Dennis C. Wagner

Dennis Wagner is a national and international leader in the fields of healthcare quality improvement, the environment and social marketing. Dennis currently works in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as Co-Director of the Partnership for Patients Initiative and as associate director for Campaign Leadership in the CMS Innovation Center. Prior to his current CMS postings, Dennis served as the Associate Deputy Director and then Acting Director of the CMS Office of Clinical Standards and Quality (OCSQ). Dennis worked for 12 years at the Health Resources and Services Administration, including a final stint as Acting Director of HRSA’s Office of Health Information Technology and Quality. While at HRSA, Dennis led a major national effort to increase the donation and transplantation of organs. Dennis was the Director and Co-Director for a series of three large, national organ donation & transplantation breakthrough collaboratives and related initiatives.
Dennis has a master’s degree in public administration from Montana State University, and joined the Federal service with the US Environmental Protection Agency as a presidential management Intern in 1986. Dennis was a Council for Excellence in Government Fellow in 1991-92. Dennis and HRSA colleagues were recipients of Government Executive magazine’s prestigious Business Solutions in the Public Interest award in 2000. He and his organ donation team were among three 2005 Finalists for the prestigious Service to America Medal for Social Services (SAMMIEs) given by the Partnership for Public Service.