IHI Forum

Kedar Mate, MD, is President and Chief Executive Officer at IHI, President of the IHI Lucian Leape Institute, and a member of the faculty at Weill Cornell Medical College. His scholarly work has focused on health system design, health care quality, strategies for achieving large-scale change, and approaches to improving value. Previously Dr. Mate worked at Partners In Health, the World Health Organization, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and served as IHI’s Chief Innovation and Education Officer. He has published numerous peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and white papers and has received multiple honors, including serving as a Soros Fellow, Fulbright Specialist, Zetema Panelist, and an Aspen Institute Health Innovators Fellow. Dr. Mate graduated from Brown University with a degree in American History and from Harvard Medical School with a medical degree. You can follow him on Twitter @KedarMate.

Donald M. Berwick, MD, MPP, FRCP, KBE, is President Emeritus and Senior Fellow at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) an organization he co-founded and led as President and CEO for 19 years. He is one of the nation’s leading authorities on health care quality and improvement. In July 2010, President Obama appointed Dr. Berwick to the position of Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which he held until December 2011. A pediatrician by background, Dr. Berwick has served as Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and Health Care Policy at the Harvard Medical School, Professor of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard School of Public Health, and as a member of the staffs of Boston’s Children’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He has also served as vice chair of the US Preventive Services Task Force, the first “Independent Member” of the Board of Trustees of the American Hospital Association, and chair of the National Advisory Council of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. He is an elected member of the American Philosophical Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the National Academy of Medicine (NAM, formerly the Institute of Medicine, or IOM). Dr. Berwick served two terms on the IOM’s governing Council, was a member of the IOM’s Global Health Board, and currently chairs the NAM Board on Health Care Services. He served on President Clinton’s Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Healthcare Industry. His numerous awards include the 2007 William B. Graham Prize for Health Services Research, the 2006 John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Award, and the 2007 Heinz Award for Public Policy. In 2005, he was appointed Honorary Knight Commander of the British Empire by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the highest honor in the UK for non-UK citizens. He is the author or co-author of more than 200 scientific articles and six books. He also currently serves as Lecturer in the Department of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Anthony Fauci is perhaps the most recognized and influential figure in public health and policy in modern time. With a career bookended by the HIV/AIDs and COVID-19 pandemics, Dr. Fauci’s impact spanned 7 presidents, covered 50 years of public service, and touched billions of lives. Dr. Fauci has served the country with a relentless pursuit of discovery and innovation. Serving as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) for 38 years and being a public servant for more than 50 years, Dr. Fauci oversaw an extensive research portfolio devoted to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of infectious and immune-mediated diseases. As the key advisor to 7 Presidents and their administrations, Dr. Fauci lead medical and public health preparedness and treatments against emerging infectious disease threats, including HIV/AIDS, pandemic influenza, Ebola, Zika, and COVID-19.

Throughout his career, Dr. Fauci faced his research and his critics with an unwavering devotion to the science, and a deep concern and empathy for those suffering from disease, and a human-centered pragmatism that ultimately led to extraordinary results. Dr. Fauci’s memoir, On Call: A Doctor’s Journey in Public Service (out June 18, 2024), chronicles his fascinating life story from his childhood in Brooklyn to his unrivaled 50-year career as one of the most influential figures in public health. Exclusively represented by Leading Authorities speakers bureau, Dr. Fauci was at the forefront of HIV/AIDS research efforts and is recognized for his pivotal contributions to our current understanding of the disease and the development of preventative therapies and medications. During President George W. Bush’s administration, Dr. Fauci became one of the principal architects of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which helped save more than 25 million lives throughout the developing world. Awarded by President George W. Bush both the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest Presidential honor bestowed to a civilian and the National Medal of Science, the highest presidential honor bestowed to American scientists and engineers, Dr. Fauci’s trust in the science approach above political party agendas was a driving force during his illustrious career. His unwavering dedication to doing what’s best for the public fueled support for his scientific and medical contributions across political party lines. Dr. Fauci has been awarded numerous additional awards for his scientific and global health accomplishments, including the Mary Woodard Lasker Award for Public Service, the Prince Mahidol Award from Thailand, the Robert Koch Gold Medal from Germany, and the Gairdner Global Health Award from Canada. Dr. Fauci is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Science, the U.S. National Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and many other professional societies. He has been awarded 58 honorary doctoral degrees from U.S. and global universities, and has authored, coauthored, and edited more than 1,400 scientific publications, including major textbooks about internal medicine, infectious diseases, and autoimmune diseases. Following his retirement from the NIAID, Dr. Fauci joined Georgetown University as a Distinguished University Professor in the School of Medicine. He also holds an appointment with the university’s McCourt School of Public Policy.

Tembi Locke is a writer, entrepreneur, and thought leader in creativity and resilience. She is a New York Times best-selling author, actor, screenwriter, and TV producer with a passion for connecting with her audience both on the page and on the screen. In partnership with Hello Sunshine, Locke served as co-creator and executive producer for the adaptation of her memoir, "From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home," for Netflix. The series, “From Scratch,” became an instant global hit, spending weeks on Netflix’s Top Ten List in over thirty countries around the world and earning six NAACP Image Award nominations and the prestigious Los Angeles Film Italy award. Her aforementioned memoir was also a Reese’s Book Club pick and an instant bestseller. "From Scratch," published in 2019, begins with how Locke met her husband, a Sicilian chef, on a street in Florence during a study abroad program, and follows their cross-cultural love story over the next two decades. Although it was love at first sight for Locke and her husband, Saro, his family did not approve of him marrying a Black American woman. Reconciliation with his Sicilian family begins just as Saro is diagnosed with a rare cancer and Locke becomes his primary caregiver during his final years. The bestselling memoir also chronicles the three summers that Locke and her daughter spend in Sicily following Saro’s death as they begin to piece their lives together again. Finding solace in her mother-in-law’s presence and nourishment at her abundant table, Locke is able to reflect on her and Saro’s incredible romance and forge a new relationship with his family. In addition to her accomplishments as a writer and producer, Locke is an accomplished actor with over sixty film and television credits. She most recently held a recurring role on Netflix’s hit show, “Never Have I Ever.” Offscreen, she is a nationally recognized speaker, delivering keynotes on resilience, loss, creativity, and the power of storytelling. Her TEDx talk has been viewed by individuals and nonprofits around the world. She launched her podcast, “Lifted,” which features dynamic women sharing their stories of what and who have lifted their lives. Through her work, Locke aims to inspire people to embrace resilience, love, and the power of community.

Dr. Thomas Lee is an internist who practices at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, and the Chief Medical Officer to Press Ganey, Inc. Prior to joining Press Ganey in 2013, Dr. Lee was Network President for Partners Healthcare System, the integrated delivery system founded by Brigham and Women’s and Massachusetts General Hospitals. Dr. Lee has performed research leading to more than 300 articles in peer-reviewed journals, and five books, most recently Healthcare’s Path Forward (2023).  He became a Professor at Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health in 2004. He is Editor-in-Chief of NEJM Catalyst and a member of the Editorial Board of The New England Journal of Medicine, the Board of Directors of Geisinger Health System, the Board of Directors of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, the Board of Directors of Health Leads, and the Panel of Health Advisors of the Congressional Budget Office. He received is BA from Harvard College (1975) and his MD from Cornell University Medical College (1979), and then trained in internal medicine and then cardiology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He received a MSc in Epidemiology from Harvard School of Public Health in 1987.