Our Executive Director
Abdirashid M. Shire, Ph.D.
Founder, Chairman and Executive Director of Shire Scientific, LLC.
A career across four continents
Dr. Abdirashid Shire is a health scientist, administrator and institution builder with more than 30 years of experience on four continents. He has taught undergraduates in Somalia and Saudi Arabia, studied parasites in London and liver cancer at Mayo Clinic, and built Somalia's first forensic science institution.
Somalia, 1985 to 1990. He studied biology at Lafole College of Education, Somali National University, and stayed on as an Assistant Lecturer.
London, 1994 to 2003. At the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine he earned an M.Sc. in Medical Parasitology and a Ph.D. in parasite molecular biology.
Iowa, 2004 to 2005. As a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Iowa he studied gene mutations linked to macular degeneration and recruited about 700 Somali research participants.
Mayo Clinic, 2005 to 2013. He rose from Research Fellow to Assistant Professor of Medicine. His team showed how common chronic hepatitis B and C are among Somali Minnesotans, and how closely hepatitis C is tied to liver cancer. In 2012 the Minnesota Department of Health gave him the Roy VanHorne Memorial Award for outstanding leadership in viral hepatitis.
Saudi Arabia, 2013 to 2015. He was Assistant Professor of Laboratory Sciences at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences.
Somalia, 2017 to 2026. He founded the Bureau of Forensic Science in Garowe and led it as Chancellor and Chief Scientific Officer.
Minnesota. He founded the Health and Research Institute for Somali Americans (HeRISA) in 2016 and Shire Scientific, LLC in March 2021.
Education
Ph.D. (2003) and M.Sc. (1995), London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London. B.Sc. (1988), Lafole College of Education, Somali National University.
Research
About 30 peer-reviewed publications on parasite molecular biology, viral hepatitis, liver cancer and community-engaged genetic counseling.
Service
Board Chair of the Cadduun Community Development Foundation in Minneapolis, and former board member of the Africa Development Center, Families First of Minnesota, New Faces of America and Workforce Development Inc.
Selected publications
Johnson VR, Fisher ER, Culhane-Pera KA, Lumpkins CY, Shire A, et al. Community-driven research priorities for genetic counseling. Journal of Genetic Counseling. 2026;35(4):e70270.
Fisher ER, et al. Research protocol for the GC-PRO study. BMJ Open. 2024;14(4):e085472.
Mohamed EA, et al. High prevalence of chronic viral hepatitis B and C in Minnesota Somalis contributes to rising hepatocellular carcinoma incidence. World Journal of Gastroenterology. 2022;28(35):5217-5229.
Cheung FY, Pratt R, Shire A, et al. Developing culturally informed genetic services for the Somali immigrants in Minnesota. Journal of Genetic Counseling. 2019;28(4):887-896.
Shire AM, et al. Viral hepatitis among Somali immigrants in Minnesota: association of hepatitis C with hepatocellular carcinoma. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2012;87(1):17-24.
Shire A, Ackers J. SINE elements of Entamoeba dispar. Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology. 2007;152:47-52.
Contact Dr. Shire
Telephone: 612-315-5652
Fax: 612-445-5442
E-mail: chairman@shiresci.com
Address: 2150 Watermark Way, Lino Lakes, MN 55038