Zia Agha, MD

In his role as chief medical officer and executive vice president of clinical research, medical informatics, and telehealth, Dr. Zia Agha advances West Health’s mission to lower healthcare costs to enable seniors to successfully age in place with access to high-quality, affordable health and support services that preserve and protect their dignity, quality of life, and independence.

Dr. Agha serves as physician leader for West Health, which includes the West Health Institute, Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center, and Gary and Mary West Foundation, ensuring its research portfolio and initiatives are translated into clinical practice, policy reform, and scalable innovations that will allow seniors to successfully age in place. Dr. Agha leads the development and execution of clinical research activities and brings a comprehensive understanding of the evolving field of clinical informatics such as clinical information systems, telehealth, and data science.

Dr. Agha joined the West Health Institute in 2014 and leads the organization’s clinical research and medical informatics initiatives, focused on creating and advancing senior-appropriate acute and chronic care models, and improving access to long-term services and supports.

Prior to joining West Health, Dr. Agha was director for the Health Services Research and Development (HSRD) division at VA San Diego Healthcare System and Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego, where he currently holds an appointment as a part-time professor.

A practicing physician, Dr. Agha received his MD degree from Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan and an MS degree in Clinical Epidemiology and General Internal Medicine fellowship in Health Services Research from the Medical College of Wisconsin. He is a Diplomat of the American Board of Internal Medicine.