About Us

Dr. Kamran Khan

Founder & CEO

Kamran is a practicing infectious disease physician and an Associate Professor of Medicine with the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Toronto. After completing his training in infectious diseases, preventive medicine, and public health at Cornell, Columbia, and Harvard, he returned to Toronto just before SARS crippled the city during the 2003 outbreak. Deeply motivated by this event, Kamran has dedicated his career to finding solutions that help the world better prepare for and respond to tomorrow’s infectious disease threats.

Lindsay Bryson

VP, Business Strategy & Ops.

Lindsay is passionate about growing companies that have a life changing impact on their customers, and has a broad range of experience working across both the private and public sectors. Prior to joining BlueDot, Lindsay managed a leading Microsoft partner's marketing efforts in London, oversaw the Clinton Health Access Initiative's malaria programs across East Africa, and led Fenix International's Customer Experience division in Uganda. Lindsay holds a Bachelor's degree in Arts (Honours) in Political Science & International Development from Queen's University, and a certificate in Marketing from the London School of Marketing.

Kevin Palmer

VP, Finance

An innovative and accomplished Senior Financial Executive with over 25 years of solid Canadian, US, and international experience in a variety of roles and organizations. Demonstrated success in business planning and analysis, effective financial control, strategic focus, system integrations and conversions, statutory and management reporting, treasury, and tax. Kevin is also involved in education having taught finance courses in-class since 2009, including both undergraduate and continuing education. Kevin is a CPA, CA, MBA.

Mike Chmura

VP, Technology

Mike served as Senior Director at Fio Corporation focusing on diagnosing and managing infectious diseases using machine learning and cloud computing technologies.

Earlier at Merge, now a part of IBM, Mike worked on advanced PACS systems - medical software used by radiologists around the world.

Mike's passion is leading talented software professionals to their personal best and to team excellence while working on a socially sustainable projects.

Mike holds a bachelor degree in Electrical Engineering from AGH University of Science and Technology. He has authored and coauthored several patents.

Dr. Jim S.C. Tom

Strategic Advisor

Jim is deeply interested in the use of data for better decision-making, especially in health. He has held executive roles in public and private sectors, including the role of Chief Information Officer. He holds a Ph.D. in Engineering-Economic Systems from Stanford, Master's of Engineering in Systems Engineering from Carleton and a Bachelor's of Science in Physics from UBC.

James Yoon

Director, Design

James leads the product and data visualization design team in setting the design strategy and architecting user-centric solutions. Prior to BlueDot, he led design teams in public and private sectors, and lectured sessionally at OCAD University. He holds a Master’s degree in Knowledge Media Design from the University of Toronto, and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Combinatorics & Optimization from the University of Waterloo.

Tom Wang

Director, Development

Tom leads the software development team and has over 10 years of experience in Geographical Information System (GIS) server implementation, relational database design, web programming and application/system architecture development. Tom has a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering and a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science.

Dr. Isaac Bogoch

Associate Director of Insights

Isaac is an infectious disease physician with training in tropical medicine and global health. Dr. Bogoch completed his training in infectious diseases at the Harvard Medical School, holds a Master's degree in clinical epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health, and trained in tropical medicine at the Gorgas Memorial Institute and Instituto de Medicina Tropical in Lima, Peru. His clinical practice is based at the Toronto General Hospital and he is an Assistant Professor of Medicine with the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Alexander Watts

Associate Director of Insights

Alexander Watts is an infectious disease ecologist specializing in landscape ecology and spatial epidemiology. This quantitative background is applied to BlueDot’s zoonotic and vector-borne disease research strategies, environmental modeling efforts, disease mapping, and surveillance. Alexander holds a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto Department of Ecology and Evolution and an Master’s degree in Science from the University of Calgary in the departments of Geography and Veterinary Medicine.

Robb Gilbert

Director, People & Culture

Robb is driven by an empathetic need to understand what motivates and engages people. He has made a career of creating meaningful experiences that foster happiness by focusing on the human connection, instead of enforcing policy. Prior to BlueDot, Robb led teams to success in fast-paced and evolving organizations such as Klick, Randstad, and Ernst & Young. While he has completed HRPA courses, the bulk of his learning has come through experiences. Robb has started and operated multiple profitable small businesses.

Kyle McInnes

Product Management

Kyle is a seasoned entrepreneur and Product Manager at BlueDot. Previously, he founded an app and game development shop and has been a product manager, overseeing the launch over a dozen mobile and web apps for clients including Mattel, Teknion, Telus, Park’N Fly and GSN Games. Kyle holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce (Honours) from the University of Ottawa and is passionate about how new technologies are shaping our world.

