My Expertise
- Dermatology and clinical trials, including inflammatory skin disease and blistering disorders
- Digital health, artificial intelligence and digital twins in medicine
- Global health and health equity
- Space medicine
- Extreme-environment medicine
Keywords
Fields of Research (FoR)
Dermatology, Digital healthBiography
Dr Hossein Akbarialiabad, MD, MSc, HMBA, is a medical doctor, researcher and educator whose work brings together a love of learning, a commitment to service and a belief that good healthcare should be within everyone's reach. Across clinical medicine, research and global health missions, he seeks to connect scientific progress with the everyday needs of patients and communities.
He is an Adjunct Associate Lecturer in the School of Clinical...view more
Dr Hossein Akbarialiabad, MD, MSc, HMBA, is a medical doctor, researcher and educator whose work brings together a love of learning, a commitment to service and a belief that good healthcare should be within everyone's reach. Across clinical medicine, research and global health missions, he seeks to connect scientific progress with the everyday needs of patients and communities.
He is an Adjunct Associate Lecturer in the School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Medicine & Health; a faculty member of the Global Health Academy within the Nuvance Global Health Program, United States; and an Adjunct Lecturer at the American Canadian School of Medicine in Dominica.
Mentorship and medical education are central to his work. He pioneered a mentorship programme at his home medical school, extending its reach to communities including those in East Africa. Through global health missions, volunteer teaching and international partnerships, he works alongside colleagues and students to share knowledge and widen access to medical education. He also provides online medical teaching for students in underserved settings and has contributed to discussions at the United Nations Science Summit in New York.
His research interests span dermatology, digital medicine, oncology, artificial intelligence and global health. He explores how digital twins and AI can support personalised care, clinical trials and drug discovery, alongside research into inflammatory and autoimmune skin disease. His interest in space medicine asks how knowledge and technologies developed for extreme environments might improve care here on Earth. Throughout this work, he values both the foundations of clinical practice and the curiosity needed to improve them.
His publications include contributions to the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), Nature, NEJM AI and The Lancet. He also serves as a peer reviewer for The BMJ, Annals of Internal Medicine and NEJM AI.
He leads TanPrevent, an initiative dedicated to indoor tanning prevention and skin cancer prevention, bringing his interests in dermatology, education and public health together. Learn more at tanprevent.com and tanprevent.org.
He was recognised among the world's top 2% of scientists in 2024, 2025 and 2026. He welcomes collaboration with clinicians, researchers and students who share his commitment to thoughtful innovation, accessible education and better health for communities.
My Qualifications
MD, MSc, HMBA
My Awards
- 2026 — World's Top 2% Scientists — annual listing.
- 2026 — Early Innovator Award, Advancing Innovation in Dermatology (AID).
- 2025 — World's Top 2% Scientists — annual listing.
- 2025 — Montagna Symposium Directors' Award — travel award.
- 2024 — World's Top 2% Scientists — annual listing.
- 2024 — ANAHPS–TRISH Award, Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH), Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA) meeting.
- 2019 — Gold Medal, National Health Olympiad — Medical Education, Iran.
- 2018 — Gold Medal, National Health Olympiad — Management of the Health System, Iran.
- 2018 — Researcher of the Year, Education Category, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences.
- 2017 — Best Educational Process Award — organisation of a five-year peer-training programme, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences.
My Research Activities
My research connects dermatology, emerging medical technologies and global health. Key areas include:
- Digital twins and artificial intelligence: applications in personalised medicine, dermatology, clinical trial design and drug discovery.
- Clinical dermatology: inflammatory and autoimmune skin disease, blistering disorders, and evidence from dermatology clinical trials.
- Global health: equitable access to healthcare, responsible use of generative AI, and international research and education partnerships.
- Space and extreme-environment medicine: opportunities to translate space technologies into healthcare and cancer research on Earth.
Selected publications (30)
- Abdulnour REE, Akbarialiabad H, Haghighi A, Leachman SA (2026). Crew Resource Management - Navigating AI's Automation Paradox. New England Journal of Medicine, 395,731–734.
- Akbarialiabad H, Hamzavi IH, Qureshi AA, Grant-Kels JM (2026). Preventing cancer requires more than a list of carcinogens. Nature, 654,564.
- Akbarialiabad H, Schmidt E, Patsatsi A, et al. (2025). Bullous pemphigoid. Nature Reviews Disease Primers, 11.
- Akbarialiabad H, Sadeghian N, Haghighat S, et al. (2025). The Utility of Generative AI in Advancing Global Health. NEJM AI, 2.
- Akbarialiabad H, Sewankambo NK (2024). Centres of Excellence in AI for global health equity — a strategic vision for LMICs. Nature, 625,450.
- Akbarialiabad H, Pasdar A, Murrell DF (2024). Digital twins in dermatology, current status, and the road ahead. npj Digital Medicine, 7.
