Emergency Medicine

Dr. Aasim Padela is an internationally-recognized thought and research leader in the fields of Muslim health disparities and Islamic Bioethics. In addition to maintaining an active clinical, research, and bioethics practice at MCW, he leads an independent non-profit organization, the Initiative on Islam and Medicine, and provides public health and bioethics consultations to international bodies and in court.

Dr. Padela holds an MD from Weill Cornell Medical College, completed residency in emergency medicine at the University of Rochester, and received an MSc in Healthcare Research from the University of Michigan. Prior to that, he received Bachelor’s degrees in Biomedical Engineering and Classical Arabic and Literature from the University of Rochester. His Islamic studies expertise comes from part-time seminary studies during secondary school, and tutorials with traditionally-trained Islamic authorities.

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Dr. Padela is a clinician-researcher with scholarly foci at the intersections of healthcare, bioethics, and religion. His scholarship aims at improving health and healthcare through better accommodating religious values in healthcare delivery. Using Muslim Americans and Islam as a model, he studies how (i) religion impacts patient health behaviors and healthcare experiences, (ii) informs the professional identities and workplace experiences of clinicians, and (iii) furnishes bioethical guidance to patients, providers, policy-makers, 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, and are funded by the John Templeton Foundation, the American Cancer Society, the Health Research and Services Administration, and the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute.

He has authored over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, 3 books, 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 and expert commentary has been featured in the New York Times, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, National Public Radio, BBC, and CNN.