{"id":39850,"date":"2021-05-28T18:48:00","date_gmt":"2021-05-28T22:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/framinghamsource.com\/?p=39850"},"modified":"2021-06-04T17:55:02","modified_gmt":"2021-06-04T21:55:02","slug":"massachusetts-commissioner-of-public-health-bharel-leaving-june-18","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/framinghamsource.com\/index.php\/2021\/05\/28\/massachusetts-commissioner-of-public-health-bharel-leaving-june-18\/","title":{"rendered":"Massachusetts Commissioner of Public Health Bharel Leaving June 18"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In full transparency, the following is a press release from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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BOSTON\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Today, Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders announced that after serving as the Commissioner of the Department of Public Health for over 6 years, Massachusetts Commissioner Monica Bharel is stepping down effective\u00a0June 18.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Appointed by Governor Baker in 2015, the Commissioner has steered the Department of Public Health through significant public health challenges including the opioid epidemic, vaping associated lung disease, Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), and the COVID-19 pandemic.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The longest serving Commissioner of Public Health since 1997, Commissioner Bharel brought a health equity lens to all of the Department\u2019s work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Commissioner Bharel is a primary care physician with over 20 years of clinical experience. She holds a Master\u2019s in public health in health care management and policy.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cCommissioner Bharel\u2019s steadfast work ethic and commitment to health equity has made a lasting\u00a0 impact on hundreds of thousands of residents of the Commonwealth,\u201d said\u00a0<\/strong>Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders. \u201cHer tireless advocacy for the public health of all residents helped the Administration navigate the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic with compassion. On behalf of the administration, \u00a0I extend my deepest thanks to Commissioner Bharel for her service to the Commonwealth during these unprecedented times and to wish her the very best as she pursues her next professional chapter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt has been an honor and privilege to serve residents of the Commonwealth as the state\u2019s top physician and the Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health,\u2019\u2019 said\u00a0Commissioner Monica Bharel. \u201cAfter serving in this role for more than six years, which is longer than any Public Health Commissioner has served in nearly a quarter of a century, it is the right time to begin a new chapter. DPH staff have helped make Massachusetts a national leader in COVID-19 testing and vaccination while demonstrating a tireless commitment to placing health equity front and center of that work. Because of our work these past six years, Massachusetts now consistently ranks as one of the healthiest states in the nation.\u2019\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Achievements during Commissioner Bharel\u2019s tenure include:  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n