The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) has announced that Sylvia Trent-Adams, PhD, RN, FAAN, FNAP, ANEF, will step into the role of President and CEO beginning July 14, 2025. Known for her longstanding dedication to advancing public health and improving care outcomes globally, Dr. Trent-Adams brings a wealth of leadership experience to her new role. 

Dr. Trent-Adams expressed her enthusiasm for the position, stating, “It is a true honor to accept the position of President and CEO of IHI — an organization that I view as a global powerhouse for quality improvement, patient safety, and health equity.” She added, “I believe we’re at an inflection point both domestically and abroad, and IHI is positioned to be a change agent and a force for good in health and health care worldwide. I look forward to working with IHI staff, leadership, and our coalition of partners to move forward in service of our mission.”

The appointment was welcomed by IHI’s Board Chair, Dr. Gerald Hickson, who highlighted the depth and diversity of Dr. Trent-Adams’s career. “Sylvia has held many titles during her impressive career — nurse, soldier, researcher, Rear Admiral, Acting Surgeon General, university President — and we’re thrilled that she’s adding ‘IHI President and CEO’ to that list,” she said. “We’ve had the honor of working closely with Sylvia since she joined IHI’s board of directors three years ago and know her to be a person of strong character, humility and integrity, an experienced health care leader, and a passionate advocate for safety and quality improvement.”

Dr. Trent-Adams will succeed Dr. Kedar Mate, who left the organization in December 2024 to pursue a new venture in the health care AI sector. Since then, Melissa Panagides-Busch, IHI’s Chief Operating Officer, has served as Interim CEO while maintaining her responsibilities as COO. She will return to her full-time COO position once Dr. Trent-Adams assumes leadership. The board extended its appreciation to Ms. Panagides-Busch for her steady guidance during the transition period.

With more than three decades of service in the U.S. Army and the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, Dr. Trent-Adams has played pivotal roles in shaping national and global public health initiatives. Her experience includes serving as Deputy Surgeon General and Acting Surgeon General, where she integrated scientific insight with leadership to help safeguard the health of all Americans. As the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, she directed HHS-wide health policies and led public health responses across the nation.

Most recently, she served as President of the University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC), where she oversaw landmark achievements including the university’s $150 million grant for Alzheimer’s research, the largest in the UNT system, and the launch of a new College of Nursing.

Dr. Trent-Adams also brings significant international expertise to IHI. She has led HIV/AIDS programs in Sub-Saharan Africa and commanded the initial U.S. response team during the Ebola outbreak in Monrovia, Liberia. Additionally, she has represented the U.S. at the World Health Organization’s Global Nursing Forum, promoting policies that enhance nursing and equitable care across the globe.

“The board of directors has full confidence that under Sylvia’s leadership, IHI will build on its legacy of impact — advancing the science of improvement, improving systems and outcomes at scale, and shaping the future of health and health care worldwide,” said Dr. Hickson.

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.