For Immediate Release: April 4, 2019
Media Contact: Mina Radman, mradman@gwu.edu, 202-486-2529
Milken Institute School of Public Health Names 2019 Geiger Gibson Program Distinguished Visitor
WASHINGTON, D.C. and NEW YORK, NY (April 4, 2019)— The Milken Institute School of Public Health (Milken Institute SPH) at the George Washington University has named John Silva as the 2019 Geiger Gibson Program Distinguished Visitor.
The Geiger Gibson Distinguished Visitor Program honors leaders in the health center movement who have made vast contributions throughout their careers to community health centers and medically underserved communities. Each year, the Geiger Gibson Program selects a Distinguished Visitor to share their insights with students, faculty, and staff at the George Washington University through an in-residence lectureship and campus visit. Geiger Gibson Distinguished Visitors represent the finest in health center leadership, and Silva’s life-long contributions to health centers and patients have distinguished him as a leading voice in community-based health care.
Silva is the President and CEO of the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center, a community health center serving over 50,000 patients annually in northeast Massachusetts. For over 40 years, Silva’s leadership has transformed health care organizations and improved community health throughout the country. He has served as the CEO of health centers located in Missouri, New York, Oklahoma, California and Massachusetts, and has improved health center services and patient access in additional states. Silva’s passion for community-directed primary care led him to develop the first community health center-based Family Practice Residency Program in Missouri. His accomplishments include creating one of the first health center-owned Medicaid HMOs in the country. On the national stage, Silva has served the National Association of Community Health Centers in many leadership positions, including its president in 1993.
The Geiger Gibson Program in Community Health Policy, a special initiative of Milken Institute SPH, was named in honor of Drs. H. Jack Geiger and Count Gibson, pioneers in community health practice and tireless advocates for civil and human rights. The Geiger Gibson Program has worked since 2004 to help eliminate medical underservice and disparities in population health through education, training and research projects.
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About the Geiger Gibson Program in Community Health Policy:
The Geiger Gibson Program in Community Health Policy is a special initiative of Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University. Housed in the Department of Health Policy and Management, and named after Drs. H. Jack Geiger and Count Gibson, pioneers in community health practice and tireless advocates for civil and human rights, the program aims to develop the next generation of community health leaders by offering education, research and training in community health practice and leadership. The program’s research and educational activities seek to advance the education and policy development in the fields of health centers, primary health care for medically underserved populations, and health disparities reduction. The Geiger Gibson Program also offers a Fellows program, a health policy elective for medical residents, scholarship opportunities, an annual Distinguished Visitorship and more.
About the RCHN Community Health Foundation: The RCHN Community Health Foundation is a not-for-profit foundation established to support community health centers through strategic investment, outreach, education, and cutting-edge health policy research. The only foundation in the U.S. dedicated solely to community health centers, RCHN CHF builds on a long-standing commitment to providing accessible, high-quality, community-based healthcare services for underserved and medically vulnerable populations. The Foundation’s gift to the Geiger Gibson program supports health center research and scholarship.
About Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University:
The Milken Institute School of Public Health is the only school of public health in the nation’s capital.
