Kareem Wahid, PhD

A Bit About Me

I was born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas. My dad and mom immigrated to the US from their home countries of Bangladesh and Peru respectively to pursue careers as physicians. Witnessing my parents’ passion for medicine and deep dedication to serving their new community caused me to develop my own passion for medicine and a sense of duty to give back. As a mixed-race Hispanic-American raised on the US/Mexico border, I developed an early understanding of the importance of viewing problems from different perspectives. My undergraduate education in physics and mathematics at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley provided me with an interdisciplinary foundation to support my eventual pursuit of a career as a physician-scientist. During my undergraduate career, I contributed to research in various fields including nanoscience, radiation-physics, and physical-chemistry. I subsequently pursued a medical degree at McGovern Medical School, during which I grew a keen interest in the field of artificial intelligence. Through The University of Texas Medical Scientist Training Program at Houston, I then pursued a PhD in Quantitative Sciences where I applied artificial intelligence in medical imaging to improve diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic capabilities in oncology. I am currently pursuing a post-doctoral fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center on the role of human-machine interaction in AI-based radiotherapy decision making. After my post-doc, I plan to return to my 4th year of medical school and apply to a post-graduate medical training position.