Bharel has been a doctor for the homeless.
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC: Dr. Monica Bharel, a physician who has spent much of her career tending to the most impoverished denizens of Massachusetts, has been selected to head the state’s Department of Public Health.
Bharel, who currently serves as chief medical officer at the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, was chosen for the role by then Governor-elect Charlie Baker, who has since assumed the full responsibilities of the governor’s office.
According to the Boston Globe, Bharel’s appointment pleased health advocates, who said the 44-year-old “demonstrated an unwavering commitment to improving the lives of the state’s homeless and most vulnerable, stretching back two decades to her days in medical school.”
The New England news outlet also lauds Bharel for her insatiable curiosity and ability to quickly to quickly grasp complex issues before translating them to everyday concepts.
For all her apparent talent and know-how, Bharel will be inheriting one of Massachusetts’ most beleaguered agencies.
The health department has been embroiled in controversy since 2012, when a drug analyst working for the institution tampered with evidence and risked tens of thousands of criminal convictions in the process. Soon after, a meningitis outbreak was traced to a compounding pharmacy regulated by one of the department’s boards, which the agency then followed up by bungling the implementation of Massachusetts’ recently introduced medical marijuana laws.
With employees numbering over 3,000 and a $540 million budget, the department regulates a plethora of medical facilities in addition to running more than 100 programs that address issues ranging from “infectious diseases to substance abuse.”
Bharel received her masters degree in public health through the Commonwealth Fund/Harvard University Fellowship in Minority Health Policy. Her medical degree is from Boston University, and she also serves on the faculty at both of her medical alma maters.