At IHI

Amy Hosford-Swan, CPA, MS, MBA, Chief Financial and Operations Officer, Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), has held progressively responsible finance and administration positions in a wide variety of environments, from fast growing not-for-profits to small and large company corporate environments, including the global accounting firm, KPMG Peat Marwick.

Career and experience

She joined IHI in 2007 from her most recent role as a senior consultant at Accounting Management Solutions.

Prior to that, Ms. Hosford-Swan was Vice President of Finance and Administration of Jumpstart For Young Children, Inc., where she helped lead the organization's growth from four to 44 sites.

Education and recognition

She is a Certified Public Accountant in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and received her master’s degrees in Accounting and Business Administration from Northeastern University.

At IHI

Amar Shah, MBBS, MRCPsych, LLM, MA, MBA, MBE, ​Interim Chief Scientific Officer at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), supports global partners and health systems in improving care and outcomes through the rigorous application of quality improvement and the development of integrated management systems that put quality at the core of organisational design.

Career and experience

He is the National Clinical Director for Improvement for England's NHS, and the national improvement lead for mental health at the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Dr. Shah led the quality approach at East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT) for 15 years, with a decade on the board as Chief Quality Officer.

He is Chair of IHI's Scientific Advisory Group, Honorary Professor at the University of York School for Business and Society, and an Honorary Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health.

He has over 50 peer-review publications in the field of quality management in healthcare.

In 2024, he was awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) for services to healthcare improvement.

At IHI

Sylvia Trent-Adams, PhD, RN, FAAN, FNAP, ANEF, President and CEO, Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), is a lifelong public servant who served for over 30 years in the US Army and the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.

Career and experience

Prior to joining IHI, Dr. Trent-Adams was President of The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, where she was previously Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer.

Her previous roles also included Deputy US Surgeon General, Acting US Surgeon General, and US Department of Health and Human Services Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health.

Prior to these roles, she was Deputy Associate Administrator for the HIV/AIDS Bureau at the US Health Resources and Services Administration.

In these various leadership roles, Dr. Trent-Adams was responsible for health planning, directing health programs, policy and program development, and setting legislative and program priorities.

At the HIV/AIDS Bureau, she managed the $2.3 billion Ryan White program, which funds medical care, treatment, referrals, and support services for uninsured and underserved people living with HIV.

Dr. Trent-Adams was instrumental in the US response to a variety of health crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the opioid epidemic, an Indian Health Service public health emergency, the Flint, Michigan water crisis, the Zika virus response, and responses to hurricanes Irma, Harvey, and Maria.

Education and recognition

Dr. Trent-Adams has received numerous awards and recognitions, including the International Red Cross Florence Nightingale Medal, a Distinguished Service Medal, and a Meritorious Service Medal for her role as Commanding Officer for the US response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2015.

She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Hampton University, a Master of Science in Nursing and Health Policy from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

At IHI

Ronald M. Wyatt, MD, MHA, Chief Medical Officer at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), is a nationally recognized authority and leading voice in patient safety, healthcare quality improvement, and health equity.

Career and experience

Throughout his distinguished career, he has served in pivotal senior leadership roles, including as the inaugural Patient Safety Officer at The Joint Commission, where he championed high reliability and led the development of landmark Health Equity National Patient Safety Goals.

An expert in clinical quality, diagnostic excellence, and systemic process improvement, Dr. Wyatt has directed enterprise-wide safety initiatives across diverse global landscapes.

His executive tenure includes serving as Chief Science and Chief Medical Officer at the Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine, Vice President and Patient Safety Officer at MCIC Vermont, and Chief Quality Officer for Hamad Medical Corporation in Doha, Qatar.

Education and recognition

Dr. Wyatt holds a Medical Doctorate and Executive Master of Science in Health Administration from the University of Alabama, Birmingham, and broke barriers early in his career as the first African American Chief Resident of Internal Medicine at the St. Louis University School of Medicine.

Named multiple times as one of Becker’s top 50 patient safety experts in the United States, Dr. Wyatt is also a widely published author and a decorated veteran of the United States Army.

At IHI

Claire Celeste (CC) Carnes, MBA, Vice President, Marketing and Communications, Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), has extensive experience in marketing and strategic communication for organizations at the intersection of healthcare and innovation.

Career and experience

She joined IHI in 2024 and leads the brand, product marketing, go-to-market planning, and strategic communications.

Prior to joining IHI, Ms. Carnes led marketing, partnerships, compliance, business development, and operations for an AI-enabled digital health joint venture focused on diagnostics.

Previously, she served as the Vice President of Marketing and Communication for Legacy Health; managed marketing, digital strategy, communication, and innovation for Providence Health & Services; oversaw regional marketing at Kaiser Permanente; and enjoyed several roles spanning global marketing, communications, and sales at Intel Corporation.

Education and recognition

Her teams have received numerous national healthcare marketing awards including Health Leaders Marketing and the eHealth Health and Wellness web site award.

