About
Hi, I’m Umair.
I’m a 3rd year PhD student in Biomedical Informatics at OHSU. Outside of research, I work with local organizations and small businesses to simplify their systems, reduce manual work, and build tools that fit how people actually operate.
What I do
Most teams do not need a huge custom platform. They need a calm, practical system that removes bottlenecks. I usually help in one of four ways:
- Workflow design: mapping how work happens today, then simplifying it so the process is consistent and easier to run.
- Automation and integrations: connecting tools so information flows automatically and repetitive tasks disappear.
- Custom internal tools: building lightweight apps and dashboards when the last mile requires something tailored.
- Data and reporting: cleaning up messy data and producing reporting that answers real business questions.
How I work
My default approach is to start simple and build only what is necessary. If an off-the-shelf tool can solve it well, we use it. If it cannot, I build a focused solution with clear boundaries so it is easy to maintain.
1. Discovery
Understand the workflow
2. Build sprint
Ship the highest leverage fix
3. Handoff
Document and support
Why informatics helps here
Biomedical informatics is basically applied systems thinking: how data, tools, and people interact in complex environments. A small business is smaller than a hospital, but the same issues show up: unclear processes, inconsistent data, and tools that do not communicate. I like turning that complexity into something clean and reliable.
Tools I often use
The exact stack depends on what your team already uses. I try to keep changes minimal and adoption realistic.
- Google Workspace and Google APIs
- Airtable or lightweight databases
- Automation tools (Zapier, Make)
- Dashboards and internal tools
- Custom scripts and integrations
- Documentation systems and wikis
Want to work together?
If you tell me what is slowing your team down, I can suggest the simplest next step. Sometimes it is a quick automation. Sometimes it is a small internal tool. Either way, you should leave with clarity.