The recently established Rodham Institute for Healthcare Provider Education to Eliminate Disparities will seek to promote health equity in the District of Columbia through community-focused education and healthcare provider training.
The institute, housed within the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, is named in honor of the late Dorothy E. Rodham, mother of Hillary Rodham Clinton. Part of its mission is to develop a replicable model for other academic healthcare institutions to address urban health disparities.
“The establishment of the Rodham Institute will serve as a catalyst for GW and our community partners to unite and commit to a common goal of improving the health of all District residents, regardless of their neighborhood, their skin color, their gender or their bank accounts,” said Jehan El Bayoumi, director of the Rodham Institute and professor of medicine at SMHS.
The goals of the Rodham Institute are to:
• Partner with the D.C. community, including community and neighborhood organizations, healthcare providers and interested parties.
• Educate healthcare providers to deliver culturally appropriate, multidisciplinary care using community health models.
• Identify best practices related to health disparities, health provider education and community health.
• Research and evaluate new models of healthcare provider education and community-based care and their impact on health disparities, patient experience and health care costs.
• Disseminate successes and lessons learned for adoption by other urban academic healthcare institutions.
The Rodham Institute will leverage and accelerate many of GW’s long-standing relationships, both within the university and with external organizations.
For example, the first cohort of medical residents participating in the Underserved Medicine and Public Health concentration began their studies in fall 2012. The UMPH program, established in partnership with the GW School of Public Health and Health Services’ Geiger Gibson program, helps residents gain clinical competency in underserved settings, apply population-health principles and public health skills in medical practice and develop public health leadership potential. Studies for the second cohort of residents are currently underway.
Other key initiatives include the implementation of programming in partnership with the Association of Black Cardiologists, Inc.; the Calvin Coolidge High School Alumni Association; Girls Inc.; and the South East Tennis and Learning Center. Through these affiliations, the Rodham Institute is working to link high school students with health profession trainees, as well as SMHS faculty members, to provide mentorships related to careers in health professions.
“SMHS has always had a deep commitment to the community. Through the Rodham Institute, important partnerships will be established that will lead to the elimination of health disparities in Washington, D.C. This initiative supports the mission of the school, as we work together to improve the health and well-being of our local, national and global communities,” said Jeffrey S. Akman, vice president for health affairs and SMHS dean.