Medicine & Science

Epilepsy is a complex neurological disorder requiring highly coordinated care. Zak's PhD research at the University of Eastern Finland focuses on the Finnish epilepsy care pathway, analyzing how healthcare delivery can be optimized to improve patient outcomes. This work identifies critical bottlenecks in the patient journey and proposes systemic improvements to ensure timely diagnosis and intervention.

The organ transplant waiting list kills 8,000 Americans per year because organs die within hours outside the body. Through the Organ Preservation Alliance (OPA), Zak helped organize the first global summit to solve this crisis, bringing together Stanford, Harvard, DARPA, and the White House.

The result: the Obama Administration announced key actions to reduce the waiting list. OPA's cryopreservation research—aiming to preserve organs for days instead of hours—was funded by Peter Thiel and backed by the Methuselah Foundation, advancing battlefield medicine and global transplant logistics.

Active clinical practice across multiple disciplines in the Nordic healthcare system. Zak's day-to-day medical work spans critical and specialized care:

Does Mozart Reduce Seizures?

Presented at the 2024 Epilepsy and Music Conference alongside Prof. Fabienne Picard. This research explores the neurological impact of harmonic progression and classical composition on brain wave activity, investigating whether specific musical structures can actively reduce seizure frequency in epileptic patients.