Ahmed is a medical officer at Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) within the US Department of Health and Human Services with experience as Director and Chief Medical Officer of the Health Disparities Collaboratives; Chief of Clinical Quality Improvement, Bureau of Primary Health Care; Acting Deputy Director, HRSA Center for Quality; Chief Medical Officer, Senior Advisor and Acting Director Office of Health IT and Quality; and Vice-Chair, HHS Medical Claims Review Panel for the Federal Torts Claim Act (FTCA) housed within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH).

"Individual subject matter experts at the Stanford forum will bring to bear their expertise and different points of view – perhaps talking about how to help build a center – whatever way they can envision for contributing to the process.

I want to hear their key reactions to the experiences presented – the “aha” that might pop into their brain as a spark is triggered by another spark – an idea that was created by something said by another in the room. This new set of sparks can give participants both broad conceptual perspective and concrete examples of things that might work, ideally in synergy. Weaving these together into the fabric of action will be particularly valuable.

What are key insights from the discussion? What is the burning thing that the discussants get excited about doing possibly by next Tuesday? What is the most important concrete next step about “being in action” coming right from the forum?

I personally am not that interested in hypercritical perspective or even a technological angle per se – we run the risk of “celebrating the problem” with that approach and then becoming negative and unproductive. I am much more interested in “celebrating the possibilities” and then getting right into action in doing something about the improvement. Work is getting commitments from others and offering to follow-up in implementing offers. Requests and Offers may be the most important products from our discussions.

Strategically, the arena that personally is of most interest to me is “blending-in” the perspective and new insights from youth into the People Centered Internet proposed center. This means for me immediately after the forum further engaging the Stanford Haas Center for Public Service and the Stanford Students in the Cardinal Service Thrust that President Hennessy recently has launched."