Abdullah Al Maruf, PhD, MPharm, BPharm

Research achievements

Research summary

The Pharmacogenomics Knowledge to Action - PGxK2A Lab, led by Dr. Abdullah Al Maruf, advances precision medicine through clinical pharmacogenomics, psychiatric pharmacoepidemiology, and implementation science. Our research spans the translational spectrum, from discovering how genomic variation influences medication response to generating real-world evidence on medication use and health outcomes, and ultimately advancing the implementation of precision medicine in routine clinical practice.

Our mission is to generate evidence that enables safer, more effective, and more equitable medication use across diverse populations. Working collaboratively with patients, public partners, healthcare practitioners, researchers, health system leaders, and policymakers, we design and evaluate innovative approaches to implementing precision medicine in real-world settings. We are equally committed to training the next generation of researchers and healthcare professionals by fostering a collaborative, inclusive, and mentorship-driven research environment.

Research Themes:

• Clinical Pharmacogenomics and Precision Therapeutics: Understanding how genomic variation influences medication response, safety, and treatment outcomes to advance precision therapeutics across diverse populations.
• Psychiatric Pharmacoepidemiology and Real-World Evidence: Using real-world clinical and population-based data to evaluate medication use, adherence, effectiveness, safety, and healthcare outcomes, generating evidence that informs precision prescribing, healthcare delivery, and health policy.
• Implementation Science and Health System Transformation: Accelerating the integration of evidence-based precision medicine into healthcare through implementation science, knowledge mobilization, patient and health system partnerships, policy development, and workforce education.

Research groups

• Principal investigator, Maruf Lab

Research affiliations

• Associate member and adjunct assistant professor, The Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research & Education, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary 

Keywords

• Clinical pharmacy and pharmacology
• Implementation science
• Innovative pharmacy education
• Knowledge translation
• Pharmacogenomics
• Pharmacovigilance
• Precision medicine
• Precision public health

Teaching philosophy

As a first-generation academic, Dr. Maruf upholds a strong appreciation for supporting justice, equity, diversity, and inclusiveness in his personal and professional life. He strongly emphasizes student mentorship and profoundly cares about their success in and out of academia.

Dr. Maruf has a strong commitment to pharmacy education. His teaching philosophy involves these core elements (C-3PO):

• C = Change agent (transformation through innovation, collaboration, and leadership) 
• P = Personalized teaching (effective feedback and accessibility)
• P = Positive reinforcement (connecting contents with practice)
• P = Passionate about teaching (passion for professional competency)
• O = Organized (organized and interactive lectures)