Dr. Nora A. Althumiri

Professional summary

Public health and research leader with over 15 years of experience spanning epidemiology, clinical research, data science, and regulatory policy across Saudi Arabia and the USA. Founder and CEO of Informed Decision Making (IDM) and ZDataCloud®, delivering data-driven solutions that transform healthcare operations and decision-making. A record of national health research, surveillance systems, and policy development, with 60+ peer-reviewed publications (h-index 14; 1,000+ citations).

Professional experience

1. Nov 2021 — Present

   Founder & Chief Executive Officer

   Informed Decision Making (IDM) · Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
   • Founded and scaled IDM as a Saudi research-driven R&D organization specializing in engineering decision systems that turn complexity into measurable operational intelligence, aligned with national transformation agendas.
   • Designed an end-to-end value chain from data to decision: maturity assessment, a governed high-quality data foundation, predictive modeling and simulation, then interactive decision systems embedded in leadership workflows.
   • Built a portfolio of 12 consulting services spanning data and AI maturity, AI agent development, enterprise data governance and management, custom prediction algorithms, regulatory impact analysis, research execution, simulation models, and science communication.
   • Developed proprietary decision-support products — interactive dashboards, the Model Simulator, and ZDataCloud® — and launched IDM Personal Intelligence (12 scientific assessments, 17+ simulators in Arabic and English), publishing knowledge through store.idm.sa.
2. Nov 2021 — Present

   Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer

   ZDataCloud® · Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
   • Built zDataCloud® as a cloud research data-collection platform consolidating core research designs — cross-sectional, cohort, and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) — into a single system, developed with health and social science researchers and statisticians.
   • Engineered a scientific sampling engine supporting quota and stratified sampling, participant eligibility testing against inclusion criteria, conditional questioning, and coded analysis-ready outputs with an auto-generated codebook for SPSS and SAS.
   • Scaled the platform to a multidisciplinary user base with full multilingual support, a tiered annual subscription model, and white-label licensing for universities and research centers — enabling rigorous, scalable studies across Saudi Arabia and the region.
3. Feb 2020 — Sep 2024

   Founder & Executive Director

   Sharik Association for Research and Studies · Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
   • Founded Sharik Association for Research and Studies as a national not-for-profit that activates public participation in scientific research, develops national research databases, and delivers research projects for public and private sector partners.
   • Launched national health surveillance systems adopted by health authorities — notably the Saudi Arabia Mental Health Surveillance System (MHSS) and the "Sharik" Health Indicators Surveillance System — plus national studies on tobacco, nutrition, physical activity, health literacy, and adverse drug reactions.
   • Institutionalised governance, transparency, and accountability as core values; secured multi-year financial sustainability through partnerships and grants; and built national research capacity with findings published in peer-reviewed journals.
4. Apr 2021 — Apr 2022

   Advisor to the Chief Executive Officer

   Pharmaceutical Industries Association · Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
5. Sep 2017 — Feb 2020

   Head of Data Collection and Management

   Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) · Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
   • Directed data collection and governance operations across regulatory projects.
   • Designed national health surveillance methodologies to support policy evaluation and compliance.
   • Improved data quality and accessibility via robust documentation and governance processes.
6. Jan 2015 — Aug 2017

   Senior Clinical Researcher

   Brooklyn Hospital · New York, USA
   • Led clinical trials and epidemiological studies with academic and hospital partners.
   • Supervised statistical modeling and protocol compliance across multi-site projects.
   • Produced peer-reviewed publications and contributed to NIH-funded initiatives.
7. Sep 2014 — Dec 2015

   Clinical Researcher — Sickle Cell Disease

   Children's Health Center at Children's Sheikh Zayed Campus · Washington, DC, USA
   • Conducted advanced analyses for pediatric and adolescent sickle cell disease studies.
   • Developed predictive models for health outcomes to inform clinical guidelines.
   • Collaborated with multidisciplinary teams on cross-institutional projects.
8. Jan 2012 — Dec 2013

   Public Health Researcher & Consultant to the Mayor

   Department of General Services, Washington, DC Government · Washington, DC, USA
   • Consulted for the Mayor's Office on public health research and urban health initiatives.
   • Led large-scale health assessments and policy evaluations to inform decisions.
   • Contributed to citywide programs in population health, nutrition, and wellness.

Education

Awards & recognition

• SABIC Award for Mental Health (2021)
• Co-Principal Investigator for major funded projects, including a KACST COVID-19 grant

Core competencies

• Epidemiology, public health surveillance, behavioral sciences, and health policy research
• Research methodology design: randomized controlled trials (RCTs), quasi-experimental, and mixed methods
• Advanced statistical analysis in SPSS, SAS, R, and Six Sigma approaches
• Predictive modeling and AI applications in health research
• Health data governance, data quality assurance, and compliance
• Operational and performance research: dashboards and decision-support reporting
• Clinical research support: protocol development, monitoring, and evaluation
• Executive leadership, stakeholder engagement, and cross-sector collaboration

Leadership development & training

• Leading for ResultsINSEAD Business School
• Women Entrepreneurship FellowshipGeorgetown University
• Business StrategyCornell University
• Research on Therapeutic Interventions: Protocol PreparationOxford University
• Mini MBAManagement Centre Europe
• Making Evidence-Based Strategic DecisionsUniversity of Maryland
• Empowering Saudi Women Scholarship ProgramKAUST & Austin University (Texas)
• Sustainable Management Diploma; Innovation Management DiplomaIBMI

Memberships & board roles

• Steering Committee Member — Population HealthCouncil of Health Insurance Oct 2023 — Present
• Board Member — Consumer Beneficiary CommitteeCouncil of Health Insurance Dec 2021 — Present
• Chair — National Ethics CommitteeNational Center for Social Studies Jul 2021 — Present
• Board Member — Scientific CommitteeSFDA Annual Conference 2017 — 2019