Boston based Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) has appointed Indian American global health improvement leader Amar Shah as permanent Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) to lead development of its multi-year scientific agenda.
Dr. Shah brings deep expertise in improvement science, international health system leadership, and a proven track record of applying IHI’s methods at scale, according to an IHI media release.
Dr. Shah has served as IHI’s Interim CSO since July 2026, providing leadership and continuity for the organization’s science and innovation teams during a period of transition.
“Amar combines deep expertise in improvement science with an international perspective shaped by years of leadership across complex health systems,” said Sylvia Trent-Adams, President and CEO of IHI. “He has spent his career helping health systems turn evidence into meaningful results, and his leadership will help ensure that IHI continues to innovate, learn, and drive improvement in partnership with communities around the world.”
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Dr. Shah was previously the National Clinical Director for Improvement at NHS England, where he led large-scale improvement across one of the world’s most complex healthcare systems. He spent over a decade as Chief Quality Officer at East London NHS Foundation Trust — widely recognized across the NHS for its innovative approach to quality — where he applied IHI’s frameworks to drive measurable improvement for patients, local communities, and staff.
He has served as Chair of IHI’s Scientific Advisory Group and as a long-time IHI faculty member, and is a prolific author and speaker on improvement science, quality management, and health system transformation.
“The science of improvement has taught us a great deal, but the translation of that knowledge into the hands of those who need it most remains the defining challenge,” said Dr. Shah. “The problems health systems face today are outpacing the solutions we have. IHI has the credibility, relationships, and methods to shape what improvement science itself becomes — to push the boundaries of evidence, innovation, and application in ways that reach more people, more equitably, than ever before.”
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As CSO, Dr. Shah will lead the development of IHI’s multi-year scientific agenda, establishing enterprise-wide standards for large-scale improvement programs that deliver results.
He will oversee IHI’s Improvement Science Hub, including the innovation system, and formalize IHI’s Product Development and Management System, bringing greater discipline to how IHI prioritizes, builds, and scales its offerings. He will also strengthen how evidence is generated, applied, and shared across IHI’s programs, products, and global partnerships.
IHI, a leading, globally recognized not-for-profit healthcare improvement organization advises health systems and hospitals of all sizes in improving their systems and outcomes at scale.