Umair Shah, MD, MPH, was appointed Secretary of Health
by Governor Jay Inslee on December 21, 2020. Prior to this,
Dr. Shah served as Executive Director and Local Health
Authority for Harris County Public Health (HCPH) – the
nationally accredited county public health agency for the
nation’s 3rd largest county with 4.7 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, and
MPH (management), at the University of Texas Health
Science Center. He also completed an international health
policy internship at World Health Organization headquarters in Switzerland.
Upon completing training, Dr. Shah began a distinguished career as an emergency department physician at Houston’s Michael DeBakey VA Medical Center. He started his formal public health journey as Chief Medical Officer at Galveston County’s Health District before joining HCPH to oversee its clinical health system and infectious disease portfolio.
Under his leadership, HCPH has won numerous national awards including recognition as Local Health Department of the Year from the National Association of County and City
Health Officials (NACCHO) in 2016.
Dr. Shah currently holds numerous leadership positions with respected entities like the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; U.S. Centers for Disease
Control & Prevention; Trust for America’s Health; Network for Public Health Law; and Texas Medical Association. He previously served as president of NACCHO (and its Texas affiliate) representing the nation’s nearly 3,000 local health departments.
Over his career, Dr. Shah has been a clinician, an innovator, an educator, and a leader in health.