Michelle Roett on Health Justice, Family Medicine, and Community Engagement

On September 10, 2025, the Conversations in Health: Global to Local class had the opportunity to speak with Michelle Roett, M.D., professor and chair of family medicine at Georgetown University Medical Center. Our discussion began with Dr. Roett’s journey, centered on themes of uplifting others through community engagement and eliminating health disparities. 

Dr. Roett’s mission to uplift others was instilled in her from an early age in Barbados, where her mother worked as a social worker and her father as a teacher. When she attended Johns Hopkins University to pursue her undergraduate degree with plans of going into medicine, she brought her community values with her. 

At Georgetown University Medical School, where she studied medicine, she found her calling in family medicine and envisioned becoming chair of the Department of Family Medicine. 

And achieve her goals she did. 

As chair, Dr. Roett is a leader at her institution, engages with her community, and teaches the next generation of doctors. 

Health equity has been one of her key priorities at Georgetown. In her role as professor, she encourages students to immerse themselves in local communities to learn what roles and programs are most needed. Her research focuses on eliminating health disparities through a wide range of approaches. She also pushes to make sure the health system invests in causes that advance health justice. 

It was inspiring to hear how serving the D.C. community is a priority for Dr. Roett and the ways she has advanced this goal. One of her current focuses is addressing disparities in maternal and infant care. She leads the DC Safe Babies Safe Moms, a program that centers patients and emphasizes community partnerships to ensure mothers receive care before, during, and after birth. 

Dr. Roett’s story is a powerful reminder of what can be accomplished when working alongside the communities you seek to serve. As she reminded us all, people are at the center of health, and truly supporting patients requires uplifting them as part of a community. 

Leila Pagel (C‘26) is an undergraduate student majoring in biology and justice and peace studies at Georgetown University.