Elected to the Board: July 1, 2015
Term Expires: December 31, 2026
Ward 2

Born to parents who immigrated to the US from India, Ms. Bhasin was raised in Delaware along with her younger sister.

Ms. Bhasin received her BA in Anthropology from George Washington University in 1996 and her Master's in Public Health from Emory University in 1999. She is a Research Scientist and started her career working at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Birth Defects and Disabilities. While at the CDC, Ms. Bhasin provided scientific and technical support in designing and conducting various surveillance and epidemiologic studies examining the descriptive characteristics and risk factors for five developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, hearing loss, and vision impairment. Ms. Bhasin also participated in extramural research during her time at the CDC as a member of the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network (ADDM), a multi-site surveillance program, and the Centers for Autism and Developmental Disabilities Research and Epidemiology (CADDRE), which, at the time, was planned as the largest study in the US to examine risk factors for ASDs and other developmental conditions. While living in Norfolk, Ms. Bhasin worked, through a short-term grant, in the Division of Community Health and Research in the Department of Pediatrics at EVMS which aimed to examine the effectiveness of family-based therapy in reducing disruptive behavior in children with ASDs.  Her previous experience also includes HIV/STD prevention, where she provided outreach education to at-risk youth, including those in Atlanta detention centers; working for the Hugh Spalding Children's Hospital in Atlanta; and the Minority AIDS Information Network, which was part of the National Organization of Black County Officials.

Currently, Ms. Bhasin is raising her children and is active in making Norfolk a better place to live for all. She has shared and continues to share her skill sets and passion with organizations and workgroups that aim to improve the health and education of Norfolk’s community, including the Norfolk School Board, Blocker Family Y, where she serves on the Board, Postpartum Support Virginia, and the Norfolk Department of Public Health’s, Community Health Improvement Planning Team, and many others. She also continues her own professional development in areas of maternal and child health.

Notably, she has been a staunch public education advocate. Prior to joining the School Board, Ms. Bhasin demonstrated her commitment to NPS students and staff through participation on various committees for the school division in which she has brought forth solutions and ideas to strengthen schools. Additionally, as a Steering Committee member of Norfolk GAINS (Growing and Investing in Norfolk Schools), a local, grassroots public education advocacy, she and fellow Norfolk GAINS volunteers brought greater civic and government attention to pubic education. She lobbied city and state officeholders for a fully funded school system, an increase in school board terms from two to three years to promote board stability, and a tax increase to better support school construction, technology, infrastructure, and operating costs.

Ms. Bhasin is married and has three children, who proudly attend Norfolk Public Schools.