Arlington Physician Named CMO Of Blue Cross & Blue Shield Of RI

ARLINGTON, MA — An Arlington physician has been named chief medical officer of Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island (BCBSRI) following a national search.

Farah Shafi, MD, MBA, an experienced physician and healthcare leader in Massachusetts with ties to Rhode Island, began her new position in June.

According to BCBSRI, Shafi brings demonstrated leadership and results in key areas of community and member health including maternal health, health equity, and behavioral health.

Shafi comes to BCBSRI from Mass General Brigham Health Plan where she worked for seven years, most recently as deputy chief medical officer. She is an obstetrician-gynecologist, who has served as an attending physician at Columbia University Medical Center in New York and Atrius Health in Massachusetts and was on staff at Mount Auburn Hospital, Newton-Wellesley Hospital, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Shafi was born in Providence at the former Lying-in Hospital and completed her residency at its successor, Women & Infants Hospital. She was elected to serve as a chief resident and also was an assistant instructor in obstetrics and gynecology at Brown University Medical School.

“We are thrilled to have Dr. Shafi join BCBSRI! She brings extensive experience as a clinician and a physician leader, which equip her to both lead our clinical team and to partner with providers throughout Rhode Island,” BCBSRI President and CEO Martha L. Wofford said in a statement. “We specifically sought a hands-on physician leader with expertise in two key areas of focus: health equity and behavioral health. We are ecstatic to have found Dr. Shafi, whose deep experience is matched only by her passion for addressing disparities.”

As chief medical officer at BCBSRI, Shafi will take the helm of clinical affairs, overseeing BCBSRI’s proactive efforts to help members manage their health, prevent disease, and better navigate the healthcare system to access critical services.

Among her areas of focus will be youth behavioral health and initiatives to address healthcare disparities such as colorectal cancer screening and maternal health outcomes.

“I’m excited to join this wonderful organization and to return to my personal and professional roots in Rhode Island,” Shafi said. “I'm eager to lead BCBSRI’s outstanding clinical services on behalf of members, which have contributed to the organization winning best-in-class service recognition. Given my clinical background, I am also passionate about advancing
BCBSRI’s critically important work to respond to the nationwide adolescent behavioral health crisis and to end persistent health inequities.”

Following her birth in Rhode Island, Shafi was raised in Chicago and Kentucky. She received her medical degree from the University of Louisville School of Medicine and completed her residency at Women & Infants Hospital. She received her MBA from the Heller School of Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University.

Shafi lives in Arlington with her husband and two children.