Blue Shield of California has appointed Indian American physician and healthcare innovation leader Kedar S. Mate to its board of directors.

Mate brings more than two decades of experience in healthcare quality, patient safety, health equity, technology and health system transformation. He currently serves as co-founder and chief medical officer of Qualified Health AI, a digital health company helping healthcare organizations deploy artificial intelligence safely and effectively.

Before launching Qualified Health AI, Mate served as president and CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, an international organization focused on improving healthcare quality and patient safety. His work there included leading initiatives across the United States and other countries and expanding an age-friendly care model now used by thousands of American healthcare organizations.

Mate has advised healthcare providers, government agencies and global institutions, including the World Health Organization and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. His experience spans healthcare delivery, public policy, organizational governance and the development of systems designed to improve quality while reducing costs and disparities.

He also brings board and advisory experience with MLK Community Health System, Healthcare Excellence Canada, the Center for Care Innovations and the National Academy of Medicine’s Artificial Intelligence Code of Conduct initiative.

In addition to his technology and governance work, Mate is a senior scholar at Stanford University’s Clinical Excellence Research Center. He practices internal medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and serves on the faculty of Weill Cornell Medicine.

Mate grew up in New Jersey in an Indian American family and made regular childhood visits to India, where his father was raised. Those experiences helped shape his interest in unequal access to healthcare and the systems that influence patient outcomes.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in American history from Brown University and a medical degree from Harvard Medical School. His early career included work with Partners In Health and the World Health Organization on efforts to expand access to treatment.

Blue Shield of California is an Oakland-based nonprofit health plan serving nearly six million members. Mate’s appointment adds expertise in clinical care, artificial intelligence and healthcare improvement to the organization’s governing board.

Key Takeaways About Kedar Mate

• He has joined Blue Shield of California’s board of directors.
• He is co-founder and chief medical officer of Qualified Health AI.
• He previously led the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.
• His work focuses on quality, safety, equity and healthcare innovation.
• He practices medicine and teaches at Weill Cornell Medicine.