Umair A. Shah
Secretary of Health State of Washington
Former Executive Director and Local Health Authority Harris County Public Health, State of Texas
Umair A. Shah, MD, MPH, was appointed Secretary of Health for the great State of Wington by Governor Jay Inslee in December 2020. He is the first Asian-American physician of South Asian descent to serve in this leadership role in the history of Washington, home to over 7.6 million people.His appointment came at a difficult time amid the severe winter wave of COVID-19 and only a few days after arrival of vaccines into the state. In assuming this leadership position at the nationally respected Washington State Department of Health, Dr. Shah made the transition from fighting the pandemic on the front lines of response in Texas as Executive Director and Local Health Authority for Harris County Public Health (HCPH) – serving the nation’s 3rd largest county with nearly five million people.Dr. Shah earned his BA (philosophy) from Vanderbilt University; his MD from the University of Toledo Health Science Center; and completed an Internal Medicine Residency, Primary Care/General Medicine Fellowship, & MPH (management), at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. He also completed a global health policy internship at World Health Organization headquarters in Switzerland. Dr. Shah has held several leadership positions with respected entities like the Association for State and Territorial Health Officials; National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention; American Public Health Association (APHA); Trust for America’s Health; Network for Public Health Law; Texas Medical Association; and served as president of NACCHO (and its Texas affiliate).
Umair A. Shah
Secretary of Health State of Washington | Former Executive Director and Local Health Authority Harris County Public Health, State of Texas
Umair A. Shah, MD, MPH, was appointed Secretary of Health for the great State of Wington by Governor Jay Inslee in December 2020. He is the first Asian-American physician of South Asian descent to serve in this leadership role in the history of Washington, home to over 7.6 million people.His appointment came at a difficult time amid the severe winter wave of COVID-19 and only a few days after arrival of vaccines into the state. In assuming this leadership position at the nationally respected Washington State Department of Health, Dr. Shah made the transition from fighting the pandemic on the front lines of response in Texas as Executive Director and Local Health Authority for Harris County Public Health (HCPH) – serving the nation’s 3rd largest county with nearly five million people.Dr. Shah earned his BA (philosophy) from Vanderbilt University; his MD from the University of Toledo Health Science Center; and completed an Internal Medicine Residency, Primary Care/General Medicine Fellowship, & MPH (management), at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. He also completed a global health policy internship at World Health Organization headquarters in Switzerland. Dr. Shah has held several leadership positions with respected entities like the Association for State and Territorial Health Officials; National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention; American Public Health Association (APHA); Trust for America’s Health; Network for Public Health Law; Texas Medical Association; and served as president of NACCHO (and its Texas affiliate).