Nirav D. Shah

Nirav Dinesh Shah (born 1977) is an American epidemiologist, economist, attorney, and politician. Shah worked as an economist and epidemiologist at the Cambodian Ministry of Health. He served as the director of the Illinois Department of Public Health from 2015 until 2019. During that time, Shah's handling of a Legionnaires' disease outbreak in which 13 people died was heavily criticized, with both Illinois senators calling for his resignation. He served as the director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention from 2019 to 2023, during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was the principal deputy director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2023 until 2025. In 2025, Shah began to teach courses at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, in public health, epidemics and crisis communication. He ran for governor of Maine in the 2026 election as a Democrat but lost in the primary. After 2026 U.S. Senate nominee Graham Platner withdrew his candidacy, Shah launched a campaign for the U.S. Senate, but withdrew in favor of Troy Jackson after Jackson won a majority of convention delegates.