Policy at The Institute at Whitman-Walker

The Institute for Health Research & Policy at Whitman-Walker conducts health policy development, research, analysis, and implementation to advance health equity for underserved communities in D.C. and across the country.

We develop evidence-based health policy strategies to expand access to high-quality health care, dismantle discrimination and other structural barriers to good health and well-being, and reduce health disparities.

Policymakers, researchers, advocates, educators, and providers rely on us for healthcare policy expertise grounded in the lived experience of the diverse communities with whom we have deep ties in Washington, D.C. and nationwide.

That includes LGBTQI+, Black, Latine, and immigrant communities, as well as people living with conditions such as HIV, diabetes, cancer, and mental and behavioral health challenges.

Pillars of our work include:

• Expanding access for all to high-quality health care and health insurance coverage
• Enhancing responsible data collection, particularly around sexual orientation and gender identity
• Improving the health and well-being of patients and communities served by Federally Qualified Health Centers and other safety net healthcare centers
• Organizing with local and national advocates to build collective power for change

Our health policy work and education initiatives are guided by the lens of intersectionality, as coined by Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw. We recognize that structural racism and other overlapping systems of oppression, such as patriarchy, homophobia, and transphobia, create unique experiences of privilege and oppression for the communities we serve.

We employ a justice framework to analyze and dismantle these systems by increasing access to health care, economic resources, legal protections, political representation, and other conditions vital for good health and well-being.