Stony Brook University Alumna Named Commissioner Of New Jersey Department Of Health And Senior Services

Stony Brook University Alumna Named Commissioner Of New Jersey Department Of Health And Senior Services

STONY BROOK, N.Y., February 8, 2010 —Stony Brook alumna Dr. Poonam Alaigh has been named commissioner of the New Jersey Health and Senior Services Department by Gov. Chris Christie.

Dr. Poonam Alaigh

Dr. Alaigh is the Executive Director at Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, where she is responsible for the major clinical areas that ensure the delivery of quality healthcare for its members. Dr. Alaigh’s career in health care administration and delivery includes clinical practice, hospital practice, hospital administration, managed care, pharmaceutical medicine and health care policy. 

This is the second time a New Jersey governor has called on Dr. Alaigh’s expertise. In 2005 she was appointed to serve on Governor-Elect Jon Corzine’s Transition Team on health care policy, strategies and issues. 

Dr. Alaigh received her MS in Health Care Policy and Management from Stony Brook’s School of Health Technology and Management in 1997. She attended Lady Hardinge Medical College, University Of Delhi in New Delhi, India, and completed her residency in internal medicine at Stony Brook University Medical Center. She continues her clinical work at the New Jersey Veterans Administration at Lyons providing direct patient care and is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Practice at UMDNJ/Robert Wood Johnson University Medical School.

“The education that I received at SUNY-Stony Brook has played a critical role in my professional achievements,” said Dr. Alaigh. “I look back fondly on my years at SUNY-Stony Brook and I am thankful for the opportunities that have been afforded to me as a result of the high quality education that I received.” 

Dr. Alaigh said her primary focus will be to “ensure the delivery of high quality health care to the citizens of New Jersey.” 

Prior to joining Horizon BCBSNJ, Dr. Alaigh served as National Medical Director for GlaxoSmithKline and was working with health plans on a number of national issues, including better use of health care technology, the reduction of disparities in health care and healthcare access to the under and uninsured population. She is a certified black belt in six sigma business management strategy. 

Dr. Alaigh has had publications in the field of vascular disease and population health. She is a board certified internist with a specialty in vascular diseases and is certified as a Diplomate in Internal Medicine and licensed to practice in New York and New Jersey. Dr. Alaigh has a number of affiliations and achievements. She is a fellow of the American College of Physicians, one of the founding members of SATHI (South Asian Total Healthcare Initiative) a program of the UMDNJ-RWJMS in New Jersey, is the past president and current member of the Board of Directors for the American Heart Association, Northern New Jersey chapter and the Founders’ affiliate. She was appointed to the Board of Trustees for the College of New Jersey in 2007.

Dr. Alaigh currently resides in Warren, New Jersey.