A Washington, D.C. area medical association recognized the Georgetown University School of Health (SOH) dean with an award Nov. 12 for his work to advance D.C. health equity.
The District of Columbia Hospital Association (DCHA) awarded six recipients the annual Vincent C. Gray Health Equity Award for their contributions to health equity and furthering healthcare as a right in their communities. Christopher King, the SOH dean, received the award not just for his work as an academic, but because DCHA believed that he made health equity his personal mission, according to the association’s press release.
King said he is honored to earn the award and be compared to the award’s namesake, former D.C. mayor Vincent Gray.
“This work is not easy and the forces against a health equity agenda can be strong and powerful,” King wrote to The Hoya. “But Gray always stood his ground and amplified the voices of the most vulnerable. I have always admired his courage and commitment. To be an extension of his legacy will be one of my life’s greatest achievements.”
Gultekin Gollu, an associate professor in Georgetown’s department of health management and policy and one of King’s colleagues, said King’s consistent dedication makes the award a fitting honor.
“It has been a true privilege to work with Dr. King,” Gollu told The Hoya. “He is a visionary and humble servant leader who is committed to advancing health equity. His dedication is evident in the welcoming, inclusive culture he promotes in the School of Health. This award is a fitting recognition of his meaningful and lasting contributions to health equity in D.C.”
King said that as a multigenerational D.C. resident he has seen the impacts of inequitable systems firsthand.
“My grandparents raised 8 kids in D.C.,” King wrote. “As Black residents, they had to navigate systemic racial inequality. For example, redlining and exclusionary zoning practices were rampant, and white residents benefitted from federal housing policies and incentives that led to their migration to the suburbs.”
Sam Halabi, Georgetown’s Bette Jacobs Endowed Professor in the department of health management and policy who works alongside King, said King’s work is vital to how Georgetown interacts with and supports the community.
“His work is so essential to the vulnerable in our community,” Halabi wrote to The Hoya. “From addressing food insecurity in partnership with local businesses and civil society to exploring how hospitals can bridge the gap between insurance and care to making sure that Georgetown is recognized as a medical education and outreach institution for the community in which it sits and which in so many ways supports it.”
King said it will be difficult to reconcile years of injustice, but he begins that work within the SOH’s courses.
“As a health professional, I realize that the elimination of health disparities by race can only be eliminated with an equity and atonement lens,” King wrote. “This work must happen within and beyond the walls of the medical establishment. This awareness informs how I approach my work and offers insight on the imperative for us to reconceptualize health professions education.”
Halabi said King has always prioritized the D.C. community when it comes to healthcare, including through his work with the Georgetown University MedStar Hospital.
“At MedStar, at the department of healthcare management and policy, and now leading the School of Health, he has made the health of the D.C. community his priority,” Halabi wrote.
King said the health equity field is focused on making sure every person, regardless of background, has an equal chance in the healthcare they receive.
“We have to switch from an ‘equality’ lens to an ‘equity’ lens,” King wrote. “The equity lens comes with many responsibilities, but first and foremost is recognizing that the status quo must be critiqued, and resources or services may need to be altered, adjusted, reorganized or reconceptualized to make sure everyone has a fair shot. This is what we mean by health equity.”
King said the first step to addressing D.C. health equity is investment.
“Strategic investments are needed in Wards 5, 7 and 8,” King wrote. “When residents of those jurisdictions have access to jobs with livable wages, affordable childcare, affordable housing, healthy food and preventive health services at the neighborhood level, we will see improvements in health outcomes.”