- Sewankambo NK, Akbarialiabad H, Gueye SM, et al. (2025). Africa's renaissance amid declining overseas health aid. The Lancet, 406,10–12.
- Akbarialiabad H, Jamshidi P, Aminzade Z, et al. (2025). Leveraging space innovations for cancer breakthroughs on Earth. Trends in Cancer, 11,433–440.
- Akbarialiabad H, Pasdar A, Murrell DF, et al. (2025). Enhancing randomized clinical trials with digital twins. npj Systems Biology and Applications, 11.
- Akbarialiabad H, Seyyedi MS, Paydar S, et al. (2024). Bridging silicon and carbon worlds with digital twins and on-chip systems in drug discovery. npj Systems Biology and Applications, 10.
- Kumar M, Akbarialiabad H, Kouhanjani MF, et al. (2022). Association of Major Disease Outbreaks With Adolescent and Youth Mental Health in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Scoping Review. JAMA Psychiatry, 79,1232–1240.
- Akbarialiabad H (2023). For a Girl I Know About. Annals of Internal Medicine, 176,1133–1134.
- Akbarialiabad H (2024). A butterfly's delicate journey: A parent's tale. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 91,780–781.
- Akbarialiabad H, Sadigh M, Sewankambo NK (2023). NIH grant reporting policies: bridging gaps or building walls?. The Lancet, 402,1238–1239.
- Akbarialiabad H, Grada A (2025). Improving Adverse Event Reporting in Dermatology Trials. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 145,2385–2386.
- Akbarialiabad H, Bunick CG (2025). Revisiting RORγt Inhibition in Plaque Psoriasis: Lessons Learned from BI 730357. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 145,1831–1834.
- Wong PC, Akbarialiabad H, Wang MA, et al. (2025). Evaluation of the responsiveness of the Keratosis Pilaris Investigator Global Assessment Score (KP-IGA) and composite KP Area Index (KPAI). British Journal of Dermatology, 193,556–558.
- Akbarialiabad H, Jamshidi P, Callen JP, Murrell DF (2025). Dermatologic manifestations of hereditary hemochromatosis: A systematic review. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 39,976–986.
- Akbarialiabad H, Leachman SA, Taghrir MH, et al. (2026). Melanoma in the United States, 2010–2021: national trends and state-level patterns. Archives of Dermatological Research, 318.
- Akbarialiabad H, Taghrir MH, Abdollahi A, et al. (2021). Long COVID, a comprehensive systematic scoping review. Infection, 49,1163–1186.
- Brauer M et al. (2024). Global burden and strength of evidence for 88 risk factors in 204 countries and 811 subnational locations, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. The Lancet, 403,2162–2203.
- Steinmetz JD et al. (2024). Global, regional, and national burden of disorders affecting the nervous system, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. The Lancet Neurology, 23,344–381.
- Naghavi M et al. (2024). Global burden of 288 causes of death and life expectancy decomposition in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. The Lancet, 403,2100–2132.
- Bhattacharjee NV et al. (2024). Global fertility in 204 countries and territories, 1950–2021, with forecasts to 2100: a comprehensive demographic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. The Lancet, 403,2057–2099.
- Gardner WM et al. (2023). Prevalence, years lived with disability, and trends in anaemia burden by severity and cause, 1990–2021: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. The Lancet Haematology, 10,e713–e734.
- Naghavi M et al. (2025). Global burden of 292 causes of death in 204 countries and territories and 660 subnational locations, 1990–2023: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023. The Lancet, 406,1811–1872.
- Schumacher AE et al. (2025). Global age-sex-specific all-cause mortality and life expectancy estimates for 204 countries and territories and 660 subnational locations, 1950–2023: a demographic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023. The Lancet, 406,1731–1810.
- Hay SI et al. (2025). Burden of 375 diseases and injuries, risk-attributable burden of 88 risk factors, and healthy life expectancy in 204 countries and territories, including 660 subnational locations, 1990–2023: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023. The Lancet, 406,1873–1922.
- Arndt MB et al. (2024). Global, regional, and national progress towards the 2030 global nutrition targets and forecasts to 2050: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. The Lancet, 404,2543–2583.
- Micah AE et al. (2023). Global investments in pandemic preparedness and COVID-19: development assistance and domestic spending on health between 1990 and 2026. The Lancet Global Health, 11,e385–e413.
Please see the Publications section for the full publication list.
My Research Supervision
Supervision keywords
Areas of supervision
- Dermatology and clinical trials
- Digital twins and artificial intelligence in medicine
- Digital medicine
- Global health
- Space and extreme-environment medicine
Currently supervising
- Vitiligo
- Keratosis pilaris
- Dermatology clinical trials
My Teaching
My teaching interests include general medicine, medical education and effective mentor–mentee relationships. I contribute to mentorship and online medical education for students in underserved settings.
Publications
ORCID as entered in ROS
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2018-6378