PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Ziad Obermeyer

Also known as زياد أوبرماير

Ziad Obermeyer is a physician and researcher at UC Berkeley whose work applies machine learning to health care. A 2019 study with Sendhil Mullainathan found that a widely used health algorithm underestimated the health needs of Black patients, and in 2021 he and colleagues released an Algorithmic Bias Playbook for health care. TIME named him to its 2023 TIME100 AI list, and he is a co-founder of Nightingale Open Science and Dandelion Health. In February 2024 he testified before the Senate Finance Committee about AI in health care. As of October 2026 he serves as Associate Dean for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health.

Works
121
Citations
18,425
h-index
41

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 14 October 2026.

Photo of Ziad Obermeyer

Timeline

  1. 2008

    A Harvard medical degree

    He receives his Doctor of Medicine from Harvard Medical School in 2008, after earlier work as a consultant at McKinsey & Company.

  2. 2018

    Joining Berkeley's faculty

    He joins the Berkeley faculty in 2018, after emergency medicine training in Boston and an assistant professorship at Harvard Medical School. His research applies machine learning to health care.

  3. 2019

    Racial bias in a health algorithm

    In 2019 he and Sendhil Mullainathan examine a widely used commercial healthcare algorithm, which underestimates the health needs of Black patients.

  4. June 2021

    An algorithmic bias playbook

    In June 2021 he and colleagues at the Booth School of Business release an Algorithmic Bias Playbook for health care.

  5. 2022

    A Chan Zuckerberg Biohub award

    He wins a Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Investigator award in 2022, which provides $1 million in unrestricted gift funds over a nonrenewable five-year term.

  6. 2023

    Named to TIME100 AI

    TIME names him to its 2023 TIME100 AI list. He is also a co-founder of Nightingale Open Science and Dandelion Health.

  7. February 2024

    Testimony on AI in health care

    In February 2024 he testifies before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, warning about AI hazards in health care and offering ways to make AI systems safe, unbiased and useful.

  8. As of October 2026

    Associate dean for innovation

    He serves as Associate Dean for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health. Computational Precision Health also welcomes him as a joint faculty member.

Sources and credits

Photo: Unknown author Unknown author, via Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: commons.wikimedia.org. Cropped to a square and resized. Ask us to remove or replace this photo.

  1. Ziad Obermeyer - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org. Checked 14 October 2026.
  2. Ziad Obermeyer | UC Berkeley Public Health publichealth.berkeley.edu. Checked 14 October 2026.
  3. How big data can save lives | UC Berkeley Public Health publichealth.berkeley.edu. Checked 14 October 2026.
  4. Ziad Obermeyer named one of TIME’s top 100 leaders in artificial intelligence | UC Berkeley Public Health publichealth.berkeley.edu. Checked 14 October 2026.
  5. Ziad Obermeyer and colleagues at the Booth School of Business release health care Algorithmic Bias Playbook | UC Berkeley Public Health publichealth.berkeley.edu. Checked 14 October 2026.
  6. Jennifer Ahern, Ziad Obermeyer named Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Investigators | UC Berkeley Public Health publichealth.berkeley.edu. Checked 14 October 2026.
  7. Ziad Obermeyer testifies in U.S. Congress on how AI can help health care | CDSS at UC Berkeley cdss.berkeley.edu. Checked 14 October 2026.
  8. Welcome Ziad Obermeyer, MD to the CPH Faculty! - Computational Precision Health computationalhealth.ucsf.edu. Checked 14 October 2026.