Careers: Interviews
A Chat with Stephen Shaya, MD: Executive Servant Leader at J & B Medical

This week, Stephen Ibaraki has an exclusive interview with Stephen Shaya, MD.

Stephen Shaya, M.D.'s life's journey has been one of service instilled by his Iraqi Christian parents and his grandmother. He graduated from Birmingham Brother Rice High School Summa Cum Laude was awarded a Merit Scholarship to attend Wayne State University.

During his time at WSU, Dr. Shaya won many leadership awards, including the Outstanding Student Leader in 1991, and became a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Grant Awardee. He was selected to serve on the Wayne State University Board of Governors from 1991 to 1993 and then attended Wayne State University Medical School and graduated in 1996. Dr. Shaya subsequently trained in Family Practice at North Oakland Medical Center and then did a fellowship at Wayne State University for Occupational and Environmental Health.

Since 2004, Dr. Shaya has been the Executive Servant Leader at J & B Medical, a global healthcare solutions company. J & B is a privately held global health care consortium based in Wixom, Michigan. Founded in 1996, Stephen worked closely with his father and family to start eighteen different business enterprises and now have customers all over the globe, including 48 states in the U.S. This innovative company has brought many new ideas and solutions forward to delivering care and continues to strive to improve patient access and quality. His role oversees all strategy, innovation, and growth of this family of companies. By leading the planning and development of their new enterprises, many describe him as an "intrapreneur", someone who behaves as an entrepreneur within a large organization.

Dr. Shaya's efforts have received many recognitions, including the 2015 Global Distinguished Health Care Award from the Center of Economic and Leadership Development, and a United States Congressional Commendation. In addition, Dr. Shaya received the Global Medical Innovation and Leadership Award on August 19, 2016, presented at the United Nations along with a commendation from the New York State Senate. In 2017, Dr. Shaya was named the American Diabetes "Father of the Year" on 4/28/2018. Dr. Shaya joined an esteemed lineup of global leaders at the Cura Foundation's Fifth International Vatican Conference in May of 2021, at which time he was presented with a Vatican Pontifical Hero Award given to individuals who through their generosity, compassion, wisdom, and leadership have inspired hope by working tirelessly to improve human health and increase the quality of life around the world.

He currently sits on many boards, including as the Chairman of the American Diabetes Association in Michigan, Citizens Rx, Endeavor Detroit, Henry Ford Hospital (West Bloomfield), and Velatura. Most recently, he was named to the International Council at Harvard's Kennedy School Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, a group of prestigious leaders from the public and private sectors advancing ideas and research to achieve a more secure and peaceful world. In addition, Dr. Shaya has been active in the family office world and actively participates in an advisory role for the Kensington S.V. Global Limited Partner Advisory Committee, Alpha Square Group based out of Toronto, Hong Kong, and New York City, Chartline Capital Partners out of Delaware, and the Lake Nona Impact Forum. He served as the Chairperson of the JDRF Roadtrip Event in 2021, which raised money for accelerating research towards a cure of type one diabetes. On January 30, 2022, Dr. Shaya spoke at the World Expo in Dubai on how to reimagine the global medical supply chain.

In June of 2022, he was awarded the Presidential Leadership Award and Presidential Gold Medal at the FBI's National Citizen's Academy National Leadership Conference in Norfolk, Virginia. In July 2023, Dr. Shaya was awarded American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin ("AAPI") Presidential Healthcare Leadership Award for Revolutionizing Healthcare Delivery during the AAPI Convention in Philadelphia, PA. At every turn, he has tried to demonstrate his grandmother's favorite phrase, which was from Mother Teresa. "Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love."