Aasim I. Padela, MD, MSc
The Medical College of Wisconsin;
Chairperson and Director, the Initiative on Islam and Medicine
Professor of Emergency Medicine, Bioethics and Medical Humanities, The Medical College of Wisconsin; Chairperson and Director, the Initiative on Islam and Medicine
Dr. Padela is a clinician-researcher with scholarly foci at the intersections of health care, bioethics and religion. His scholarship aims at improving health and health care through better accommodating religious values in health care delivery. Using Muslim Americans and Islam as a model, he studies how (i) religion impacts patient health behaviors and health care experiences, (ii) informs the professional identities and workplace experiences of clinicians, and (iii) furnishes bioethical guidance to patients, providers, policymakers and religious leaders. This knowledge is subsequently mobilized towards educational and policy interventions. His current projects span behaviors related to cancer screening, organ donation, end-of-life care and the intersection of religion and science.
Dr. Padela holds an M.D. from Weill Cornell Medical College, completed a residency in emergency medicine at the University of Rochester, and received a Master of Science in health care research from the University of Michigan. He also holds bachelor’s degrees in biomedical engineering and classical Arabic from the University of Rochester and has studied Islamic theology and law in seminary and academic settings. He has authored over 100 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters and serves in an editorial capacity for the Encyclopedia of Islamic Bioethics, American Journal of Bioethics, BMC Medical Ethics, International Journal of Islam, BETIM Journal of Medical Humanities, and TAHFIM Journal of Islam and the Contemporary World. His work has been featured in the New York Times, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, National Public Radio, BBC, and CNN.