Jennifer Miniota

Client Management

Jennifer holds a Master's degree in epidemiology and manages BlueDot’s international clients and partners, including the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Prior to BlueDot, she worked on the BioDiaspora academic research program at St. Michael's Hospital for six years coordinating research activities for government and academic stakeholders and before that spent 10 years in the private sector specializing in technology and license management.

Matthew German

Client Management

Matthew has a diverse background in molecular and epidemiological infectious disease research with on the ground experience in the Canadian Arctic and abroad. He holds a Master's degree in Molecular Immunology and Virology from McGill University and a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Microbiology.

Ali Hanif

Business Growth

Ali is a firm believer in the value of creating unique customer experiences by using design thinking and a humanistic approach to sales. At BlueDot he is tasked with leading sales and business development activities in the public and private sector.

Ali has worked in enterprise sales for over 12 years with companies like the Royal Bank of Canada, Bank of Montreal and Thomson Reuters. Prior to joining BlueDot, Ali was the founder of Hanali, a boutique consulting firm focussed on scaling up sales teams.

John Shahidi

Strategy & Growth

John is interested in the process of business building and delivering outsized results. He is passionate about sustainable business, early stage growth, and data-driven decision making. He has experience both as a founder and as an M&A banker. Before joining BlueDot, John co-founded a social impact consumer technology company in New York. Prior to that, John was an investment banker in New York where he advised companies on M&A transactions and capital raising. John graduated from the University of Western Ontario where he studied finance.

Carmen Huber

Insights

Carmen is a Spatial Analyst with experience in health geography, spatial decision support, and spatial statistics. At BlueDot, she leverages GIS to provide insights to decision makers on topics such as resource allocation and emergency response to infectious disease. Carmen holds a Master’s degree in Spatial Analysis from Ryerson University.

Kieran Petrasek

Insights

Kieran is a geospatial data analyst specializing in ecological determinants of health, environmental data, and urban systems. At BlueDot, he works on modelling and mapping data relevant to zoonotic and vector-borne infectious diseases. Kieran holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environment and Geographic Information Systems from McGill University.

Deepit Bhatia

Insights

Deepit is an epidemiologist and project coordinator at BlueDot. Previously, he worked on population health studies as an analyst at the Institute of Clinical Evaluative Sciences. He also has field experience in TB research in India. Deepit has a Bachelor's degree in Science from McGill University, where he studied the ecological determinants of health, and a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from the University of Toronto.

Dr. Andrea Thomas

Insights

Dr. Andrea Thomas is a veterinary epidemiologist with experience in quantitative and spatial epidemiology. She has previously worked on projects involving evaluation of West Nile virus surveillance in Ontario and enhanced surveillance for livestock disease detection. Andrea’s expertise in the domains of zoonoses and animal population health, and her quantitative and spatial analytic skills support the BlueDot Analytics, Data Engineering and Development teams. Andrea holds a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree and a Masters in Epidemiology from the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph, and is currently a PhD Candidate in Epidemiology within the department of Population Medicine at the Ontario Veterinary College.

Dr. Ashleigh Tuite

Insights

Ashleigh is an epidemiologist with extensive experience modeling infectious diseases of public health importance. In her role at BlueDot, she supports the development of models for infectious disease risk assessment, prediction, and surveillance. She holds an MSc from McGill University, an MPH and PhD from the University of Toronto, and recently completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Harvard University.

Basam Ahmad

Development

Basam is a software architect and developer with over 15 years of experience in programming and GIS technologies. He architected, developed, supported and maintained successful applications in many sectors including finance, medicine, and academia. Basam holds a Master’s degree in Information Technology from Abertay University and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science.

Vivian Hu

Development

Vivian holds a Master's degree in Spatial Analysis from Ryerson and a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from York. She curates, manages and analyzes BlueDot’s many large datasets.

Rahnuma Kazi

Development

Rahnuma is a programmer with experience in software analysis, design and development covering both desktop and mobile application environments. Rahnuma received her Master’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Saskatchewan.

Anson Liang

Development

Anson is a developer that specializes in web development and GIS technologies. Prior to BlueDot, he created various applications for both public and insurance sectors. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Geomatics from the University of Waterloo and is currently working towards a Master’s degree in Spatial Analysis from Ryerson University.

Shermay Young

Development

Shermay is a full stack developer that has an interest in functional designs, and the interactions between users and technology. Shermay holds a Bachelor's degree in Geomatics with a minor in Computer Science from the University of Waterloo.

Jikun Jessica Li

Development

Jessica is QA analyst with 10 years of experiences in software testing. Prior to BlueDot, she worked at Oracle and Scotiabank. Jessica has a Master’s degree in Management Information System.

Norman Sun

Development

Norman is QA analyst with much experience in software testing. Prior to BlueDot, he worked as Sr. QA at Deloitte and Scotiabank. Norman has a Bachelor’s degree in industrial automation.

