Rajiv J. Shah

Rajiv Shah, M.D. is the administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), a role he was sworn into on December 31, 2009.


 * "Since being sworn in on Dec. 31, 2009, Administrator Shah managed the U.S. Government's response to the devastating 2010 earthquake in Port-au-Prince, co-chaired the State Department's first-ever review of American diplomacy and development operations, and now spearheads President Obama's landmark Feed the Future food security initiative. He is also leading “USAID Forward,” an extensive set of reforms to USAID's business model around seven key areas, including procurement, science & technology, and monitoring & evaluation.


 * "Before becoming USAID's Administrator, Dr. Shah served as Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics and as Chief Scientist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. At USDA, he launched the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, a new scientific institute that significantly elevates the status and funding of agricultural research.


 * "Prior to joining the Obama Administration, Shah served for seven years with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation where his positions included Director of Agricultural Development in the Global Development Program, and Director of Strategic Opportunities.


 * "Originally from Detroit, Shah earned his M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Medical School and his Master of Science in health economics at the Wharton School of Business. He attended the London School of Economics and is a graduate of the University of Michigan. Shah previously served on the boards of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), the Seattle Public Library, and the Seattle Community College District.

Dr. Shah is married to Shivam Mallick Shah and is the father of three children. He lives in Washington D.C."

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
During his time at the Gates Foundation, Shah was described as follows:

"He manages the program s policy and finance portfolio, helps manage the program's largest grant effort the Vaccine Fund, and shapes overall strategy for engaging with bilateral and multilateral financial institutions. Raj also has created the Foundation's Policy Research Network a network of institutions committed to developing innovative solutions to major global health policy challenges. Raj served as the Health Care Policy Advisor on the Gore 2000 presidential campaign in Nashville, TN and on Philadelphia Mayor John Street's New Centuries Committee. He started, managed, and sold a health care consulting firm Health Systems Analytics that served clients including some of the largest health systems in the country and the U.S. government. In 1995, Raj co-founded Project IMPACT an award-winning national non-profit organization that conducts leadership, mentoring, media, and political activism activities, and he currently serves on its Board of Advisors. Raj earned his M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Medical School and M.Sc. in Health Economics at the Wharton School, where he was the recipient of a NIH Medical Scientist Training Grant. He has studied at the London School of Economics and taught health systems management at INSEAD in France."

Related Sourcewatch articles

 * USAID
 * Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
 * Second Green Revolution