The GW Healing Clinic is the umbrella organization for several clinical volunteer sites in the D.C. and Maryland area that are run by the students of the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. We provide primary care to medically underserved patients of Prince George’s County at our Bridge to Care clinic, help conduct behavioral health assessments and HIV testing and treatment at Whitman Walker Health, and partner with other community organizations to carry out our mission.
The idea behind starting the Healing Clinic was not only to give back to the community but to also bring together community, GW students and faculty. The results were more humbling and exhilarating than anticipated, especially in terms of overwhelming support from all of the above groups.
- Irina Brennan, the GW Healing Clinic co-founder
- Mission Statement
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The GW Healing Clinic is a non-profit organization committed to expanding access to health care to the vulnerable populations in and around Washington, D.C., regardless of insurance status or ability to pay. Our clinic is staffed by student and physician volunteers, offering free primary and preventive care, health education, patient advocacy, laboratory testing, gynecologic screening, specialty referrals and health insurance enrollment services.
- Leadership Team
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Role Name Executive Directors of Healing Clinic Felicia Zvagelsky & Kelsey Norton Executive Treasurer Rollins Turner Directors of Communication Dylan Gao & Esther Wu Directors of Fundraising Leena Zitoun & Medha Kurukunda Director of Alumni/Community Development Kate Atchison Directors of Bridge to Care Will Beech & Ponni Velmurugan Directors of Patient Navigation Catherine Hobbs & Kelsey Van Horne Director of Patient Relations Nene Okolo & Michael Ahmadi Director of Clinician Relations Sheila Akavan Director of Clinic Managers Blake Bogin Director of Clinic Partnerships Preeyanka Rao Director of QHC Jack Adams Directors of Education Dasuni Dharmaratne & Avery League Directors of Research Parnika Agrawal & Melissa Abel Director of PA Liaison Andrea Boyd Director of Grants Fiona Wardrop - Clinical Faculty Advisors
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Maria Portela-Martinez, MD, MPH
Melissa Maloof, PA-C
Our current U.S. healthcare system is facing many challenges. The lack of universal coverage, the affordability of medications and treatments and the limited access to high quality health care services both at a primary care and subspecialty level. On top of it all, we struggle with the fragility of a safety net that doesn’t have enough support or resources to support all of the most vulnerable among us. For over a decade, our GW students have been working hard to positively impact the quality of life for many of these vulnerable patients. On any given clinic night, you’ll feel a “buzz” that you often don’t find in other healthcare settings. It’s a reflection of the enthusiasm and compassion that is present and palpable. Every student plays a key role in clinic operations… from the front desk staff, to student clinician, patient navigator, laboratory or clinic manager. Along with supervision provided by local volunteer licensed clinicians, the students are fully engaged in the patient’s visit. Our core values of treating all patients with dignity and respect is reinforced to patients during every encounter. It is truly inspiring to see.
Student leaders emulate these values to their peers and the result is an amazing demonstration of the art and science of medicine. We are able to provide services through the financial support of faculty, alumni, family and friends. This funding helps us to sustain and expand our pro-bono clinical services. It may come as a surprise to you, but each year the number of student volunteers exceeds our capacity and we must turn many away because of our current limited clinical capacity.
Now more than ever, we need your support! We hope that you’ll consider a gift to the Healing Clinic and take solace in knowing that every dollar you give will go directly to patient care. It is a pleasure to serve as the student’s mentors in this important work. We can see the tangible and positive impacts on the health of so many people in our community. Thank you for being a critical part of our mission and allowing us to represent GW so positively in our community.
- Healing Clinic Operations
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The GW Healing Clinic’s operations are manifold and include a variety of programs that require the participation of students across multiple disciplines. Students of GW SMHS carry out all aspects of the operation and administration of the clinic. Selected medical students serve one-year terms and run the day to day operations.
We are constantly striving to improve our outreach efforts in the DMV area. Each year, we participate in a variety of educational and community events and are always open to new partnerships.
Our clinical services are the bulk of our operations. For more information about our branches, please visit the site specific pages for Bridge to Care and Queer Health Collective.
The GW Healing Clinic programs are supported by the fundraising efforts of the student members. In order to keep the clinic running, we host a variety of different fundraisers and activities all organized by students, for students. Please see our fundraising page for more information and ways to get involved!
We conduct short-term and longitudinal research as a way to continually evaluate and improve the quality of care we deliver. Through various conferences and presentations, we share our mission and engage with other student run free clinics around the country.
- Contact Us
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If this is a medical emergency, please call 911 immediately.
For inquiries, please reach out to our GW Healing Clinic email: healingclinic [at] gwu [dot] edu (healingclinic[at]gwu[dot]edu)