S. Monica Soni, AB ’06, MD ’10
I have been privileged to remain engaged with Harvard Medical School through a variety of formal alumni roles—from participating in each Reunion committee (5th, 10th, and the recently completed 15th) to organizing a (at the time!) a recent grad Los Angeles alumni brunch to serving on the host committee for Dean Daley’s Los Angeles “Meet the Dean” event. I also remain connected to many alumni informally, benefiting from strong personal and professional bonds across our amazing HMS network.
Harvard taught me to be bold, brave, and authentic—values that have guided a career of service. From developing a pipeline of diverse health professionals to redesigning the specialty-primary care interface within a county system to scaling best practices in reducing disparities across California, I have witnessed firsthand how an owner’s mindset, coupled with courageous collaboration, can drive transformation.
The institutions that shape our profession, including HMS, face challenges that demand this same level of ownership and collaboration. HMS is part of each of our legacies. The alumni community, a diverse force multiplied by shared purpose, must stand ready not only to uplift the medical school but to demand that it deliver on its mission and values. Serving on the Council would be more than an honor; it is an opportunity to ensure HMS remains fearless in confronting the threats to the communities we serve. As alumni, we owe one another active engagement, honest critique, and steadfast support—so HMS can continue to alleviate suffering and improve health around the world.
S. Monica Soni, AB ’06, MD ’10, is the chief medical officer and a chief deputy executive director at Covered California, leading the organization’s Health Equity and Quality Transformation Division. She is working to improve the health of nearly two million Covered California enrollees and the quality and affordability of care for all Californians. In this capacity, she is responsible for health equity, health care strategy, medical policy, and other clinical operations to continuously improve not only the health services provided through Covered California’s contracted health plans, but also California’s delivery system.
She is a board-certified internal medicine physician with more than a decade of experience working in both inpatient and outpatient settings and continues to see patients. She is an associate professor within the UCLA Department of Medicine and the Charles R. Drew University Department of Internal Medicine, where she is committed to residency diversification and pipeline development.
Prior to joining Covered California, Soni was associate chief medical officer within Evolent Health, focused on the delivery of high-quality, cost-effective specialty care for the over 16 million supported Medicaid lives across the United States. During her time at the organization, she played a critical role in clinical informatics, provider engagement, value-based strategies, and innovation.
Soni also served as the director of specialty care for the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, the second-largest municipal health system in the United States. There, she ensured the delivery of timely and equitable specialty care across four hospitals, 20 ambulatory care clinics, the correctional health system, and more than 200 community partners. She also worked as the director of continuity care for Martin Luther King, Jr. Outpatient Center, where she led primary care, urgent care, and transitions of care.
A graduate of Harvard College, Soni graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in anthropology. She received her medical degree from Harvard Medical School and completed her residency in internal medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, with a focus on primary care. In addition, Soni was a fellow in the California Health Care Foundation Leadership Program and the Carol Emmott Foundation Fellowship. She is currently a board member for Mercy Housing California, a leading affordable housing organization, and previously served as a commissioner for the Los Angeles County Hospital and Health Care Delivery Commission.