City & State New York Recognizes Two Leaders From NYC Health + Hospitals And MetroPlusHealth On 2026 “Trailblazers in Healthcare” List
NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst Director of Oral and maxillofacial surgery Dr. Maryam Akbari and MetroPlusHealth Chief Medical Officer Dr. Sanjiv S. Shah are recognized on the list of distinguished individuals
Jan 29, 2026
NYC Health + Hospitals announced that NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst Director of Oral and maxillofacial surgery Dr. Maryam Akbari and MetroPlusHealth Chief Medical Officer Dr. Sanjiv S. Shah have been named to City & State New York’s annual “Trailblazers in Health Care” list for 2026. City & State New York annual Trailblazers list puts a spotlight on key figures in New York, including high-ranking elected officials, high-powered health care executives and effective advocates. City & State New York is a media organization dedicated to covering New York’s local and state politics and policy through in-depth, non-partisan coverage.
“I’m proud to stand alongside colleagues who are driving meaningful change and ensuring that patient-centered, equitable care remains at the heart of everything we do,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst Director of Oral and maxillofacial surgery Dr. Maryam Akbari. “City & State Health Care Trailblazer recognition underscores the importance of innovation, collaboration, and compassion in health care.”
“Being named to City & State’s Trailblazers in Healthcare list is an honor and a reflection of the collective work of dedicated clinicians, public health professionals, and the managed care teams who show up for our communities every day,” said Dr. Sanjiv S. Shah, Chief Medical Officer for MetroPlusHealth. “This recognition reinforces our shared commitment to advancing equitable, high-quality care and building a health system that truly meets people where they are.”
Leading Oral and Maxillofacial services at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, Dr. Maryam Akbari, a dual-trained dentist and physician, is expanding reconstruction services for the Queens community. A former medical podcast co-host, Akbari has reorganized her department and recruited new attending physicians to enhance specialized care. She is a dedicated advocate for transgender patients, focusing on insurance coverage and positioning the hospital as a destination for facial feminization. Under her leadership, Elmhurst has become a trusted hub for complex jaw and TMJ surgeries. Akbari brings her unique credentials to ensure New York City’s public hospital system provides world-class, inclusive surgical care.
Dr. Sanjiv S. Shah, MetroPlusHealth’s Chief Medical Officer, brings decades of infectious disease practice and managed care leadership to his role at New York City’s vast public health plan. Joining MetroPlusHealth just before the COVID-19 pandemic, he helped redeploy clinical staff and expand testing and vaccination outreach. Since then, he has pushed mental health parity from principle into practice by bringing behavioral health services in-house and expanding free dietitian access for city workers. He also helped launch medically tailored meals in partnership with God’s Love We Deliver and NYC Health + Hospitals, linking nutrition, chronic care and outcomes.
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About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest municipal health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city’s five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system’s trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlusHealth—all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 46,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.