# Mohammad Al-Ubaydli

> Mohammad Al-Ubaydli is the founder and CEO of Patients Know Best, a programmer and an author whose career spans Cambridge, US research, management consulting and self-publishing. His early essays and later interviews describe a practical education in building companies: acquire a skill, test it on a real problem and learn what the next step requires.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at Patients Know Best
- **Organizations:** Patients Know Best, PHIN, The Advisory Board Company, National Institutes of Health, University College London, Idiopathic Publishing, Medical Futures, Medical Approaches
- **Nationality:** British
- **Education:** MB, BChir, MA (Cantab), University of Cambridge, Programming studies; qualification title not established, Anglia Ruskin University
- **Known for:** Founded Patients Know Best in 2008., Established Idiopathic Publishing when unable to secure a publisher; subsequently sold book rights to Wiley, with translations into three foreign languages., Recognised as an Ashoka Fellow.

## Career timeline

- **1999** — Published personal essays about recruitment, first impressions and entrepreneurship.
- **2002** — Published an account of changing career plans after pursuing chaos research.
- **2008** — Founded Patients Know Best; announced the first UnLtd grant in October.
- **2009** — Wrote about improving customer validation after reading Steve Blank.
- **2015** — Discussed his management approach and interest in history in a published interview.
- **2024** — Appointed a non-executive director of PHIN, effective May 2024.
- **2025** — Appeared on The BEYOND Podcast and attended PHIN’s Quality Forum.
- **2026** — Listed as the presenter of a UKDHC webinar held on 30 September.

## Achievements

- Founded Patients Know Best in 2008.
- Established Idiopathic Publishing when unable to secure a publisher; subsequently sold book rights to Wiley, with translations into three foreign languages.
- Recognised as an Ashoka Fellow.
- Co-founded Medical Futures and Medical Approaches.
- Author of seven books according to PHIN and conference biographies.
- Became a PHIN non-executive director in May 2024.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — UKDHC listed him as presenter of its 30 September webinar on data confidentiality.
- **2025-10** — Attended and spoke at PHIN’s Quality Forum at the Royal College of Physicians, London, on 14 October.
- **2025-09** — Appeared on The BEYOND Podcast in an episode published on 16 September.

## Links

- Website: https://mohammadalubaydli.wordpress.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/idiopathic/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/idiopathic

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/mohammad-al-ubaydli
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-21