Harvard University has named Monica Bharel, an Indian American physician and public health leader at Google Health, as vice chair of Harvard University Board of Overseers’ executive committee for the 2025-2026 academic year.
The university announced her selection along with the election of Sylvia Mathews Burwell, former president of American University and former secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as president of the board for the same term.
“Sylvia Burwell and Monica Bharel are accomplished alumni leaders whose experience overcoming complex challenges under extraordinary circumstances will serve Harvard well,” said President Alan Garber.
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“As a physician, a public health expert, and a government leader, Monica has combined compassion with evidence-based solutions to keep people healthy throughout the region and across the country,” he said.
The Board of Overseers is one of Harvard’s two governing boards and its members are made up of and elected by Harvard alumni. Formally established in 1642, the board plays an integral role in the governance of the University.
As the global clinical lead in public sector and public health at Google, Bharel works to harness technology to solve public health challenges, using the power of data and analytics to drive innovations in advancing health outcomes for all, according to the Harvard Gazette.
“It’s an immense honor to serve in this role alongside my fellow Overseers and with President Garber and leaders across the University,” said Bharel. “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.”
Bharel was appointed by Gov. Charlie Baker in 2015 as Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, serving as the Commonwealth’s chief physician from 2015 to 2021. During that time, she oversaw the Massachusetts public health response to the Covid pandemic as well as several other public health crises, including the opioid epidemic.
As commissioner, Bharel oversaw a public health workforce of nearly 3,000 and an expansive department covering a wide portfolio of health-related issues, including lead poisoning, health equity, and injury prevention. Bharel was a leader in the creation of the Public Health Data Warehouse in 2017, as part of the newly created Office of Population Health. Under her leadership, Massachusetts ranked nationally among the healthiest states in the nation.
Bharel also served as a senior adviser to the mayor of Boston in 2021-22 and was appointed by Mayor Michelle Wu to lead the city’s response to the humanitarian crisis in the area known as Mass and Cass.
Bharel is a board-certified internist who has practiced general internal medicine for more than 20 years, including at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston Medical Center, neighborhood health centers, the Veterans Administration, and nonprofit organizations.
She has served on the faculty of Harvard Medical School, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Prior to becoming commissioner, she was chief medical officer of Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program.
She holds a Master of Public Health degree through the Commonwealth Fund/Harvard University Fellowship in Minority Health Policy. She holds a medical degree from Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, and completed a residency and chief residency in internal medicine at Boston City Hospital/Boston Medical Center.