About Aliya Bhatia

Aliya Bhatia serves as the Executive Director of Vot-ER, a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan organization working to integrate civic engagement into healthcare.

Vot-ER believes that democracy starts in the clinic. Healthcare is everywhere in our lives, even more so since the onset of the COVID pandemic, and it is an amazing space for participatory innovation. Founded in 2019 by Dr. Alister Martin, Vot-ER has grown exponentially to support hospitals, clinics, health care professionals, and students in helping their patients to prepare to vote. 

Vot-ER’s work highlights that voting isn’t just a right, but an overlooked tool for health intervention.

Vot-ER works across all 50 states, in rural and urban communities, and in settings ranging from mobile clinics to major academic hospitals. Since 2020, Vot-ER has helped tens of thousands of healthcare professionals and patients get ready to vote and has appeared in the New York Times, the Guardian, the Stanford Social Innovation Review, the Washington Post, NBC, CNN, NPR, and more.

ESSAYS & SPEECHES
Presentation on Voting & HealthNew Profit Civic Lab SpotlightAmerican Promise Award SpeechKennedy School Class Day Speech
Press & Op-Eds
The Guardian on Voting & HealthNBC clip on Vot-ER's 2020 effortsStanford Social Innovation Review Op-EdSee You Now Podcast Interview
social & Contact
Vot-ER Homepage
LinkedIn Profile
Contact via Vot-ER site
Bio and Headshot

Aliya was drawn to the connection between health and democracy through the combination of being raised by parents in the medical field and various defining experiences while studying, teaching, and working on housing and health initiatives.

Prior to Vot-ER, Aliya worked primarily in the crade-to-career education space and in private sector consulting. She taught in New Orleans through Teach For America, served for-profit and social impact clients at the Boston Consulting Group, and helped to launch Purpose Built Schools. She prioritizes diversity and inclusion in all her endeavors.

Aliya completed her Masters in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School as a Sheila C. Johnson Leadership Fellow and is a graduate of the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. Beyond her formal studies, Aliya is passionate about continuous learning and evolution, and she reads avidly about leadership, team building, and strategy. 

Aliya resides in Washington, DC where she works to realize Vot-ER’s vision of healthy communities powered by an inclusive democracy. She is a Georgia native and has worked in Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and Missouri.

Outside of work, Aliya enjoys spending time with her friends, mentors, and former students. She dabbles in the arts and can occasionally be found practicing improv or painting.

Copyright Aliya Bhatia