Syed I. Khalid, MD, is a Research Fellow in Dr. John H. Shin’s Penn Spine AiM (Artificial Intelligence and Mechanobiology) Research Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania. Khalid’s clinical interests center on complex spine surgery and spinal disorders, where he integrates advanced computational methodologies and artificial intelligence into clinical workflows to enhance patient outcomes. He is particularly focused on leveraging machine learning, Bayesian predictive modeling, and radiomics for personalized risk stratification and precision surgical planning.
Khalid has been recognized for his innovative research, earning several prestigious awards, including the SpineLine 20 Under 40 from the North American Spine Society (2024); the Donald O. Quest Award for Best Abstract at the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (2024); the Benzel Spine Surgeon-Scholar Development Award (2024); and the Kuntz Scholar Award from the AANS/CNS Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves (2023, 2024, and 2025).
He currently leads multiple research projects focused on understanding the impact of body composition, bone mineral density, and metabolic therapies on spine surgery outcomes.
Khalid earned his MD with Distinction in Research from Chicago Medical School, where he received the Rosalind Franklin University and Chicago Medical School Endowed Scholarship. He completed his BS in Neuroscience at the University of Illinois at Chicago Honors College with the highest distinction in neuroscience. He also received the Hodgkin Huxley Prize, awarded annually to the top graduate in the neuroscience major.
