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Monica Bharel named vice chair of Harvard overseers committee
Bharel joins Sylvia Burwell in leading university governance for 2025–2026.
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Bhavana P - Thu, 05, Jun 2025
- 13:45 EDT
- 30
Monica Bharel (left) and Sylvia Mathews Burwell. / Niles Singer/Harvard Staff Photographer
Harvard University has named Indian-American physician and public health expert, Monica Bharel as vice chair of the board of overseers’ executive committee for the 2025–2026 academic year.
Bharel, currently the global clinical lead for public sector and public health at Google Health, will assume the role alongside Sylvia Mathews Burwell former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services and past president of American University, who has been elected president of the board.
Also read: Harvard names Sugata Bose Cabot fellow
Bharel brings decades of experience in medicine, public service, and health equity to her new leadership role. She previously served as Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health from 2015 to 2021, where she played a central role in the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and opioid crisis. Under her leadership, the state created the Public Health Data Warehouse and consistently ranked among the healthiest in the nation.
“It’s an immense honor to serve in this role alongside my fellow Overseers and with President Garber and leaders across the University. My time as a student at Harvard was transformative. In addition to the courses and analytical frameworks I was exposed to, the fellowship and camaraderie of people working together to solve complex problems expanded my own capacity and ability to imagine new ways of approaching solutions that work for everyone,” said Bharel.
An alumna of the Commonwealth Fund/Harvard University Fellowship in Minority Health Policy, Bharel has also served as senior adviser to the Boston mayor and helped lead the city’s Mass and Cass humanitarian response. She is a board-certified internist with over 20 years of clinical experience and has held academic appointments at Harvard Medical School, Boston University, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
The Board of Overseers, one of Harvard’s two governing boards, provides strategic counsel, overseas academic reviews, and ensures the University remains aligned with its foundational mission.
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