Jennifer Zhang

Design

Jennifer is a visual and interaction designer with an interest in empathizing with users’ emotions and behaviours. Coming from a traditional graphic design background, she has had previous experience working on a range of branding, print, campaign, and product material at various agencies. She holds a Bachelor of Design (Honours) from the York/Sheridan Joint Program in Design.

Meghan Yabsley

Design

Meghan is a user experience designer, who enjoys developing holistic solutions to problems, while maintaining an eye for detail throughout the process. She brings a variety of product design experience from ogranizations both locally and in the US. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Systems Design Engineering from the University of Waterloo. When not designing, you can find her baking for the office while pursuing a certificate in Culinary Arts.

Adriano Nicolucci

Data Services

Adriano has deep expertise in geodatabase design, web-GIS development, and the consumption, analysis of and visualization of data services through satellite data. He holds a Master's degree in Spatial Analysis from Ryerson University.

Sonya Karamchandani

Data Services

Sonya is a data engineer with strong GIS expertise. She specializes in geoprocessing workflows for visualization, analysis and data warehousing. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Geographic Analysis and is pursuing a certification in Data Analytics, Big Data, and Predictive Analytics, both at Ryerson University.

Jaimie Johns

Data Services

Jaimie is a GIS Analyst with experience in health geography, advanced GIS techniques, and spatial decision analysis. At BlueDot, she provides daily geoprocessing support and database maintenance. She holds a Bachelor’s degree with honours in Geographic Analysis from Ryerson University.

Dr. Greg Hines

Data Services

Greg is a data scientist at BlueDot. He works on using machine learning to help predict epidemic outbreaks and to improve surveillance of existing outbreaks. He previously worked as a data scientist at RBC and the University of Oxford. His dream job is one which helps makes the world a better place, with challenging problems and a diverse group of interesting coworkers. So basically, BlueDot. He has PhD in Computer Science from the University of Waterloo.

Jack Forsyth

Data Services

Jack is a data engineer with a strong understanding of spatial data. He applies his interests in GIS and programming at BlueDot by developing custom processes to add meaning to complex data sets and automate the flow of data into the company's products. Jack holds a Bachelor's degree in Geography and Environmental Management from the University of Waterloo, specializing in geomatics.

Yuriy Czoli

Data Services

Yuriy is a data engineer with experience in data modeling, full stack software development, and open source GIS. At BlueDot, he works on automated data workflows and database maintenance. Yuriy holds a Bachelor's degree in Urban Studies from the University of Toronto along with a certificate as a GIS Applications Specialist from Fleming College.

Dr. Hernan Acosta

Clinical Medicine

Hernan is a physician specialized in Internal Medicine. He brings clinical and public health expertise to a wide range of BlueDot activities, including building up the organization's knowledge foundations and consulting on various research and development projects. Hernan finished his training in Internal Medicine at the Hospital Universitario de Maracaibo and La Universidad Del Zulia in Venezuela.

Dr. Mariana Portillo

Clinical Medicine

Mariana is a physician with Pediatric specialization and Masters Degrees on Clinical and Research in Infectious Diseases. She brings her clinical and research expertise in Surveillance activities at BlueDot. She recently finished an Infectious Diseases Fellowship at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada.

Dr. Rahim Moineddin

Sr. Modelling Consultant

Rahim is a senior biostatistician and Associate Professor at the University of Toronto with deep expertise in spatiotemporal statistical modelling and predictive analytics. Rahim holds a Ph.D. in Statistics and a Master's degree in Biostatistics from the University of Toronto.

Dr. Steve Hockema

Sr. Technology Consultant

Stephen (Steve) is currently a Senior Technology Consultant with BlueDot. In the past, he led the Data Services team and was responsible for technical strategy from 2015 into 2017.

Steve has over 25 years of industry and academic experience in related technical fields.

Steve holds a joint Ph.D. in Computer and Cognitive Science from Indiana University and Master's and Bachelor's degrees in Computer and Electrical Engineering from Purdue University. His academic research was in the areas of Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing and Cognitive Modelling.

Michael MacDonald

Information Technology

Michael has 15 years of experience in a leadership role in GIS, IT Systems and Computer Networking at Ryerson University. He enhances the workflow and capabilities of the BlueDot team by providing GIS and IT infrastructure and exploring new technologies. He holds a Master’s degree in Spatial Analysis from the University of Toronto and Ryerson University.

Beatrice Bernard

Administration

Beatrice provides administrative coordination for day-to-day operations to the team. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Human Resources and Economics from the University of Toronto.

Dr. Susan P. Bustos

Grant Funding

Susan is a grant writer and is responsible for research strategy. Susan was a contract editor specializing in academic manuscripts and grant applications following a postdoctoral fellowship at the Structural Genomics Consortium. She holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor's of Science in Applied Chemistry and Biology from Ryerson University.