Kartik Sharma

Kartik graduated from McMaster University’s Honours Bachelor Arts and Science program with a minor in Economics. While at McMaster, Kartik was awarded the McCall MacBain International Fellowship, and through the McMaster Health Forum, Kartik was awarded the Forum Fellowship and was a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship (QES) in Strengthening Health and Social Systems. As a Community Advisor at McMaster, Kartik supported students as they transitioned to university where he gained an appreciation for the mental health challenges students face. He also supported the outreach initiatives of a local environmental organization. Through the Forum Fellowship, Kartik learned how strong health and social systems can complement one another and reduce disparities between populations. Through QES, Kartik travelled to South Africa and engaged in an internship split between the Africa Centre for Evidence (ACE) and the South African government’s Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME).

Kartik’s work throughout his McMaster career directly contributed to strengthening health and social systems and supporting decision-making that has contributed to improving the health and well-being of Canadians. At the McMaster Health Forum, Kartik has co-authored over 40 contextualized evidence syntheses (including evidence briefs, rapid evidence profiles and rapid syntheses), helping to inform advisory and decision-making processes that span municipal, provincial and federal government departments and agencies. Key components of this work has also been made available in consumer-friendly language to help support citizens (including patients, caregivers and members of the public in general) make informed decisions in their everyday lives. His contributions during the COVID-19 pandemic working with the COVID-19 Evidence Network to support Decision-making (COVID-END) helped shape real-time responses to the pandemic as issues emerged, and he also compiled lessons learned as the pandemic waned about successes and failures to help inform the efforts of the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada to strengthen their response in the face of future challenges. Additionally, Kartik supported the many methodological and technical aspects underpinning the efforts of the Global Commission on Evidence to Address Societal Challenges which advanced the use of research evidence both in routine times and in global crises. 

As a member of the Chief Science Advisor of Canada’s Youth Council, Kartik has advocated for an approach to science and science policy that takes into consideration the interests of future generations of Canadians—a constituency that lacks representation but is bound to be impacted by the decisions we make every day. Kartik is contributing to a report that is intended to capture the perspectives of Canadian youth on AI, in which he is emphasizing the importance of ethics and societal values for shaping the future of AI development. Kartik has also helped produce a podcast that is intended to inform societal conversations about how nuclear fusion energy can advance the energy transition and help fight climate change.

After leaving McMaster, Kartik graduated from the University of British Columbia’s Master of Science in Population and Public Health program with a concentration in Health Economics. His graduate work yielded insights that more specifically provides opportunities to improve Canadians’ access to the healthcare they need. In particular, Kartik’s graduate thesis has helped shed light on how governments across Canada (and the world) can ensure patients have access to prescription medicines. His work with the BC Cancer Research Centre helped identify pathways towards improving outcomes for patients with cancer and rare diseases using technology.

Building on this foundation, Kartik has worked on the Effective Institutions Project where he contributed to an ambitious effort to strategically direct philanthropic funding towards the world’s most pressing challenges, such as AI safety and global conflict prevention. This role enabled him to apply his skills in systems thinking and research to identify high-impact and neglected opportunities for change. As of 2024, Kartik is working with GiveWell where he contributes to research that guides the allocation of approximately $556 million (CAD) annually toward life-saving global health interventions. His work focuses on ensuring that every dollar spent maximizes its impact on improving and saving lives.