Samira Abbasgholizadeh-Rahimi

Samira Abbasgholizadeh-Rahimi serves as Assistant Professor in McGill University's Department of Family Medicine, Associate Professor at Mila—Quebec Institute for AI, and Affiliate Scientist at Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research. She holds the Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Advanced Digital Primary Health Care and directs the Artificial Intelligence in Family Medicine (AIFM) initiative while serving as President of the Canadian Operational Research Society (2023-2024).

Her educational foundation includes a doctoral degree in industrial engineering and systems engineering from Université Laval's Department of Mechanical Engineering, followed by postdoctoral training in Family and Emergency Medicine. This multidisciplinary background bridges engineering principles with clinical practice.

Prof. Rahimi pioneers human-centered AI integration in primary healthcare, developing clinical decision support tools and patient decision aids focused on chronic disease management—particularly cardiovascular conditions in vulnerable populations. Her research spans data-driven decision making in complex healthcare systems and AI implementation frameworks that prioritize human cognition and ethical considerations.

Her publication portfolio demonstrates accelerating impact in AI-augmented healthcare, with recent works establishing foundational frameworks for shared decision making, medical education curricula, and primary care applications. These contributions reveal a consistent trajectory toward practical AI deployment that respects clinician workflows and patient autonomy.

Key accolades include the IEEE Canada Women in Engineering Award (2015), NAPCRG New Investigator Award (2022), and FRQS Junior Researcher designation (2020-2024). She maintains active leadership through editorial roles at PLOS Digital Health and BMC AI.

As Principal Investigator, she has secured substantial funding from FRQS, NSERC, Roche Canada, Brocher Foundation, and SPOR-CIHR. Her mentorship extends to 24 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows across engineering and health sciences disciplines, fostering next-generation AI healthcare innovators.

She leads the Rahimi Research Lab—a multidisciplinary McGill team developing projects like AID and Xi-Care that integrate engineering solutions with primary care delivery. Current initiatives focus on enhancing dental and mental healthcare experiences through ethically designed AI systems.