Ms. Carnes developed the graduate-level Healthcare Marketing and Strategic Communications curriculum for the New York University Wagner School and subsequently taught several cohorts of clinical and operations professionals.

She has served as a moderator, speaker, and panelist at professional conferences including HIMSS.

She has experience with both nonprofit and corporate boards and currently serves as board chair for a boutique consultancy.

Ms. Carnes received her MBA from the Kellogg School at Northwestern and her bachelor’s degree from the Edward R. Murrow School of Communication at Washington State University.

At IHI

Shannon Stephens, MPH, is the Interim Vice President, Health Equity at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). In this role, she leads strategy development and teams working on equity and population health initiatives.

Career and experience

Shannon has led a variety of projects, including 100 Million Healthier Lives initiatives; Better Maternal Outcomes efforts focused on co-designing improvement projects with people with lived experience; the Rise to Health Coalition, focused on transforming the healthcare ecosystem so all people have the ability to achieve optimal health; efforts to strengthen collaboration between healthcare systems and community-based organizations to address health-related social needs; and work supporting public health departments in applying quality improvement methods.

Prior to joining IHI, Shannon worked for the Oklahoma City-County Health Department as the Division Director of Community Health, where she had primary oversight for a 350-member, multi-sector coalition and a large portfolio of community health programs.

Education and recognition

Shannon is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma, where she earned a B.S. in Health and Sport Sciences. She holds a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and is currently pursuing a PhD in Global Health Equity at Meharry Medical College.

At IHI

Josh Clark, RN, MHA, Vice President, Quality and Safety Operating Systems, Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), partners with healthcare systems to deploy a series of technology-enabled workflows that seamlessly embed quality, safety, and experience within clinical operations across a variety of settings.

Career and experience

Prior to joining IHI, he served as the Senior Vice President of Quality and Safety Operations for Jefferson Health, an 18-hospital system covering the greater Philadelphia region and southern New Jersey.

At Jefferson Health, he led the implementation of an industry-leading operating system that included an innovative serious safety event review program, enterprise escalating huddles, an organizational learning and triage platform, and a state-of-the-art enterprise analytics platform.

Mr. Clark previously served as Enterprise Senior Director of Quality and Safety at Carilion Clinic.

At Carilion, he helped develop and lead one of the largest clinically-informed human factors teams in the country.

He has participated in National Quality Forum Action Teams for both Opioid Safety and Medication Safety and serves on the Board of the Healthcare Improvement Foundation.

His work to integrate translational human factors within clinical operations was recognized by the National Quality Forum with its 2018 Next Generation Innovator Award.

His work at Jefferson Health was recognized by ECRI and ISMP’s 2021 Safety Excellence Award.

Education and recognition

Mr. Clark received his RN and Master of Healthcare Administration degrees from Jefferson College of Health Sciences.

At IHI

David Coletta, Executive Director, Alliance Development, Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), is responsible for developing organizational alliances designed to advance IHI’s mission, enhancing avenues of partner engagement across programs and quality and safety imperatives, and managing and evolving these relationships.

Career and experience

Prior to joining IHI, he spent nine years at the National Patient Safety Foundation as a member of the executive team, engaged in strategic partner, operational, financial, and marketing priorities.

His past experience includes diverse relationship management, business development, marketing, communications, and program design activities in start-up, mid-size, and large organizations.

At IHI

Cathleen Duffy, Vice President, Finance, Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), oversees the organization’s financial operations and the financial planning and reporting processes, including annual audits, budgeting, forecasting, and all financial analysis and reporting for the organization.

Career and experience

She serves as a critical member of the operational planning team responsible for implementing IHI’s strategic plan.

Ms. Duffy works with the Regional Leads and Executive Team to achieve program and financial results within their areas of responsibility by effectively managing their resources while understanding the financials of the organization as a whole.

She also serves as the point person for all IHI programs within developing countries and works directly with the sub-grantees in Africa, serving as a mentor and supervising staff as needed.

She joined IHI in 1997 as a Staff Accountant and during her tenure she has led various internal improvement efforts.

Education and recognition

Ms. Duffy earned her Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Stonehill College.

At IHI

Shadin Hilton, MS, MBA, RNC, PMP, CPHQ, Vice President, oversees IHI’s portfolio of work in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region.

Career and experience

Shadin has more than 27 years of experience in healthcare spanning clinical care, hospital operations and administration, program management, and strategic consulting.

Shadin has led health system transformation across the Middle East, partnering with ministries of health, regulators, providers, payers, and other global institutions.

Shadin has designed and delivered programs in patient safety, quality improvement, and population health, achieving measurable improvements in outcomes and system performance.

As a trusted partner to governments and international organizations, Shadin navigates complex healthcare ecosystems and data landscapes, aligning strategies with national visions, and applying data-driven methods to deliver sustainable transformation and impact.

