Health IT Veteran Leaves Behind Legacy of Shared Data Standards and Interoperability Worldwide
HL7 announced today that CEO Charles Jaffe, MD, PhD, will step down at the end of year, capping nearly 20 years of organizational leadership.
Under Dr. Jaffe, HL7 strengthened its role as a trusted convener for the global health data community; expanded adoption of foundational data standards, including HL7 Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR®), Clinical Document Architecture (CDA® ), and the HL7 Version 2 messaging standard. He oversaw the integration of HL7 standards into federal regulations and championed worldwide implementation of FHIR to enable scalable, interoperable solutions across providers, payers and technology vendors.
“On behalf of the board of directors, I want to thank Chuck for his outstanding leadership and commitment to HL7 members, partners and employees, as well as his tremendous success guiding the organization through nearly two decades of evolution and growth,” said Julia Skapik, MD, MPH, Chair of the HL7 Board of Directors. “Under his leadership, HL7 has continued to strengthen its role in advancing interoperability and delivering value to the health care community worldwide.”
Since joining the organization as its first CEO in 2007, Jaffe’s tenure has been marked by innovation, strategic expansion and enhanced international collaboration, positioning HL7 as the architect in shared standards development worldwide.
“Leading this organization has been the honor of a lifetime. I am deeply proud of the work HL7 has done to advance open standards and interoperability on a global scale,” said Jaffe. “I am confident that the Board, our members and staff will continue to drive innovation, foster collaboration and expand the organization's impact to lead the next era of connected digital health.”
Prior to his CEO role at HL7, Dr. Jaffe served senior leadership roles across industry and academia, including Senior Global Strategist for Intel’s Digital Health Group, Vice President of Life Sciences at SAIC, Director of Medical Informatics at AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals and President of InforMed. He has also served as Principal Investigator on more than 200 clinical trials and published extensively on clinical management, informatics deployment and health care policy.
Dr. Jaffe’s medical training was completed at Johns Hopkins and Duke Universities, followed by post-doctoral fellowships at the National Institutes of Health and Georgetown University. In addition, he held academic positions in medicine, pathology, and engineering, and continues to serve as Professor of Practice at the University of California, San Diego, Department of Biomedical Informatics.
"Chuck’s leadership has left an indelible mark on HL7 and the broader healthcare IT community,” said Andrew Truscott, HL7 Chair of the Board’s Succession Planning Committee. “His tireless leadership, deep expertise, and strategic vision will serve the standards community and HL7 members for years to come.”
As the search for a successor begins, the HL7 Board has established a structured succession process to maintain continuity and ensure alignment with the organization’s strategic vision. Dr. Jaffe will remain actively engaged throughout the transition, collaborating closely with the Board and executive leadership team to support stability and seamless operations for HL7 members, partners and the broader health IT community.
