Pierre M. Barker is the senior vice president of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). He is responsible for IHI's expanding portfolio of large-scale health systems improvement initiatives in low- and middle-income countries. Previously he served as senior advisor to IHI's programs in Africa and India, and as director of IHI's South Africa projects. Dr. Barker, a pediatrician by training and a South African by birth, is a renowned authority on improving health systems, particularly in the areas of maternal and child health and HIV/AIDS care. Before joining IHI he was medical director of University of North Carolina (UNC) Children's Hospital clinics and was responsible for leading health system-wide initiatives on improving access to care and chronic disease management. He advises the WHO on health systems strengthening and redesign of HIV care and infant feeding guidelines.