William R. Scharf, MD
Executive Clinical Director
Quality & Safety
AdventHealth

William R. Scharf, MD, is the Executive Clinical Director of Quality and Safety at AdventHealth.  He graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University and received a medical degree from the University of Illinois in Chicago.  Dr. Scharf received postdoctoral training in general surgery from the University of Illinois Hospital, Cook County Hospital, and the West Side Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Chicago.   He completed residency studies in general surgery at The Ohio State University.

Dr. Scharf was a staff surgeon with the OSF Medical Group 1993-2007.   He was a Physician Change Agent at OSF HealthCare System from 2007-2018.  He presently oversees numerous quality and patient safety activities in AdventHealth, a nonprofit faith-based system with over 50 hospitals in nine states. 

Dr. Scharf has been a member of the Leapfrog Group Advisory Board since 2018.  He served on the National Steering Committee for Patient Safety, a joint effort between the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Institute of Healthcare Improvement (IHI) that is developing a national strategy for reducing harm.  He has worked on many initiatives with the Illinois Health and Hospital Association, Illinois Risk Management Services, and the Great Lakes Hospital Improvement and Innovation Network.