HL7 International Appoints Professor Rachel Dunscombe as CEO to Lead Next Phase of Global Interoperability
Appointment strengthens HL7’s leadership capacity to advance standards, collaboration, and digital health innovation worldwide
(For full media release and contact click here.)
ANN ARBOR, MI, January 8, 2026 — Health Level Seven International (HL7®), the global authority on healthcare data interoperability standards, today announced the appointment of Professor Rachel Dunscombe as its new Chief Executive Officer. Professor Dunscombe succeeds Charles Jaffe, MD, PhD, who concludes his tenure this month following nearly two decades of leadership.
Professor Dunscombe is a globally recognized leader in healthcare interoperability, digital health strategy, and standards-based transformation. Most recently, she served as CEO of openEHR International, where she led global adoption of open health data standards and strengthened partnerships with governments, standards bodies, and healthcare organizations worldwide.
“Rachel’s appointment marks an exciting new chapter for HL7,” said Carol Macumber, Chair of the HL7 International Board of Directors. “A recognized champion of partnership across standards communities, she has consistently promoted collaboration to achieve shared global goals. Her vision and experience will help HL7 strengthen its role as a trusted convener and standards development organization at a time of rapid change in healthcare.”
Under Dr. Jaffe’s leadership, HL7 expanded adoption of foundational standards, including FHIR®, and saw HL7 standards embedded in health IT policy and regulation worldwide.
“I am honored to join HL7 International and build on its legacy of standards that I have personally used and valued in health systems, to advance data connectivity and interoperability,” said Dunscombe. “I look forward to working with the community to advance open standards that support better care, responsible AI adoption, and meaningful global collaboration.”
Prior to her role at OpenEHR, Professor Dunscombe served as CEO of the NHS Digital Academy, where she helped shape the UK’s digital health leadership strategy. In addition, she has also provided advisory services to the UK Secretary of State for Health and served on the UK Government AI Council, demonstrating her expertise in health technology and the integration of AI into healthcare systems.
Her academic contributions earned her a Visiting Professorship at Imperial College London, and she currently serves as an ambassador on the Digital Health Society’s Board of Directors, shaping digital health strategies and innovations worldwide.
The HL7 Board of Directors, in fulfillment of its responsibility to ensure organizational continuity and long-term readiness, established a standing Succession Planning Committee (SPC) in 2024. The Board developed a rigorous, global search process grounded in objective criteria tailored to HL7’s unique role as a volunteer-driven, international standards organization serving the healthcare ecosystem. This process considered not only core executive leadership competencies, but also the ability to lead a complex global community, steward trusted standards, and navigate the evolving health and technology landscape. The Board is confident that Dunscombe brings the experience, perspective, and leadership required to guide HL7 into its next chapter.
About Health Level Seven International (HL7)
Health Level Seven® International (HL7) is an ANSI-accredited, not-for-profit standards developing organization with the mission of empowering global health interoperability. With affiliates in over 30 countries, HL7’s global membership envisions a world in which everyone can securely access and use the right data when and where they need it. Widely implemented by vendor and health care systems, and required by governing bodies around the world, HL7 standards deliver solutions for health information technology, including HL7® Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR®), Version 2 (V2) and Clinical Document Architecture (CDA®). For more information, visit www.HL7.org.
