Backtosch Mustafa is a German physician and researcher at the intersection of medicine, public health, and artificial intelligence. He received his medical training at institutions in Hamburg, Beirut, and London, and gained research experience at Harvard Medical School. After working in the Department of Neurology at the Charité in Berlin, he pursued graduate studies at Harvard University on a full merit-based scholarship, focusing on AI in healthcare, while researching AI governance at Harvard Law School.

As the founder of ApplicAid, a social enterprise with over 700 volunteers, he works to increase access to scholarships. His efforts have been recognized with several prestigious awards, including the European Parliament’s European Citizen Prize, honors from the state of Hamburg and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and a spot on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list.

His contributions extend to global leadership initiatives. He was one of the youngest founding curators in the history of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers community and was named a Young Global Changer by the Global Solutions Foundation. His professional achievements have also been recognized by CAPITAL Magazine’s Top 40 under 40 and the global McKinsey Achievement Award.

His research spans molecular neurogenetics and AI in public health, with notable work on COVID-19 activity prediction featured in the New York Times.