Post Doc Team

Shahla Farzana is postdoctoral scholar at the Institute for Population and Precision Health (IPPH) under the Biological Sciences Division at University of Chicago. At IPPH, Shahla’s research will focus on developing, evaluating, and performance optimization of Natural Language Processing (NLP) methods including the use of Large Language Models (LLMs) on multimodal, geo-coded Electronic Health Record (EHR) data for predictive analysis of disease (specially Alzheimer’s Disease and related Dementia) factoring the social and behavioral determinants of health. I will also assess the diagnostic reasoning ability of LLMs with interpretability for the real-world clinical environments.

 A native of Bangladesh, Shahla pursued her bachelor’s degree in the department of Computer Science and Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET).  Shahla has obtained her Ph.D from the department of Computer Science, University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) in April, 2024. Her dissertation focused on Dementia detection from spoken language. She has been awarded several travel grants to attend scientific conferences and workshops funded by AnitaB.org, ACL, NSF, and other generous sponsors. Prior to joining IPPH, she worked as the Graduate Research Assistant in the Natural Language Processing (NLP) lab at UIC during her Ph.D.

Dr. Muhammad Rafiqul Islam is a distinguished medical oncologist and precision health researcher committed to advancing cancer research and improving patient outcomes, particularly in resource-constrained settings. With a Master’s degree in Precision Health from the University of Chicago and an MD in Medical Oncology, he has cultivated a career that bridges cutting-edge science, compassionate care, and organizational leadership.

Dr. Islam has been instrumental in pioneering research on circulating cell-free DNA (cf-DNA) and its role in lung cancer diagnostics in collaboration with the Institute of Public and Precision Health, University of Chicago. Additionally, his work on germline mutation studies with the Mayo Clinic has been pivotal in understanding genetic predispositions to cancer. His research highlights the importance of diversification in cancer treatment strategies. It focuses on addressing the unique vulnerabilities of female lung cancer patients through advanced machine-learning models and personalized risk assessment.

As a Fellow of the American College of Physicians (FACP) and a recognized leader in oncology, Dr. Islam played a key role in organizing the “Best of ASCO 2024” in Bangladesh, bringing global innovations in oncology to local practitioners. Over the past four years, he has also served as the coordinator of the Annual International Cancer Conference organized by the Medical Oncology Society in Bangladesh (MOSB), fostering dialogue and collaboration across the global oncology community.

Dr. Islam has received prestigious honors, including the Diversity Award, GeoHealth Award, and recognition as one of the “IDEA 2020.” His vision is to transform oncology through research, education, and advocacy, focusing on addressing the vulnerabilities of cancer patients in resource-limited regions and advancing gender-specific cancer research.