The countdown is on until Zohran Mamdani is sworn in as the 111th Mayor of New York City in 2026. The city is not only gearing up for the inauguration of the city’s youngest mayor in more than a century, but also for the induction of Mamdani’s cabinet team members, who will help facilitate the delivery of his campaign policies and promises.
On Tuesday, Dec. 30, the Mamdani administration announced the appointment of Helen Arteaga Landaverde, PhD, and CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, as the deputy mayor of health and human services during a press conference at Elmhurst Hospital in Queens. She will lead the city’s department of health and mental hygiene, social services, aging, veterans services, youth and community development, the Administration for Children’s Services, and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
“My life’s work has been dedicated to making this city a better place — ensuring that every New Yorker, no matter who they are or where they come from, has access to healthcare, safety, and the services they need,” Dr. Arteaga Landaverde said in a press release, according to Becker’s Hospital Review.
“I am excited to join this administration in delivering the essential services, support, and care New Yorkers deserve — and in helping build a safer, more livable city for everyone.”
In March, Epicenter NYC spotlighted Dr. Arteaga-Landaverde’s work with the Commonwealth Fund in a conversation covering reflections and lessons five years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The discussion highlighted her efforts and philosophies on bridging gaps in health equity in NYC’s communities and how leaders – like herself, along with news organizations – can work together to disseminate crucial information accurately to the public. (You can watch that conversation here.)
In a statement on X, NYC Health + Hospitals said, “Since 2021, Helen has led Elmhurst Hospital—the epicenter of the #COVID-19 pandemic—with courage, compassion, and clarity, ensuring care for Queens’ most diverse and vulnerable communities. She has been a force for health equity throughout her career.”
“Helen brings deep experience, lived commitment, and a clear vision for health and human service. The health of New Yorkers and her community are at the heart of her service.”
One of the newest members of Mamdani’s team, Dr. Arteaga-Landaverde brings an already notable career of leadership in public service. For the past five years, she has served as CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, with over a million patient visits per year.
Dr. Arteaga Landaverde has also made history becoming the first woman of color and the first Latina to lead the hospital’s executive team. Originally from Ecuador, Dr. Arteaga Landaverde immigrated with her family to New York City when she was just a little girl, and is a longtime resident of Corona, Queens. She says that her experiences with healthcare, growing up, shaped her interests.
As CEO, she spearheaded the hospital’s first comprehensive employee wellness program and lobbied local elected officials to gather necessary funds for major renovations, including the main entrance, operating suites, intensive care units, HIV Clinic, Labor and Delivery Suite and Women’s Pavilion.
Appointments of the members of Mayor-elect Mamdani’s administration have been trickling in since November. Here are all the announced officials – some retained from the Adams administration – assembling the team. Read more about them here …
Officially appointed…
- Kamar Samuels, NYC Schools chancellor
- Dean Fuleihan, first deputy mayor
- Elle Bisgaard-Church, chief of staff
- Leila Bozorg, deputy mayor for housing and planning
- Julie Su, deputy mayor for economic justice
- Steven Banks, corporation counsel
- Jessica Tisch, police commissioner
- Lillian Bonsignore, fire commissioner
- Sherif Soliman, director of the Office of Management and Budget
- Jahmila Edwards, director of intergovernmental affairs
- Sam Levine, consumer and worker protection commissioner
- Mitchell Katz, president and CEO, NYC Health + Hospitals
- Ramzi Kassem, chief counsel
- Jason Graham, chief medical examiner
- Michael Garner, chief business diversity officer, Mayor’s Office of Minority and Women-Owned Businesses
- Mir Bashar, chief administrative officer
- Julia Kerson, deputy mayor for operations
- Louise Yeung, chief climate officer
- Ahmed Tigani, buildings commissioner
- Emmy Liss, executive director of the Office of Child Care
