Dr Muhammad Imran Omar

Biography

Dr. Muhammad Imran Omar is a qualified medical doctor with extensive expertise in evidence synthesis, real-world evidence, and urology research, contributing to improvements in healthcare practice and policy globally. He earned his M.B.,B.S. degree from Dow Medical College (1993-1998) and is certified as a Physician by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG), USA, after successfully completing the United States Medical Licensing Exams (USMLE Step 1, USMLE Step 2, and Clinical Skills Assessment exam).

Dr. Omar holds dual master’s degrees: a Master’s in Health Services and Public Health Research from the University of Aberdeen (2009) and a Master’s in Medical Education from the University of Dundee (2012). He is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA), UK and is registered with the General Medical Council (GMC), UK.

He served as Managing Editor for Cochrane Incontinence Group for nearly five years and currently holds several prominent roles within the European Association of Urology (EAU), including Vice-Chair of the Guidelines Office Methods Committee and member of the EAU non-neurogenic female Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (LUTS) panel.

Dr. Omar is an active member of various influential networks affiliated with the GRADE Working Group, Cochrane Bias Methods Group, Cochrane Trainers’ Network, Cochrane Statistical Network, and Cochrane Consumer Network. He also serves as an Editor for Cochrane Urology.

Dr. Omar’s research in evidence synthesis, real-world evidence, and urology has attracted extensive media attention and recognition. His work has been featured by Reuters, BBC Scotland, Daily Mail UK, The Telegraph, EveryDay Health, and Yahoo News. As a recognized expert, he has appeared on BBC Scotland’s The Nine, BBC Scotland News, BBC Radio, their website, and social media platforms, highlighting his research's practical relevance and public impact.

Prizes and Awards

Dr. Muhammad Imran Omar’s research projects have received several prestigious awards and recognitions for their excellence and impact in evidence synthesis, real-world evidence, and urology research. His contributions have been consistently acknowledged by esteemed organizations worldwide. Some of the recent awards are mentioned below:

• Best in Category Prize: Urethra Male/Female – International Continence Society (October 2024)

• Best in Category Prize: Continence Care Products/Devices/Technologies (Clinical) – International Continence Society (October 2024)

• Best Presentation of Discussed Poster: RCT Comparing Clinical and Cost Effectiveness of Catheter Washout Policies – RCOG World Congress (October 2024)

• Certificate of Most Cited Article: Awarded by BJUI for Cochrane network meta-analysis on minimally invasive treatments for benign prostatic hyperplasia (July 2024)

• Best in Category Prize: Prostate Clinical/Surgical – International Continence Society (September 2023)

• Best in Category Prize: Prevention and Public Health – International Continence Society (October 2021)

• Award for New Investigators (Sponsored by Ferring International) – International Continence Society (August 2013)

These awards reflect the high quality and impact of Dr. Omar’s research projects, which continue to contribute to advancing clinical practice guidelines and improving patient care globally.

Research Overview

Dr. Muhammad Imran Omar is a highly respected researcher specializing in evidence synthesis, real-world evidence, and urology research. His work, recognized by esteemed organizations such as the European Association of Urology (EAU), the Société Internationale d'Urologie (SIU), and Cochrane, has made substantial contributions to global urology practice, policy, and research methodologies.

With more than 250 publications to his name, Dr. Omar has established a consistent record of high-quality, impactful research addressing critical challenges in urology. His commitment to advancing evidence-based healthcare is reflected in the breadth and quality of his research outputs, which continue to attract international attention and citations.

Dr. Omar has been instrumental in several high-profile international research projects that combine evidence synthesis, real-world data, and innovative methodologies to improve clinical practice guidelines and patient outcomes.

Funding and Grants

OPTIMA (Optimal Treatment for Patients with Solid Tumours in Europe Through Artificial Intelligence) is a €21.3 million, Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 (IMI2) funded research programme involving 36 partners across 13 countries. The project aims to develop the first interoperable, GDPR-compliant real-world oncology data and evidence generation platform to enhance care for prostate, breast, and lung cancers through AI-driven tools and evidence-based guidelines.

As the University of Aberdeen Lead for the OPTIMA Project, Dr Omar is leading several key tasks, including:

• Task 3.1: Identifying and prioritising critical research questions for prostate, breast, and lung cancer pathways.

• Task 3.2: Developing representative case studies to enhance AI decision-support tools.

• Task 3.3: Prioritising clinical practice guidelines and recommendations for AI model integration.

