Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Our Commitment to Diversity
We support our community and promote workplace equity and inclusion as part of our mission to create a better future for children and their families.
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At Children’s National, we are working to create a culture that leverages our differences to achieve excellence. We promote and practice compassion, commitment and connection in order to create strong partnerships with the community, our staff members, our patients and their families.
Our efforts to create a more diverse residency program have been recognized by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, which honored our Pediatric Residency Program with the 2022 Barbara Ross-Lee, DO Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award. The award recognizes programs working to diversity the underrepresented physician workforce and create inclusive workplaces.
Diversity and Inclusion Committee
Our Diversity and Inclusion Committee was founded on the premise that creating a climate that fosters belonging, respect and value for all leads to innovation, increased performance, increased staff engagement and the ability to positively impact patient satisfaction. Our committee is focused on increasing inclusion amongst our employees, faculty, students, trainees and volunteers by working with the following subcommittees:
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- Denice Cora Bramble, M.D., M.B.A.**
- Dewesh Agrawal, M.D.
- Eric Manuel Balmir
- Aisha Barber, M.D.
- Kelly Baugh
- James Bost, Ph.D.
- Andrew Campbell, M.D.
- Desiree de la Torre
- Craig DeWolfe, M.D.
- Gabrina Dixon, M.D., M.Ed.
- Enrique Escalante, M.D.
- Olanrewaju Falusi, M.D.
- Tara Floyd
- George Francois
- Vittorio Gallo, Ph.D.
- Monika Goyal, M.D.
- Tarik Haydar, Ph.D.
- Jessica Hippolyte, M.D., M.P.H.
- Darcel Jackson
- Giselle Jones
- Simmy King, DNP, MS, MBA, RN-BC, NE-BC
- Tonya Vidal Kinlow, M.P.A.
- Chaya T. Merrill, Dr.P.H.
- Folasade Ogunlesi, M.D.
- Renee Roberts Turner, M.D.
- Hemant Sharma, M.D., M.H.S.
- Stephen Teach, M.D., M.P.H.
- Joshua David Wilson
**Chair and Chief Diversity Officer
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- Andrew Campbell, M.D. *
- Folasade Ogunlesi, M.D. *
- Lee Beers, M.D.
- Jennifer Carpenter, M.D.
- Camilo Gutierrez, M.D.
- Lenore Jarvis, M.D.
- Eyby Leon Janampa, M.D.
- Vanessa Madrigal, M.D.
- Asha Payne, M.D.
- Elisha Peterson, M.D.
- Deepa Rastogi, M.D.
- Mi-Young Ryee, Ph.D.
- Nathan Smith, M.S., Ph.D.
- Lamia Soghier, M.D., F.A.A.P., C.H.S.E.
- Beth Tarini, M.D.
- Anupama Tate, D.M.D.
- Elizabeth Wells, M.D.
* Co-Chair
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- Aisha Barber, M.D. *
- Jessica Hippolyte, M.D., M.P.H. *
- Cynthia Akagbosu, M.D., M.A.
- Maria Almira-Suarez, M.D.
- Gelin Danoucheka
- Deepika Darbari, M.D.
- Gabrina Dixon, M.D., M.Ed.
- Nilay Donmez, M.D., M.S., F.A.A.P.
- Danielle Dooley, M.D., M.Phil.
- Enrique Escalante, M.D.
- Leandra Godoy, Ph.D.
- Kelly Granger, D.D.S.
- Yue-Hin Loke, M.D.
- Eleanor Mackey, Ph.D.
- Brandon Newsome, M.D.
- Bryanna Schwartz, M.D.
- Ariella Slovin, M.D.
* Co-Chair
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- Kelly Baugh *
- George Francois *
- Giselle Jones *
- Justin Cooke
- James Allen Fenner
- Chenille Hollowman
- Susan Keller
- Kim Brown
- Lisa Mercado-Foster
- Dominique Miles
- Nadine Coy
- Lorenzo Nicholson Jr.
- Patricia Jane O'Brien
- Carlos S. Pellot
- Caren Preston
- Iman Romodan
- Emily Samuel
- Conrad Simmons
- Hilah Zia
* Co-Chair
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- Anna Chelsea Armour *
- James Bost, Ph.D.
- Meredith Carpenter
- Kristen Breslin, M.D.
- Nailah Coleman, M.D.
