Bridging Medicine and Policy: Meena Seshamani’s Insights on Patient-Centered Care and Lifelong Learning
By Fritze Mayer (H’26)
On February 25, Meena Seshamani, M.D., Ph.D., visited Georgetown’s campus to speak with students in Conversations in Health: Global to Local class. I was fortunate to be among those who heard her insights on a career in health care, spanning direct patient care to leadership in the public and private sectors, and the ways the United States can improve its health care for all.
Dr. Seshamani shared that her passion for biology led her to medicine, but an undergraduate Comparative Health Systems class sparked her interest in broader systemic forces. She wove her studies in both health economics and otolaryngology into her formal career. It was clear that she has followed both of her interests in medicine and economics with dedication, immersing herself deeply in both clinical care and policy.
While Dr. Seshamani covered a wide range of topics, I was particularly struck by her emphasis on patient-centered care and the value of diverse perspectives in shaping health care. She highlighted Medicare initiatives under her leadership that expanded provider reimbursement for screening patients’ social service needs, such as food insecurity and transportation access. This approach recognizes that health extends beyond clinical settings, incorporating social determinants to improve outcomes. Her commitment to integrating non-health actors into the system aligns with a preventative, holistic approach to care.
Another key theme of the conversation was the importance of diverse voices in health care discussions. Dr. Seshamani stressed that patients, providers, and organizations across the country have unique needs that may not always be reflected or represented in Washington, DC.
She advocated for listening to all perspectives, even those on opposing sides of contentious issues like drug pricing. I was particularly impressed by how she practices this principle despite holding high-level positions that might seem removed from everyday patient experiences.
In discussing policy decisions, she shared personal anecdotes that tied her work in government and MedStar Health to real patient stories. Her ability to bridge policy with lived experience reinforced the idea that effective health care leadership requires both technical expertise and the deep empathy that she showed.
Throughout the session, Dr. Seshamani offered a hopeful perspective on dedication and lifelong learning. She acknowledged that health care is both deeply personal and complex, making it challenging to find solutions that serve everyone. Still, she emphasized that the passion and commitment she felt in university have remained at the core of her work and should remain at the core of ours going forward, too.
While the future of public health programs like Medicare may be uncertain, her career trajectory, marked by persistence, flexibility, and service, was a reassuring reminder that impact in the health field comes in many forms. Hearing Dr. Seshamani speak so honestly about her journey was both a privilege and an inspiration. She reinforced the idea that career paths in health care are rarely linear, but each experience can shape our ability to drive meaningful change.
Fritze Mayer (H’26) is an undergraduate student at Georgetown University majoring global health. She is a student in the Conversations in Health: Global to Local class.