Farhaan Vahidy, PhD, MBBS, MPH, FAHA, NEW Associate Vice President for Research at TIRR Memorial Hermann

Farhaan Vahidy, PhD, MBBS, MPH FAHA will be responsible for establishing the strategic plan for clinical research at TIRR Memorial Hermann to achieve objectives of national prominence and improved outcomes for people with disabilities. He will have a keen focus on employee engagement as well as growth and diversification of research funding sources. In addition, Farhaan will advise on matters related to research and assist with investigator development and recruitment. He will work with the Memorial Hermann Foundation team to assist with fundraising to strengthen our rehabilitation research programs while enhancing collaboration within and outside of TIRR as we further our goal to be a learning organization.

Farhaan graduated from Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad, Pakistan with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery. He has an MPH in Epidemiology, Biostatistics from the University of Health Sciences in Lahore, Pakistan and a PhD in Epidemiology, Biostatistics from McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. He also completed a Fellowship in Clinical Research at Harvard Medical School.

Prior to accepting this position, he served as Associate Professor in the Department of Population Health Services at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York. At Houston Methodist, he held the inaugural Centennial Endowed Directorship in Quality & Outcomes, was an Associate Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery, Director of the Center for Neuroinformatics and Outcomes Research, and Co-Director of the Center for Health Data Science and Analytics. He also was Associate Professor in the Houston Methodist Neurological Institute and the Houston Methodist Academic Institute.

Farhaan has a unique blend of clinical care experience, research methodological and technological expertise, and leadership in development of learning healthcare systems. Additionally, he is passionate about development and mentorship of junior investigators. In his previous positions he has built and led diverse and multi-disciplinary teams of several doctoral-level outcomes and data scientists, PhD neuro-scientists, neuro-imaging researchers, clinical trial managers, doctoral and masters-prepared research coordinators to create impactful change in outcomes for patients with stroke and cerebrovascular disease. His leadership has enabled healthcare institutions to leverage big-data and develop advanced bioinformatics pipelines utilizing machine learning and artificial intelligence. 

From 2010-2019, Farhaan worked in various capacities at University of Texas Health Science Center and the Memorial Hermann Health System. Those roles include Associate Professor (Tenure Track) in the Department of Neurology, Associate Professor (Tenure Track), Biostatistics Research, Division Chief in the Division of Population Health and Health Services Research within the Department of Neurology, and System Lead for the Joint Commission Evaluation of Comprehensive Stroke Center at Memorial Hermann. Prior to that, his experience includes working as a primary care and ER physician for the Royal Saudi Naval Forces in Saudi Arabia and as a Senior Medical Officer in Pakistan.

Farhaan has authored and/or co-authored over 100+ peer-reviewed publications in leading medical journals on numerous topics including cerebrovascular disease, stroke, population health, disparities, and COVID-19. He has also been the recipient of multiple NIH, foundation and industry-funded grants. His committee work is extensive, including serving as a Committee Member and Clinical Research Mentor for NIH StrokeNet’s Education Core, as a reviewer for American Heart Association’s Scientific Abstracts and Grants, and Chair/Co-Chair/Reviewer for the American Academy of Neurology. He serves on the editorial board of American Academy of Neurology’s flagship Journal Neurology® and is an Associate Editor for Frontiers in Neurology.