From CUE to Columbia—How Khalid Hashi (’14) is Scaling Global Health

Khalid Hashi’s trajectory since graduating from Concordia University of Edmonton in 2014 is a masterclass in values-driven leadership.

Today, Khalid is the Founder and CEO of OGOW Health, a digital health organization fundamentally changing maternal, child, and nutrition outcomes in underserved communities. What started as an idea has grown into a global operation with real-world impact: 800+ health facilities supported, over 2 million mothers, children, and caregivers reached, and solutions adopted by organizations like UNICEF, Action Against Hunger, World Vision as well as governments.

The spark came from a deeply personal place. While visiting Somalia for the first time, Khalid supported his grandmother through a fragmented health system. The problem was not a shortage of care but a shortage of records: no continuity, no history, no way for a health worker to know what had already been done. It changed the trajectory of his life.

None of this followed a conventional path. Khalid started by selling $10 pins and running a GoFundMe that mobilized the Somali diaspora. He built a globally distributed team and grew the organization from two pilot clinics into health infrastructure at national scale, all while operating in one of the most complex humanitarian environments in the world.

“We don’t build for communities. We build with them. Every tool starts with the people who will actually use it. A health worker needs to know what’s happening at the point of care. A mother needs to know where and when to seek care for her family. A policymaker needs data they can act on. That’s what we design for.”

Khalid was selected as a 2025 Obama Foundation Scholar at Columbia University, where he is focused on OGOW Health’s long-term sustainability and the responsible integration of AI into health systems. He has also been selected into Google for Startups, the South Park Commons Agency Fund, and IDEO fellowships.

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