WASHINGTON, DC (September 14, 2020)—The National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership (NCMLP) at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health (Milken Institute SPH) is thrilled to announce the selection of Bethany Hamilton as its new Director. She was chosen after an extensive, nationwide search.
Hamilton brings more than a decade’s worth of experience working at the intersection of health equity and social justice to the position. She most recently served as Deputy Director, State Affairs at the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), where she led projects to expand Medicaid, defend the Affordable Care Act, and strengthen health center enabling services.
“Bethany has worked in every policy environment across the country—from local to federal, red to blue, rural to urban,” said Lynn R. Goldman, MD, MS, MPH, the Michael and Lori Milken Dean of Milken Institute SPH. “Her policy leadership and savvy—grounded in community, equity, and social justice—will accelerate NCMLP’s opportunities to improve the systems and policies that most affect health and well-being.”
Hamilton brings a unique understanding of both health care and legal services operations to this role. She advanced health care workforce development as part of NACHC’s Community HealthCorps Program, and began her career as an Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Legal Fellow at Legal Assistance of Western NY, where she built a re-entry clinic focused primarily on employment law issues. As a former member of NCMLP’s Advisory Council from 2014-2019, she served as a bridge between the two sectors and was part of the team that oversaw the NCMLP’s transition to become a federally-funded technical assistance hub for health centers.
“The pandemic has laid bare all of the inequities in our society,” said Hamilton. “For years, the public health field rang the alarm on the need to focus our work and investments on the social determinants of health. I am excited to promote NCMLP’s mission to advance an evidence-based model that integrates patient-centered lawyers into health care settings and addresses the legal barriers to health and welfare. As a team, we will build a post-pandemic world where lawyers are instinctively included in every population health solution.”
Hamilton, who started at her new position August 31, succeeds Ellen Lawton, who served as NCMLP’s founding director from 2006-2020. During her tenure, Lawton oversaw the growth of the medical-legal partnership field from two dozen programs nationwide to programs at nearly 450 hospitals and health centers today, and secured federal investment in the model.
“The Department of Health Policy and Management joins the NCMLP team in welcoming Bethany as the new Director,” said Anne Markus, PhD, MHS, JD, Chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management at Milken Institute SPH. “Bethany’s background and experience as a lawyer and as a policy advocate and researcher is a nice fit with our department and she will undoubtedly bring her wealth of knowledge to current and new projects.”
Hamilton earned her Bachelor’s Degree at the University of Miami and a Juris Doctor with a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Health Law and Policy from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
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About the National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership
The National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership leads education, research, and technical assistance efforts to help health organizations in the United States leverage legal services as a standard part of the way they respond to social needs. Learn more at www.medical-legalpartnership.or