New Jersey Department of Health names new deputy commissioner for public health services
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NEW JERSEY – Dr. Sejal Hathi, a former White House senior policy advisor, is joining the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) as Deputy Commissioner for Public Health Services, Commissioner Judith Persichilli announced Monday.
Dr. Hathi will begin in her new role at NJDOH on July 3, replacing Dr. Meg Fisher, who has been serving as Acting Deputy Commissioner since September 2022 and will resume her role as Special Advisor to the Commissioner.
“We are excited to welcome Dr. Hathi to the New Jersey Department of Health. Her experience will help guide our state as we continue to work to protect and improve public health on behalf of New Jersey residents,” said Commissioner Persichilli. “Her dedication and commitment to improving public health, maternal and child health, and health equity will help lead state policy for years ahead. We thank Dr. Fisher for stepping up and doing a tremendous job in filling the role of Acting Deputy Commissioner these past months.”
As the Deputy Commissioner for Public Health Services, Dr. Hathi will oversee the Divisions of Epidemiology, Environmental and Occupational Health; Family Health Services; HIV, STD and TB Services; Public Health Infrastructure, Laboratories and Emergency Preparedness; and the Offices of Local Public Health, Opioid Response and Policy, and Women’s Health.
As the White House’s Senior Policy Advisor for Public Health, Dr. Hathi led public health preparedness and response, medical supply chain, and climate health policy for the Domestic Policy Council. Dr. Hathi is also a board-certified internal medicine physician and previously served as assistant professor and joint faculty member at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of Public Health.
“I am deeply honored to join a department and an administration so fiercely dedicated to strengthening New Jersey’s public health infrastructure and to ensuring equitable access to the services and opportunities that will make New Jersey stronger, fairer, and healthier for all,” Dr. Hathi said. “I look forward to tackling the challenges ahead as we rebuild in the wake of a once-in-a-century pandemic and accelerate progress on core public health priorities.”
Early in her career, Dr. Hathi founded and led two global social enterprises to advocate for women and girls, working over 10 years to support and mobilize more than 30,000 young women across six continents. In 2013, she was appointed as one of nine public health leaders to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s expert advisory group on women’s and children’s health, charged with evaluating and reporting global progress against maternal and child mortality.
More recently, Dr. Hathi served as the host and producer of Civic Rx, a podcast on health equity and social justice featuring long-form interviews with global leaders. She has served on numerous national boards related to public service and public health, and today maintains a role as a founding board member of Indiaspora. Dr. Hathi has spoken at TEDWomen, the World Health Assembly, and the United Nations, among other venues.
Dr. Hathi earned her M.D. and M.B.A. from Stanford University, where she studied as a Paul & Daisy Soros Fellow and a Harry S. Truman Scholar. She received a B.S. with honors in Molecular Biology from Yale University, where she was also a Global Health Fellow. She trained in internal medicine and primary care at Massachusetts General Hospital, during which time she also served on the faculty of Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Hathi currently resides in Princeton. Dr. Hathi is a delegate of the Academy of Achievement, a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a member of the Yale University President’s Council on International Activities.
