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Monica Bharel named 2026 Harvard Med Class Day speaker
A former Massachusetts public health commissioner, Bharel also served as a senior advisor to the mayor of Boston.
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Malvika Choudhary - Fri, 03, Apr 2026
- 14:06 EDT
- 39
Monica Bharel / Bachrach Photography/ Harvard
Indian American physician-executive Monica Bharel will deliver the keynote address at the Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Dental Medicine Class Day ceremony on May 28.
Bharel currently serves as global clinical lead for public health and public sector health at Google, where she leads an international team of clinicians focused on applying technology and artificial intelligence tools to public health systems. Her work centers on reducing health inequities through data, technology, and policy.
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Before joining Google Health, Bharel was a senior advisor to the mayor of Boston and commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, where she led the state’s response to both the opioid epidemic and the COVID-19 pandemic.
During her six-year tenure as commissioner, Massachusetts recorded a significant decline in overdose deaths and was ranked the healthiest state in the nation in 2017. The state developed what it described as the nation’s first integrated public health data warehouse under Bharel’s leadership, aimed at addressing social determinants of health.
She is also vice chair of the Harvard University board of overseers and previously served as an instructor in medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Earlier in her career, Bharel served as chief medical officer for the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, where she led quality improvement efforts and advocated for health policy reforms.
She has also testified before U.S. congressional subcommittees and served as an invited expert to the White House, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the World Health Organization.
Bharel earned her medical degree from Boston University School of Medicine and a Master of Public Health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
She completed her residency and chief residency in internal medicine at Boston City Hospital/Boston Medical Center and has practiced general internal medicine for more than 20 years.
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