NRI appointed executive director of HHS-Connect

New York, Apr 1: Indian-American Kamal Bherwani has been appointed the Health and Human Services (HHS) Chief Information Officer (CIO), city Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced. Mr Bherwani simultaneously became Executive Director of HHS-Connect, a new system announced recently by the Mayor.

''The city has developed an aggressive plan for transformative change and I am proud to have been selected to lead this effort,'' the Indian-American said. ''HHS-Connect will not only greatly increase the quality of life of the clients we serve, but it will also help the city make better and quicker decisions, resulting in better outcomes for families. Collaboratively, we are well-positioned to make real progress towards the goal of integrated health and human services,'' he added.

Mr Bherwani's career in technology spans over 20 years in the fields of public health, finance, housing, energy, construction and marketing. He served as the CIO of multibillion dollar enterprises, both in the public and private sectors, as well as the CEO and board member of various technology, investment, and non-profit organisations.

He was most recently the CIO and Associate Commissioner for New York City's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. HHS-Connect will link more than a dozen city agencies. Mr Bherwani was born in India to parents who had migrated from Sindh. His father moved to the US in the early 1970s.

When Mr Bherwani arrived in New York in 1975, he was six years old.

UNI