About Dr. James I. Merlino

Dr. James I. Merlino, MD, is a leading figure in global healthcare quality and safety. Hecurrently serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer at The JointCommission (JTC), the parent organization of Joint Commission International (JCI),where he leads efforts to transform accreditation and certification services throughdata-driven innovation to enhance patient safety and quality of care worldwide. ​

Before joining The Joint Commission in 2023, Dr. Merlino held senior leadership roles atCleveland Clinic — including Chief Clinical Transformation Officer, Chief ExperienceOfficer, and Associate Chief of Staff — while also practicing as a colorectal surgeon.Prior to that, he was Chief Transformation Officer at Press Ganey Associates, where heguided consulting efforts around patient experience and organizational improvement.With more than three decades of experience in healthcare, Dr. Merlino is widelyrecognized for his work in quality improvement, patient safety, organizationaltransformation, and patient-centered care. He has delivered hundreds of invitedpresentations globally, led strategic sessions with senior leadership of majorhealthcare organizations, and co-authored influential publications including thebook Service Fanatics: How to Build Superior Patient Experience the Cleveland ClinicWay (2014), and co-edited Zero Harm: How to Achieve Patient and Workforce Safety inHealthcare (2018). He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration fromBaldwin–Wallace College, and completed his medical degree at Case Western ReserveUniversity School of Medicine. His clinical training includes general surgery atUniversity Hospitals of Cleveland and a colorectal surgery fellowship at ClevelandClinic. He also served as a fellow under the Agency for Healthcare Research andQuality (AHRQ). ​