Making Lives Better, Creating a Legacy in Life and Health Sciences Part 2

This is part 2 of a two-part interview with Shanil Ebrahim. Shanil is a Partner and the Life Sciences and Healthcare Consulting Leader at Deloitte Canada. He has a role as an Assistant Professor at McMaster University in the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact (HEI). He also serves on several boards for non-profit organizations - Wellesley Residences Central Inc. (Chair) and Children's Treatment Network. Shanil has Post-Doctoral Fellowships from Stanford University and McMaster University. He has a Doctorate in Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Clinical Epidemiology from McMaster University, a dual Master of Science (MSc) in Medical Science and Bioethics both from the University of Toronto, and a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Psychology from York University. In this segment, Shanil provides a definition of what epidemiology is, what a career in this field entails, the premise of his doctorate thesis, and above all his experience at McMaster University. He then talks about the post-doctoral work in Preventive Medicine he has done that took him to Stanford and his Visiting Researcher experience in parts of Europe. This then leads to a conversation on how research is conducted. The listener will develop an appreciation for how someone like Shanil approaches research projects and how this type of work is applied to various organizations from hospitals to other sectors such as insurance. In addition, how data and data science influences health care and other industries is discussed in the context of his prior role as the Canadian Health AI leader at Deloitte. All of this leads to a conversation about the evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) and how this will shape the future of healthcare and other areas. Throughout this interview, Shanil illustrates how he developed his career and how he became a Partner and the Life Sciences and Healthcare Consulting leader with Deloitte, the largest professional services firm globally. In doing so, the listener will develop a better understanding of the components of the complex world of healthcare and life sciences. This interview will serve anyone interested in a career in life sciences, health care, consulting, epidemiology, data science, research, and entrepreneurship as startups and large complex organizations are talked about. The contrasts and similarities between Canada and the U.S. and other parts of the world are highlighted. In addition, this interview touches on the not-for-profit organizations that Shanil serves. As giving back is an attribute that a leader should have which Shanil does. In all, this is a very informative, thought-provoking, and motivational interview.