Nirav Dinesh Shah (born 1977) is an American epidemiologist, economist, attorney, and politician. He worked as an economist and epidemiologist at the Cambodian Ministry of Health. Shah was appointed as the director of the Illinois Department of Public Health in 2015 and served in that role until 2019. He served as the director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention from 2019 to 2023, leading the state through the COVID-19 pandemic. In January 2023, he was appointed as the principal deputy director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and he assumed that position in March 2023. Following the resignation of Rochelle Walensky, Shah served as the acting director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in July 2023 until Mandy Cohen assumed office. Shah resigned the position in February 2025. In March of 2025, Shah accepted an appointment to the faculty of Colby College in Waterville, Maine, to teach courses in public health, epidemics and crisis communication.
He is currently running for Governor of Maine in the 2026 election as a Democrat.
Shah was born in 1977 in Wisconsin to Indian immigrants and grew up in Wisconsin, before moving to Kentucky when he was in junior high school He graduated Valedictorian at Mayfield High School in Mayfield, Kentucky in 1995. He attended the University of Louisville, where he majored in psychology and biology, receiving a Bachelor of Science in 1999.
After college, Shah studied economics at Oxford and enrolled in medical school at the University of Chicago in 2000. Shah completed his J.D. degree in 2007 and his Doctor of Medicine in 2008, both from the University of Chicago, and was a recipient of The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans.
In 2001, Shah accepted a Henry Luce Scholar fellowship in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, working for the Ministry of Health as an economist and epidemiologist. His work included outbreak investigation and management, studying the cost effectiveness of public health programs, efforts to curb the distribution of counterfeit drugs, and combatting corruption in the public health system. By the 2003 conclusion of his experience there, Shah was the chief economist at the Ministry.
While in Cambodia, Shah aided the response to the SARS and Avian influenza outbreaks. In a March 2021 interview, he credited his experiences in Cambodia, as well as his ongoing communication with colleagues in Southeast Asia, with his ability to help prepare Maine for COVID-19 as its state CDC director, especially relating to the early procurement of personal protective equipment.
At the conclusion of the fellowship, Shah returned to the University of Chicago where he continued to work with the Cambodian government. While completing both medical and law school, he regularly videoconferenced with colleagues in Southeast Asia and occasionally traveled back to Cambodia.
Following medical school, Shah worked as a health care attorney at Sidley Austin LLP in Chicago from 2008 to 2015.
In 2015, Illinois governor Bruce Rauner appointed Shah director of the Illinois Department of Public Health. During his tenure, Shah worked on initiatives combatting the opioid crisis in Illinois, addressing childhood lead poisoning, and reducing maternal and infant mortality.
In August 2015, an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease resulted in 13 deaths and 74 infections at the Illinois Veterans' Home in Quincy, Illinois. Shah was among several state officials heavily criticized for their response to the outbreak, and a 2019 state audit report of the incident indicated that the state CDC did not visit the facility until the 12th day of the outbreak. Although Shah maintains that the agency followed all federal guidelines and moved quickly: "The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) did not go on-site at Quincy Veteransâ Home until midday on Monday, August 24. That was nearly three days (approximately 67 hours) after the 2nd case was confirmed late in the afternoon on August 21. The site visit focused on one building where the two confirmed cases were located." according to the State of Illinois Performance Audit by Frank J. Mautino, Auditor General. "During the 2015 outbreak, auditors determined that there was limited communication between IDPH and the Quincy Veteransâ Home staff. IDPH officials often did not know the seriousness of the problem at the Quincy Veteransâ Home."
Illinois senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth called for Shah's resignation, but Shah remained in his position until Rauner lost his re-election bid in 2018. In April 2020, the State of Illinois reached a $6.4 million settlement agreement with several families of veterans who died in the outbreak.
