Health Equity
News, Statements, and Testimony on Health Equity Issues
25th Council session information coming soon.
Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt and Dr. Michael Weinstein announced as 2025 award winners
WASHINGTON, DC – The Medical Society of DC is pleased to announce Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt as the 2025 John Benjamin Nichols Award recipient and Dr. Michael Weinstein as the 2025 Distinguished Service Award winner
The annual Capital Healthcare Honors will once again honor four individuals for their decades of excellence in medicine while celebrating the trailblazers of the DC medical community. This year’s event will take place on March 26 at the historic National Press Club. The festivities include a social reception, full dinner, and awards ceremony and will bring together government leaders, healthcare executives, community and industry stakeholders, and more from across the metropolitan Washington region.
Tables and sponsorships are now available for this prestigious event. Contact our office for more information or read here.
The event recognizes four individuals and one company who in their own ways have paved the way for DC to be a leader in various aspects of healthcare. While winners were noted for their care for physicians and the public during the COVID public health emergency, all five are showing how healthcare in the DC area, and nationally, can be effectively and equitably delivered to people in need.
This year's distinguished honorees are:
Distinguished Service Award
Michael Weinstein, MD, will be presented with the Distinguished Service Award for his outstanding leadership in private practice medicine throughout DC and Maryland, embodying the highest standards of medical care and community service.
The Distinguished Service Award is presented to a physician member for outstanding service to the Medical Society of the District of Columbia. Past awardees include Dr. Dorothy Starr (1987), Dr. Ray Scalettar (1992), the Physician Health Program (1999), Dr. Peter Lavine (2005), Dr. Roselyn E Epps (2019), and Dr. Raymond Tu (2024).
John Benjamin Nichols Award
LaQuandra Nesbitt, MD, will receive the John Benjamin Nichols Award for her pivotal role in leading the District's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and her continued dedication to advancing health equity at George Washington University.
The John Benjamin Nichols Award is presented in recognition of outstanding contributions toward improving the health of the community. The award has been given since 1953 and previous recipients include Dr. James Taylor, Sister Carol Keehan, Polly Shackleton, and Congressman Joseph Himes.
Drs. Weinstein and Nesbitt join our two previously announced awardees -
Meritorious Service Award
Lisa Boyle, MD, of MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, will receive the Meritorious Service Award in recognition of her exceptional leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and her continued strategic leadership of the medical staff.
The Meritorious Service Award is MSDC’s highest award and has been given out since the 1940s. Past recipients include Dr. Montague Cobb, Dr. Raymond Scalettar, Dr. Charles Epps, Dr. Greg Argyros, Dr. John Lynch, Dr. Daniel Lucey, Dr. Gigi El-Bayoumi, and Dr. Daniel Marchalik, among others. The award is presented to a physician member in recognition of
distinguished service to the medical profession as a whole.
Dr. Charles H. Epps III Award
Keith Egan, DO, will be honored with the Charles H. Epps III Award for his groundbreaking work at MAPMG Pride Medicine, demonstrating exceptional commitment to inclusive and compassionate healthcare.
This is presented to a physician member for outstanding public service to the DC community. Past recipients include Dr. Tamika Auguste, Dr. Collette Magnant, Dr. Kim Bullock, Dr. Jeff Akman, Dr. Janelle Goetcheus, Dr. Marvin Korengold, and other DC medical luminaries. Previously known as the Community Service Award, the honor was renamed in 1997 after Dr. Epps, a 1994 honoree.
Sample of Health Equity Legislation MSDC Tracked
What does it say? The bill allows for the administration of medicinal marijuana in schools as well as allows students to bring sunscreen to schools and apply it without a prescription.
MSDC position: MSDC supports the language permitting sunscreen application in schools
Current status: A win for DC physicians and public health! The legislation passed the Council in February and was signed by the Mayor. Previous temporary and emergency legislation permitted students to use sunscreen at schools this school year already.
What does it say? The bill requires DC Health to establish an electronic Medical Order for Scope of Treatment registry (eMOST).
MSDC position: MSDC supports this legislation to more easily allow patients to make their treatment orders known.
Current status: A win for the physician community and our patients! The Council passed the bill in December and the Mayor signed it into law on January 16, 2020.
What does it say? The bill would implement a 1.5 cent per ounce tax on the distribution of "sugary" beverages. The money collected from the tax would establish a Healthy People, Healthy Places Open Spaces Grant Program.
MSDC position: MSDC sent a letter to Council Chair Mendelson asking for a hearing to discuss all of the issues around a beverage tax.
Current status: The bill was introduced October 8, 2019 and referred to the Committee on Business and Economic Development and the Committee of the Whole.