovascular disease. As a researcher, he has authored more than 250 publications, which have appeared in such high-impact journals as the Journal of the American Medical Association, Annals of Internal Medicine, and The New England Journal of Medicine. He has extensive experience directing and conducting multi-center and international collaborative studies. Previous roles include serving as Medical Professor and Dean and Anna and Irving Medical Professor at CUNY School of Medicine, Provost of the City College of New York, and the Executive Vice Chancellor and CEO of The Health Sciences System.
Rand Kittani, Student Committee
Carle Illinois College of Medicine, USA
Rand Kittani is a rising third-year medical student at Carle Illinois College of Medicine. Kittani came to CI MED after a professional career in the health care industry and entrepreneurship. She is president and founder of CIM3D: 3D Printing for Medicine, a student interest group. Her medical interests include patient empowerment and the intersection of technology, engineering, and empathetic medical sciences.