PIONEER is a €12 million, Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) funded, five-year project aimed at improving prostate cancer care through real-world data analytics. This multinational initiative involves 37 stakeholders from nine countries, working collaboratively to enhance health system efficiency and patient outcomes across Europe. I lead several key tasks for the PIONEER project:

• Systematic Reviews: Lead the EAU Associates team to conduct several systematic reviews.

• Knowledge Gap Identification: Managing a dedicated team of researchers to identify critical knowledge gaps in prostate cancer research to guide future studies and clinical practice improvements.

• Grampian Electronic Health Record Project: Lead a team to map data from 35,000 patients.

• Preparing a PIONEER case study for the next Research Excellence Framework (REF) submission to demonstrate impact.

Teaching Responsibilities

Dr. Muhammad Imran Omar is an accomplished educator with over twenty-five years of teaching experience across England, Scotland, Saint Lucia, and Pakistan. As a Fellow of Advance HE (UK) with a Master’s degree in Medical Education from the University of Dundee, he has made substantial contributions to teaching, curriculum design, supervision, and capacity building for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

Since 2011, Dr. Omar has served as the official Cochrane trainer, co-authoring influential publications and book chapters on evidence-based medicine and guideline development.

Dr. Omar has supervised over 40 students, including Masters Research Project candidates, many of whom have published, presented internationally, or received awards, such as the Elizabeth Russell Prize and Remmes & Martin Prize in 2024. Dr. Omar contributes to several courses such as Global Health and Humanities (ME33GH), Evidence-Based Health (PU5031), and Global Health (PU5505).

In addition to his role at the University of Aberdeen, Dr. Omar contributes to external institutions, including the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, where he updates curricula, sets exams, and integrates decolonising principles for inclusivity.

Dr. Omar is also known for organizing high-impact workshops and training sessions, including online and in-person evidence synthesis courses that have trained over 200 urologists and panel members.

His commitment to innovative teaching methods, mentorship, and curriculum development continues to contribute to educational excellence and healthcare research worldwide.

Non-course Teaching Responsibilities

External Examiner

Dr Omar has served as an external examiner for the University of London’s postgraduate MSc Public Health programme since 2010.

Teaching Contributions to Other Higher Education Institutions (UK and International)

Dr Omar contributes to the Master’s degree in Clinical Trials at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, where he is involved in three modules. His role spans all aspects of the curriculum, including exam setting, marking, and the revision of teaching materials. 

In 2023, Dr Omar delivered a webinar titled "Update from the Cochrane Network" for students at Medipol University, Türkiye.

In 2025, he will supervise two research students at the University of Central Lancashire.

Invited Talks and Chairing Roles

• In June 2023, Dr Omar served as a faculty member on the international webinar “Current Management of Small Renal Masses: Is There an Optimal Choice?”. His presentation, titled "Evidence-Based Medicine", was delivered to a global audience of over 15,000 via platforms including Zoom, YouTube, Weibo, OAE Live Streaming, and Research Cloud. The presentation is available here.

• During the 2023 European Association of Urology (EAU) Congress in Milan, Dr Omar co-chaired a session on Guidelines and Evidence-Based Medicine alongside Professor Maria Ribal and Professor Steve Canfield.

• On 7 June 2022, Dr Omar was invited to speak on the Impact of the EU Health Data Space as part of the European Alliance for Personalised Medicine (EAPM) Expert Panel. The panel's insights were published in a peer-reviewed article, which Dr Omar co-authored. The publication is available here.

• Dr Omar chaired an ESU course titled Update on Male Urethral Stricture and Female Stress Urinary Incontinence during the national congress of the Algerian Association of Urology on 9 December 2022.

• At the 2022 EAU Congress in Amsterdam, Dr Omar co-chaired a session focused on Evidence-Based Medicine and Education with Professor Maria Ribal and Professor Steve Canfield.

• In October 2017, Dr Omar chaired the session Assessment of Evidence-Based Medicine for Urological Practice during the 37th Congress of the Société Internationale d'Urologie in Lisbon, Portugal. The session featured faculty member Professor Faiz Mumtaz.

• In March 2015, Dr Omar delivered a talk titled How to Conduct a Cochrane Review? during the annual scientific meeting of the UK Continence Society (UKCS) in Aberdeen, UK. He co-chaired the session with Professor Charis Glazener.

• In July 2014, Dr Omar led a session titled Systematic Review Using Cochrane Methods in a Morning at the joint meeting of the American Urogynecologic Society (AUGS) and the International Urogynecological Association (IUGA) in Washington, DC, USA. He co-chaired the session with Professor Stephen Jeffery and was joined by expert speakers, including Dr Cheryl Iglesia, Dr Christopher Maher, and Dr Vivian Sung.