Previously, Shadin managed the strategic, financial, and operational performance of hospital departments within a large academic research hospital in the United States.

Education and recognition

She holds dual master’s degrees in Business Administration and Healthcare Administration, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and certifications in nursing, healthcare quality, and project management.

At IHI

Jennifer Lenoci-Edwards, MPH, BSN, RN, Vice President, leads IHI’s Professional Development portfolio.

Career and experience

In this role, she is dedicated to improving health and healthcare by enhancing the capability among individuals and health systems in IHI’s proven quality improvement methods.

Since joining IHI in 2015, Jennifer has worked with a wide range of federal agencies, health systems, and philanthropic partners.

She led IHI’s partnership in the National Nursing Home COVID Action Network, a collaboration with Project ECHO that created a real-time learning community of more than 5,000 nursing homes to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jennifer began her career as an emergency nurse, gaining 15 years of frontline experience in complex clinical environments.

At the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, she led the initial rollout of ImmuNet, the state’s immunization registry, witnessing firsthand the power of system-level change.

Later, she joined Partners HealthCare (now Mass General Brigham), where she spearheaded initiatives including the development of standards for timely reporting and escalation of lab and radiology results; the launch of an ambulatory patient safety workgroup; representation of patient safety in the Epic EHR rollout; and support for primary care teams through the Patient-Centered Medical Home initiative.

Education and recognition

Jennifer holds both a bachelor's degree in nursing and a master’s degree in public health.

At IHI

Patricia A. McGaffigan, MS, RN, CPPS, CPHFH, CPAFH, Senior Advisor, Patient Safety, Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), and President of the Certification Board for Professionals in Patient Safety.

Career and experience

Patricia is Senior Advisor, Safety and President, Certification Board for Professionals in Patient Safety at IHI, where she serves as co-chair of the National Steering Committee for Patient Safety, and as liaison to IHI’s Lucian’s Leape Institute and patient and workforce safety and well-being and nursing initiatives.

An IHI Fellow and nationally recognized speaker, Patricia serves on numerous national committees, editorial advisory boards, and technical expert panels.

She is the Well-being Commissioner for ANCC’s Pathway to Excellence, a board member of the Massachusetts Coalition for the Prevention of Medical Errors, the Foundation to Advance Nursing in Massachusetts, and the I-PASS Institute, and a member of Planetree’s Person-Centered Certification Committee.

Education and recognition

She received the American Association of Critical Care Nurses Lifetime Member Award, the 2023 University of North Texas Health Science Center’s Mary E. Luibel Distinguished Service Award, and was named to the 2025, 2024, and 2023 Becker’s Review List of Patient Safety Experts to Know.

Patricia’s prior experience includes clinical practice, teaching, and progressive roles in start-up and established medical device and technology companies with a focus on patient safety.

Patricia received her undergraduate and graduate degrees in nursing from Boston College and Boston University.

At IHI

Valerie Spalding, MBA, MSc, Vice President, Business Development, Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), provides leadership in developing and executing on IHI’s business strategy, creates and develops new business opportunities, and provides expertise on business and relationship development, project design, translation of customer needs, and operational planning.

Career and experience

Prior to joining IHI in 2014, she led operational planning for an international non-governmental organization and worked in product marketing for a US-based global software company.

Education and recognition

She received her undergraduate degree from Queen’s University in Canada, her MSc from New Jersey Institute of Technology, and her MBA from the University of Geneva in Switzerland.

At IHI

Neel Vora, Vice President, Information Technology, Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), leads the organization’s IT strategy, digital transformation, and enterprise technology operations.

Career and experience

He oversees infrastructure and cloud services, cybersecurity, enterprise applications, digital platforms, and data and analytics, partnering closely with executive and business leaders to align technology with organizational priorities.

With more than 15 years of progressive IT leadership experience, Neel has held senior roles across enterprise IT, applications, data analytics and operations.

He brings deep expertise in enterprise systems, cloud computing, cybersecurity, and data management, and is known for building high‑performing teams.

Neel has led large‑scale platform and enterprise transformations that enabled new product delivery, supported market expansion, and strengthened both operational resilience and innovation at scale.

At IHI

Jennifer Walker, CCP, SHRM-SCP, Vice President, Human Resources, Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), works to ensure that our most valued resource at IHI — our people — feel appreciated and supported in meaningful ways.

Career and experience

She is responsible for developing and executing IHI’s human resource strategy in support of the overall mission and strategic direction of the Institute, specifically in the areas of organizational equity, joy in work, employee well-being, continuous workforce improvement and planning, talent acquisition, change management, performance management, succession planning, training and development, total rewards, and policy development and compliance.

Prior to joining IHI, Ms. Walker served as Vice President, Administration, at the National Patient Safety Foundation, leading HR as a “team of one,” administering organization-wide systems, and managing the Lucian Leape Institute.

Education and recognition

She graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Illinois State University.