IHI Announces Leadership Transition with Appointment of Melissa Panagides-Busch as Interim CEO

Dr. Kedar Mate Accepts Private Sector Role; IHI Prepares for Next Phase of Innovation and Health Care Transformation

BOSTON, Nov. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), a global leader in health and healthcare improvement worldwide, today announced a leadership transition. Kedar Mate, MD, who has been at the helm since July 2020, is stepping down as President and CEO, and current Chief Operating Officer, Melissa Panagides-Busch, will assume the role of Interim CEO beginning December 1.

Outgoing CEO Dr. Kedar Mate will remain in his current role with IHI through the end of the year, providing leadership as the organization continues to focus on its mission to improve health and health care globally. Dr. Mate has led the organization through significant milestones in health care quality and safety, including during the COVID-19 pandemic, implementing a large-scale effort to save lives in nursing homes. He informed the Board of his decision to pursue an exciting new opportunity as a co-founder of Qualified Health, a generative AI health care company focused on improving quality, efficiency, and value.

"We are grateful for Dr. Mate's tremendous contributions to IHI and health care at large," said Gerald B. Hickson, MD, IHI's Board Chair. "Under his leadership, IHI has made great strides in advancing patient safety, improving quality of care, and supporting health care professionals wherever they serve. A key element of Dr. Mate's strong legacy is the deep bench of talent he has recruited and fostered at IHI, which has strengthened our ability to carry on the critical work of meeting current and future health care challenges. IHI is proud that his extensive knowledge and passion for patient safety and quality will continue to have a positive impact on health care worldwide."

Incoming Interim CEO Melissa Panagides-Busch has been instrumental in executing IHI's operational strategy, working closely with Dr. Mate to drive key initiatives across the organization. With more than 25 years of experience in professional services, development, and consulting, she is a subject matter expert in operational excellence, program management, and performance management. As COO of IHI, Panagides-Busch oversees departments including Human Resources, Marketing and Communications, and New Business Development, playing a key role in improving service delivery, optimizing teams, and managing organizational growth.

Panagides-Busch's wide-ranging experience in establishing governance structures, building high-performing teams, and leading large-scale transformations has helped organizations ranging from $50M to $400M in both for-profit and non-profit sectors. Her operational expertise and emphasis on growth makes her an ideal choice to serve as the Interim CEO.

"Melissa Panagides-Busch has been a critical part of our leadership team, and we are confident she is the right person to step into the Interim CEO role," added Dr. Hickson. "Her deep operational expertise and hands-on experience in guiding our strategic initiatives alongside Dr. Kedar Mate have positioned her to seamlessly lead IHI. The Board is excited to work with Melissa to maintain the momentum we've built and continue executing our long-term strategy."

Panagides-Busch expressed her excitement about assuming the role of Interim CEO, "I've had the privilege of working closely with Dr. Mate to help shape the direction of IHI, and I am honored the Board chose me as the Interim CEO during this important time. I've inherited a very well-run organization that continues to excel in multiple ways across the globe. I see my charge as doubling down on everything Dr. Mate achieved while also driving rapid innovation in order to continue to provide the very best service possible to our customers."

Dr. Mate's final keynote address as CEO will take place at the IHI Forum in Orlando this December. The IHI Forum, a four-day conference that has been the home of quality improvement in health care for more than 30 years, will bring together thousands of dedicated professionals from across the globe to address some of health care's most pressing challenges, including improvement capability, patient and workforce safety, equity, climate change, and artificial intelligence.

"It's been the honor and privilege of my professional life to serve IHI and our community throughout the last 15 years, and especially as CEO for the past four years," added Dr. Mate. "IHI has always been more than a job for me. It has been my mission, passion and purpose. I'd like to thank the entire team at IHI for their continued dedication to making this world a better place."

IHI has begun the process to select a permanent CEO with Spencer Stuart search firm.

About the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)
The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) is a leading, globally recognized not-for-profit health care improvement organization that has been applying evidence-based quality improvement methods to meet current and future health care challenges for more than 30 years. IHI provides millions of people in health care with methods, tools, and resources to make care better, safer, and more equitable; convenes experts to enable knowledge sharing and peer-learning; and advises health systems and hospitals of all sizes in improving their systems and outcomes at scale. IHI's mission is to innovate and lead transformational improvement in health and health care worldwide.

SOURCE Institute for Healthcare Improvement