New York: Dr. Ashwin Vasan, an Indian American physician and public health leader, has been appointed as a Menschel Senior Leadership Fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health for the spring term.
In this role, he will teach a course on "Health Policy and Leadership" and mentor students pursuing leadership roles in public health.
Vasan, SM, MD, PhD, served as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (2022–2024), where he led initiatives to improve life expectancy, reform mental health systems, reduce medical debt, and expand access to reproductive health care.
A Harvard Chan School alum with two decades of experience, he has worked to advance health, social welfare, and public policy for marginalized populations globally. Vasan previously served as President and CEO of Fountain House, founded NYC’s Health Access Equity Unit, and has held roles with Partners In Health and the WHO. He is on faculty at Columbia University and practices at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.
