Ajay Kumar, MD

EVP & Chief Clinical Officer
Hartford HealthCare

Ajay Kumar, MD, FACP, SFHM, MBA, is the Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer (EVP & CCO) for Hartford HealthCare

A fierce advocate for accessible, affordable and equitable care, Dr. Kumar is a bold healthcare executive focused on improving the quality and safety of healthcare delivery for all.
With more than three decades of healthcare experience, Dr. Kumar has served in various strategic leadership roles throughout his career. In his role as EVP & CCO, Dr. Kumar has a broad portfolio of responsibilities. He is accountable for providing strategic clinical leadership for the healthcare system’s quality and safety strategy, clinical outcomes for Institute’s and service lines, physician services, innovation, medical and nursing informatics, the HHC Care Logistics Center, academic affairs, clinical research, pharmacy services and healthcare delivery optimization.

Prior to his role as EVP & CCO, Dr. Kumar served as Vice President of Medical Affairs for the Hartford Region, Hartford Hospital, where he led significant strategic initiatives to improve Hartford Hospital’s operational efficiency, quality and patient safety. Dr. Kumar previously served as Chairman of Hartford Hospital’s Department of Medicine from October 2013 through December 2018, and also led the Division of Hospital Medicine. In that capacity, his efforts focused on service reorganization, recruitment, quality, and process improvement.

Dr. Kumar immigrated to the United States in 2001 after completing his Medical Degree from Bangalore University, India and Membership of the Royal College of Physicians at the Royal College of Edinburgh, United Kingdom. He joined the Cleveland Clinic in 2004 as a staff physician in hospital medicine, where he advanced in leadership roles, ultimately serving as Vice Quality Review Officer of the Medicine Institute and Assistant Professor of Medicine prior to his departure in 2011.

In addition to his medical degree, Dr. Kumar earned his Master's Degree in Business Administration from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2018.

Dr. Kumar is a highly regarded and accomplished physician leader. He is an active member of the American College of Physicians and the Society of Hospital Medicine and has been nationally recognized in hospital medicine and quality and safety. In 2010, he was selected by the American College of Physicians as a Top Hospitalist for his commitment towards hospital medicine. He has organized and directed several educational events at leading hospitals across the nation, including two Blood Management Summits at the Cleveland Clinic, four international conferences on Blood Management at the Mayo Clinic and the Health Care Innovation and Quality Summit at the Cleveland Clinic.

About Hartford HealthCare
With more than 41,000 colleagues, Hartford HealthCare’s unified culture enhances access, affordability, equity and excellence. Its care-delivery system — with nearly 500 locations serving 185 towns and cities — includes two tertiary-level teaching hospitals, an acute-care community teaching hospital, an acute-care hospital and trauma center, three community hospitals, a behavioral health network, a multispecialty physician group, a clinical care organization, a regional home care system, an array of senior care services, a mobile neighborhood health program and a comprehensive physical therapy and rehabilitation network. On average, Hartford HealthCare touches more than 17,000 lives every single day. The unique, system-wide Institute Model offers a unified high standard of care in crucial specialties at hospital and ambulatory sites across Connecticut offering unparalleled expertise at the most affordable cost.

The institutes include: Ayer Neuroscience, Behavioral Health, Cancer, Digestive Health, Heart and Vascular, Orthopedics and Tallwood Urology & Kidney. Visit Hartford HealthCare at www.HartfordHealthCare.org and stay connected through newsletters and social media.