NEW YORK – Today, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani announced the appointment of Bharti Sharma as Executive Director of the Center for Innovation through Data Intelligence (CIDI).
“Bharti Sharma has dedicated her career to using data as a tool to improve people’s lives,” said Mayor Mamdani. “Whether leading our city’s public health response during the global COVID-19 pandemic or building systems to make government more effective, she has shown how responsible, creative use of data can help solve our city's most pressing issues. Her leadership will help City government deliver better services and real results that New Yorkers deserve.”
“Bharti Sharma brings unmatched experience and expertise that will be invaluable as we coordinate comprehensive, citywide solutions for health and social services,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Dr. Helen Arteaga. “I am confident that she will be an exceptional leader as we work to provide solutions for all New Yorkers.”
“It is an honor to serve the people of New York City in this role,” said Bharti Sharma, Executive Director, Center for Innovation through Data Intelligence. “CIDI sits at an extraordinary intersection where government, data, and human impact converge and that is precisely where I want to be. I’ve spent my career inside public health systems, seeing firsthand how the right data or the absence of it shapes outcomes for real people. I come ready to listen, to build, and to ensure that the work we do here delivers for every New Yorker.”
Founded in 2011, CIDI conducts interagency research to identify gaps in City services and improve outcomes for New Yorkers. The center works across Health and Human Service (HHS) agencies and other City partners to use data, research and collaboration to inform policy and strengthen service delivery. Sharma most recently served as Senior Director of Data and AI Strategic Enablement and Operations at NYC Health + Hospitals, the nation’s largest municipal health system, which includes more than 70 care locations and 11 acute care hospitals. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she designed and led the systemwide COVID-19 Intelligence Hub, providing executive leadership with real-time data on ICU capacity, emergency department throughput, bed availability, surge planning, ventilator supply and other critical operational metrics. She also led the development of the City’s testing and vaccination wait-time dashboards.
Following the pandemic, Sharma founded and scaled the Data Champion Program to more than 300 embedded champions across every hospital, central office and ambulatory site in the system. She also led the Data Academy, which has trained more than 500 staff members. Together, those programs generated an estimated $4.75 million to $5.5 million in annual cost avoidance while establishing NYC H+H’s enterprise data governance framework as a nationally recognized for responsible data use.
Sharma holds a Bachelor of Dental Surgery, a Master of Health Administration from Hofstra University and a Master of Science in Information Systems Engineering and Management from Harrisburg University.
“I had the privilege of working side-by-side with Bharti during the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the most challenging periods in modern healthcare history,” said Laura Iavicoli, Chief Medical Officer, NYC Health + Hospitals /Elmhurst. “I witnessed firsthand how her leadership, innovation, and relentless focus on data-driven decision-making helped guide our health system through an extraordinarily difficult time. She has a rare ability to connect data, strategy, and human impact, and I can think of few people better suited to help shape policies and decisions that improve the lives of New Yorkers. City Hall is gaining an exceptional leader and public servant.”
“Bharti represents a new generation of data and AI leaders,” said Divya Pathak, Chief AI Officer at Regeneron. “She has redefined how a large, complex healthcare system builds and scales intelligence — distributing it across the organization while maintaining strong governance and operational discipline. Her work is innovative, impactful, and sets the standard for how public-sector systems can become more intelligent, agile, and future-ready.”
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