Dr. Almaz Sharman

Biography

Dr. Almaz Sharman is an American scientist of Kazakh origin — a Doctor of Medical Sciences, professor, and expert in biomedical research, public health, and digital medicine with more than 30 years of international experience across the United States, Central Asia, and other regions of the world. His work spans fundamental and clinical science, healthcare management, the development of innovative technologies, and the implementation of large-scale reforms in the healthcare system.

Today, as Founder and CEO of Sharman Group Holding LLC, Dr. Sharman pursues a single mission: to harness the advances of science, artificial intelligence, and modern technology to help people preserve their health, prevent disease, and extend active longevity.

Digital Health & Personalized Medicine

Intelligent tools for individualized care

Central to this work is the creation of intelligent digital solutions for personalized medicine. Dr. Sharman is the author of the concept behind NutriSteppe-AI, an Agentic AI platform designed for personalized nutrition, disease prevention, and clinical decision support. Current efforts focus on applying NutriSteppe-AI to help children with autism spectrum disorders, people with chronic illnesses, and elderly patients. The platform brings together the principles of evidence-based medicine, advanced artificial-intelligence algorithms, and scientifically grounded recommendations, opening new possibilities for personalized healthcare.

At the same time, Dr. Sharman leads clinical research in therapeutic nutrition and modern approaches to the treatment of obesity, serving as National Coordinator of the international SYNCHRONIZE-CVOT study, which evaluates the efficacy of the innovative drug survodutide.

Sharman Group Holding

Three complementary directions, one mission

Under Dr. Sharman's leadership, Sharman Group brings together three complementary directions, integrating scientific research, laboratory expertise, and the production of innovative food products:

Leadership in Healthcare

Shaping the region's most ambitious projects

Dr. Sharman's professional career is closely tied to the implementation of some of the largest innovative healthcare projects in Kazakhstan.

As the founder and first CEO of the National Medical Holding, he built a network of six high-technology hospitals in Astana, secured the first Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation in the post-Soviet region for a hospital of that scale, and oversaw the first heart transplant performed in Kazakhstan.

Dr. Sharman later headed the Center for Life Sciences at Nazarbayev University, where he directed the development of biomedical research and translational medicine. Earlier, he had founded Medtronic's representative office in Kazakhstan. As Infectious Disease Advisor to the USAID Regional Mission for Central Asia, he helped the governments of five countries in the region secure more than US$60 million from the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.

As President of the Academy of Preventive Medicine of Kazakhstan and, subsequently, President of the Kazakh Academy of Nutrition, he played a direct role in developing modern national healthy-nutrition standards for schools, preschools, and healthcare institutions of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

International Scientific Work

Global research and public health

On the international stage, Dr. Sharman directed the health programs of the MEASURE DHS+ project, coordinating major demographic and health surveys of populations in Central Asia and a number of other countries, including India, Egypt, Zambia, and Mali. Within this project, he developed a methodology for population-based HIV testing that was subsequently adopted as an international standard and made it possible to significantly refine estimates of the global spread of HIV infection.

Dr. Sharman's scientific career began at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he conducted research in immunology and mucosal biology with support from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). He later taught at the School of Public Health of Johns Hopkins University.

Education & Scientific Achievements

Credentials and scholarship

Dr. Sharman graduated from the Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University, earned the degree of Candidate of Medical Sciences in Internal Medicine and Immunology at the Institute of Immunology in Moscow, and subsequently defended his doctoral dissertation (Doctor of Medical Sciences).

He completed leadership development programs at Harvard University, is Professor Emeritus of the Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University, and is a member of several international professional organizations, including the American Public Health Association (APHA). Dr. Sharman is a co-author of The Lancet Commission report "Building a Tuberculosis-Free World." The results of his research have been published in leading international scientific journals, including Nature, The Lancet, and Nutrients.

Public Education & Outreach

A leading voice for evidence-based medicine

Dr. Sharman is one of the best-known advocates of evidence-based medicine and preventive healthcare in Kazakhstan. He has produced more than 140 television programs on the national Khabar channel, where he discussed contemporary medicine with leading global experts, including CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta and the Director of the WHO Regional Office for Europe, Dr. Hans Kluge.

He writes a regular column for Tengrinews and publishes content on his own information platforms, "ALMAZnye Sovety" (Almaz's Advice) and Sharman.pro. He also serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Asyl Miras charitable foundation, which is dedicated to supporting children with autism spectrum disorders.