Joe Shonkwiler, M.D.

Dr. Joe Shonkwiler joined the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) as the agency’s inaugural Chief Operating Officer in 2023. As COO, he leads all the business and administrative operations for the agency, including technology transfer, finance, IT and data infrastructure, contracting and acquisitions, and human resources. 

Shonkwiler joined ARPA-H from the healthcare and life sciences startup business development team at Amazon Web Services (AWS). In that role, he and his team were responsible for putting Amazon’s people, technology, best practices, and relationships to work alongside investors and their portfolio companies to accelerate scientific, engineering, and commercial efforts in biotech, health tech, and med tech. Prior to joining Amazon, Shonkwiler was a Vice President at Aledade, a venture-backed, technology-enabled healthcare services startup. In that role, he led national implementation of Aledade’s software and services as well as data and EHR integration across over 500 physician practices in 46 states. Before Aledade, he was the CEO of CollectedMed, a health education software startup spun out of Columbia University Medical Center.

Shonkwiler also spent time on Capitol Hill on the staff of former United States Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), serving as the Senator’s senior health policy advisor for all matters related to federal health policy. He began his career as a general surgery resident at Columbia University Medical Center/New York Presbyterian Hospital. He has an M.D. from Columbia University.