- Terry Dean, M.D., Ph.D.
- Eduardo Fox, M.D.
- Trisha Ibeh
- Maggy Li
- Sahira Long, M.D., F.A.A.P.
- Jennifer MacKay
- Chaya T. Merrill, Dr.P.H.
- Susan Metzler
- Elizabeth Morrow
- Kavita Parikh, M.D.
- Yael Smiley, M.D.
- Janelle Vaughns, M.D.
- Mia Waldron
- Caleb Ward, M.D.
* Chair
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- Olanrewaju Falusi, M.D. *
- Simmy King, DNP, MS, MBA, RN-BC, NE-BC *
- Nyka Aukstuolis
- Michael Bernardo
- Melissa Covington
- Tamara Gayle, M.D.
- Brandon Joseph Ho
- Christina Lindgren, M.D.
- Celicia Little, DNP
- Julia Beth Miller
- Patrick Healy O'Keefe
- Alston Olds
- Meghan Schott, D.O.
- Simranjeet Sran, M.D.
- Xian Zhao, M.D.
* Co-Chair
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- Desiree de la Torre *
- Darcel Jackson *
- Brianna Dance
- Marc DiFazio, M.D.
- Kathleen Ennis-Durstine, A.P.C., A.C.P.E.
- Brooke Goodwin
- Rosemary Grefe
- Kerstin Hildebrandt, M.S.H.S.
- Jessica Lazerov, M.D.
- Yolanda Lewis-Ragland, M.D.
- Naomi Luban, M.D.
- Kevin McFagden
- Melanie Knight
- Margaret Menzel, M.S., C.G.C.
- Sephora Morrison, M.D.
- Tessie October, M.D., M.P.H.
- Ololade Okito, M.D.
- Hope Rhodes, M.D., M.P.H.
- Matthew Schlageter, M.Div., B.C.C.-A.P.C.
- Meghan Sullivan, NNP
- Itina R. Viaud
- Mekela Whyte-Nesfield, M.D.
* Co-Chair
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- Joshua David Wilson *
- Katherine Forte
- Megan Laurent
- Jennifer Littrell
- Elizabeth Morrow
- Leah Parker
* Chair
Fostering Health Equity in the Community
Health equity ensures that all people have access to services and opportunities that enable healthy living. To raise awareness about health equity, our team performs research and seeks to effect change through health programs that help children in our community who experience inequities. We also work with the community to promote career opportunities and mentorship programs at Children’s National:
- Advancing health equity. There is clear evidence showing that structural racism is responsible for significant health disparities for people of color. Through research, community partnerships and advocacy, we are combating these serious public health concerns.
- Community Benefit Program. Children’s National extends beyond diversity and inclusion to help build communities where every child can grow up stronger. Our Community Benefit Program provides treatment, or promotes health and healing, as a response to identified community needs.
- School Health Collaborative. We understand that children spend much of their time in school; therefore we envision a school-friendly healthcare system designed to ensure all children reach optimal health and achieve their full academic potential. For more than two decades, our School Health Collaborative has served the school system by providing more than two dozen school-based programs (including oral health, mental health, reproductive health and school nursing) and administering 20 school-based health centers in three public school jurisdictions.
- Mentorship and career opportunities. Through a variety of community partnerships and programs, we introduce adolescents, teenagers and medical students to a future in medicine. We also provide them with access to biomedical research opportunities.
LGBTQ+ Care
We support our LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning/queer) patients through several programs and services:
Read more about LGBTQ+ support resources at Children’s National.
Contact Us
Have a question about diversity, equity and inclusion at Children's National? Please contact Chief Diversity Officer Denice Cora-Bramble, M.D., M.B.A.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Report
Learn about our progress and our ongoing commitment to our patients, families and employees as we work together to advance equity and inclusion across our communities.
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Resources for Families
Children’s National offers services to ensure that patients and families are connected to support systems such as language services, parent navigators, spiritual care and more while receiving world-class treatment at our hospital.
Learn more
Human Rights Campaign Foundation Recognizes Children's National Hospital
We're honored to be recognized by the HRC Foundation as a "LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader" with a perfect score in their Healthcare Equality Index.
Learn more
Healthcare Disparities Research Addresses Outcomes of Emergency Department Care
The ADAPT Lab is one of several labs at Children's National that seeks to address inequities in pediatric healthcare through research.
View the ADAPT Lab