(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that after seven and a half years at the helm of DC Health, Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt will be leaving the agency to pursue new endeavors outside of DC government. Announcing Dr. Nesbitt’s departure, the mayor released the following statement:
“When I asked Dr. Nesbitt to return to lead Washington, DC Health, I knew she was the public health leader our city needed—someone focused on health equity and experienced in working with diverse populations. and who knew DC and the issues facing our community. Little did any of us know at the time that the director of DC Health was also responsible for our leadership of the global pandemic. As a DC physician, he has made our community incredibly proud by leading DC Health with expertise, compassion and a deep understanding of what it takes to build healthier neighborhoods. While there is more work to do, I am proud of the progress we have made in reducing new HIV cases, prioritizing maternal and infant health, and building a more equitable health care system. Under Dr. Nesbitt’s leadership, DC led one of the strongest responses to COVID-19 in the country, and in countless updates on the situation, Dr. Nesbitt answered every question from our community about COVID-19, viruses, vaccinations and more. Her passion for helping people and building healthier and more just communities has been a tremendous asset to our city, and we wish her well as she moves into the next chapter of her career.
Throughout her tenure as Director of DC Health, which began in January 2015, Dr. Nesbitt has led with a focus on health equity and improving the quality of health programs and health services for all DC residents, working to address the District’s most challenging health issues. . In 2015, she established the agency’s Office of Health Equity to facilitate collaboration with other district agencies and key partners. Dr. Nesbitt has also led major initiatives to expand school health services; improve maternal and child health programs resulting in record improvements in teenage pregnancy and infant mortality in the region; expand HIV services to heterosexual and transgender women of color; and increase access to primary care and emergency services, particularly east of the Anacostia River. Dr. Nesbitt also co-chaired Mayor Bowser’s Safer and Stronger Advisory Committee, which applied a public health approach to violence prevention, and was a steering committee member of Live.Long.DC, an initiative to end the region’s opioid epidemic.
Dr. Nesbitt will step down on July 29, 2022, and an interim leadership announcement will be made shortly.
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