In 2016, Illinois Circuit Court Judge Neil Cohen ruled that Shah violated department rules, state law, and the U.S. Constitution in order to deny veterans the right to access medical marijuana for PTSD. Through the stateâÂÂs rulemaking process, Illinois agreed to add PTSD as an approved diagnosis for use of medical marijuana. The Advisory board voted 11-0 in favor. Rather than accept the result of the process, Health Director Shah invested new evidence after the process was complete, then used that evidence to overrule the process and denied the request. The key veteran advocate for the change sued and won. Judge Cohen ruled that Shah engaged in a âÂÂblatant denial of procedural due process â the most fundamental precept of our system of government.â The sternly worded ruling said Shah âÂÂengaged in a private investigation, hidden from public view that was âÂÂconstitutionally inappropriate. CohenâÂÂs order also concluded that âÂÂDirector Shah went beyond the rule to conduct his own investigation, add his own evidence to the Record, and rendered his decision based upon that investigation. Neither the DepartmentâÂÂs rules nor the Act itself empower the Director to conduct his own investigation or add materials to the Record which were not considered at the hearing.âÂÂhttps://www.northernpublicradio.org/illinois/2016-06-29/judge-orders-illinois-to-add-ptsd-to-medical-marijuana-list
In a January 2018 interview with Illinois Public Radio, Shah acknowledged his ineffectiveness as Illinois Director of Public Health, admitting that, under his watch, statewide overdose deaths attributed to fentanyl rose tenfold, from 90 to 900 in just three years. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Od7ozTy6V8
In June 2019, Maine Governor Janet Mills appointed Shah as the director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. He immediately sought to fill more than 100 vacancies within the department. A few weeks after he began, a group of more than 200 asylum seekers arrived in Portland, Maine, and were temporarily housed at the Portland Exposition Building. In his first public actions as CDC Director, Shah visited the facility, dispatched public health nurses to vaccinate the families and conduct health screenings, and worked with local healthcare providers to provide basic needs.
Beginning March 9, 2020, Shah began delivering daily press conferences regarding the status of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Maine CDC's preparedness. As the pandemic developed, Shah received praise for his communication style, delivering information using measured, detailed and simple answers, real-life examples, and effective metaphors devoid of scientific jargon. For example, when asked to detail proper hand washing techniques to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Shah explained âÂÂWash your hands as if you have just sliced a bag of jalapeño peppers and now need to take out your contact lenses.âÂÂ
Shah embraced three principles for his regular briefings: Be truthful, answer questions directly, and "acknowledge the statistics and numbers without overlooking the human element." Public health experts praised his enduring compassion as he consistently reminded viewers that each case number and death represented a family member, friend and neighbor. Shah also frequently included song lyrics and Dad jokes in an attempt to bring appropriate levity to his pandemic reports.
Shah's communication style and public face led to a significant following throughout Maine: A "Fans of Dr. Nirav Shah" Facebook page reached over 35,000 members. Stickers, T-shirts and mugs with Shah's likeness and the slogan "In Shah We Trust" and "Keep Calm and Listen to Dr. Shah" were printed and sold to benefit local nonprofits. Local confectioner Wilbur's of Maine produced "Shah bars" with his photo on the wrapper, and an "In Shah We Trust" electronic road sign was erected in Topsham, Maine.
In early 2021, Shah became President of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), and he prioritized states' preparation for COVID-19 vaccine rollouts nationwide.
In January 2023, he was appointed as the Principal Deputy Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and he had assumed that position in March 2023. Shah served as the acting director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in July 2023. In his capacity as the acting director of the U.S. CDC Shah also served as the Acting Administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Shah resigned the position in the early weeks of the second Trump presidency.
In March of 2025, Shah accepted an appointment to the faculty of Colby College in Waterville, Maine, to teach courses in public health, epidemics and crisis communication.
In August 2025, Shah publicly expressed interest in mounting a campaign for Governor of Maine in the 2026 election as a Democrat. He announced a campaign on October 20 of that year. As of February 2026, Shah was leading in every poll of the Democratic primary conducted since his entrance.
Shah and his wife Kara Palamountain, a research professor at Northwestern University, are avid home cooks. Shah is a polyglot, speaking English, Khmer, Gujarati, and some Spanish.