EDI Spotlight Series: Pascal Tyrrell on leading EDIIA, global health innovation and building inclusive research cultures

Pascal Tyrrell, He/Him

In this spotlight we hear from Dr. Pascal Tyrrell, the Director of Data Science in the Department of Medical Imaging and Director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at IMS. Pascal received his PhD from IMS and currently runs a lab specializing in AI, medical imaging and global health technology at the University of Toronto's St. George campus.

Pascal chairs the Equity, Diversity, Indigeneity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (EDIIA) Committee at IMS, which he has been part of since its inception. He's heavily involved in global health and science education initiatives, collaborating with international non-profits such as Pueblo Science and Tin Soldiers Global to support healthcare innovation. Pascal is also the lead organizer for upcoming medical humanities workshops focused on the intersection of AI, academia, empathy, and civil discourse.

What has been the most challenging part of your journey in becoming a scientist?

The most challenging part has been navigating a persistent, underlying sense of not quite belonging — a feeling that compounded across different facets of my life. Personally, being adopted meant that I didn't relate to my parents or siblings racially, and being mixed-race (white and Filipino) meant I often didn't feel like I fully belonged to either racial group. Professionally, as a PhD scientist working within the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, I was surrounded by physicians, which frequently left me feeling like an outsider within my own working group.

For a large part of my career, I didn't consciously pay attention to these barriers. I simply experienced the friction and the challenges of my environment without acknowledging or understanding the reasons behind them. It wasn't until much later in life that I was able to truly step back and unpack those experiences. Realizing how that isolation subtly shaped my path has profoundly influenced my journey and my current leadership in EDIIA, driving me to help build an academic culture where others don't have to navigate those same unspoken barriers alone.

What impact does your research have?

My research sits at the intersection of AI development, statistical reliability, and global health. On the technical side, my lab develops computer vision algorithms in Medical Imaging and focuses on the rigorous statistical evaluation of clinical AI models to ensure these tools are safe, reliable, and well-calibrated before they reach the clinic.

On a global scale, I am deeply committed to developing "offline-first" medical technology. By building mobile health platforms, we can deploy robust AI to low-resource settings internationally (especially in Low-Middle Income Countries), ensuring that cutting-edge healthcare technology is accessible regardless of local infrastructure or internet connectivity.

 What are you most looking forward to in the future?

I am incredibly excited to begin my academic sabbatical this July. During this time, I plan to teach at the University of Costa Rica (UCR) and spend time in the Costa Rican rainforest conducting research directly within indigenous communities. This fieldwork will support our efforts to deploy mobile health platforms and officially launch a new Canada-Costa Rica global health alliance (CanTico). Beyond that, I am beginning new European/African/Indian academic collaborations and have upcoming research and teaching trips planned in South Africa and India. It is a thrilling time to take our lab's work and ground it in real-world, global applications.