Dr. Shah has been Deputy Director of Harris County Public Health & Environmental Services (HCPHES) since 2004. Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Dr. Shah received his undergraduate philosophy degree with an interest in medical ethics from Vanderbilt University. He then went onto obtain his Medical Degree (MD) from The University of Toledo Health Science Center, where he was also selected for an International Health & Public Policy Internship at World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters in Geneva. Dr. Shah then completed his residency in Internal Medicine, fellowship in Primary Care/General Medicine, and his Master’s in Public Health (MPH) -   all at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Upon completion of training, he served several years as an emergency room (ER) attending physician at the Houston Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center before becoming Chief Medical Officer at the Galveston County Health District, prior to joining HCPHES.

Dr. Shah’s interests include international/refugee health, emergency/disaster response, and health equity-related work. His large-scale disaster experiences include responses related to Tropical Storm Allison, Hurricanes Katrina & Rita, and the Kashmir Earthquake. He currently serves on the National Association of County & City Health Officials (NACCHO) Health Equity & Social Justice Team, the Board of Directors for the South Asian Public Health Association, and was recently selected to serve on the 2nd National Consensus Panel on Emergency Preparedness and Cultural Diversity sponsored by U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Minority Health.

Dr. Shah is a writer who has co-authored many peer-reviewed journal articles in public health and remains engaged in teaching as an adjunct faculty member of The University of Texas School of Public Health. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and remains active in clinical patient care.