Lina Shehadeh, PhD

Dr. Lina Shehadeh is Director of AI Research and Educational Innovation and a Research Professor in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

She is active in biomedical education research, with a focus on integrating compassion and cultural competence. She explores the intersection of AI with biomedical research and education, developing new ways to democratize the creation of quality educational content and collaborative learning platforms using no-code AI tools.

Her laboratory studies how microRNAs regulate atherogenesis and stem cell differentiation, drawing on her expertise in computational biology and data mining of large genomic datasets. Her team identified a microRNA that reduces serum cholesterol and atherosclerotic burden in a mouse model, and is developing targeted delivery of microRNAs using aptamer technology. She has authored 98 publications and holds patents on osteopontin-targeted and microRNA-based therapies.

She has served as an ad hoc reviewer on several NIH NHLBI study sections. Her honors include the Florida Heart Research Institute Researcher of the Year Award (2014), Stop Heart Disease Researcher of the Year Awards (2012–2014), and the International Society for Heart Research Young Investigator Award, First Place (2009).

She joins VISA-IH 2026 as a keynote speaker.