CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Taps Seasoned Health Equity Advocate and Physician as New Director of Public Health
Dr. Djinge Lindsay will leverage relationships and data to achieve equitable health outcomes for people and communities in the region
CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst) has appointed board-certified family physician Djinge Lindsay, MD, MPH as its new Director of Public Health. In this newly created role, Dr. Lindsay brings nearly 20 years of medical and public health experience to lead CareFirst’s strategy for advancing and achieving better health outcomes for the people and communities in the region. Dr. Lindsay will lead CareFirst’s team that will involve, engage, and support regional public health systems to ensure all people can live their healthiest lives.
In this position, Dr. Lindsay will lead a new Public Health infrastructure team at CareFirst focused on improving health outcomes and health equity in all aspects of the healthcare experience. By leveraging our data to understand where health disparities exist, and what factors, such as social determinants of health, are driving those disparities the company can implement actionable and tailored responses for our members and communities. CareFirst will serve as a proactive partner with local health organizations, health departments, academic institutions and employers to develop strategies across all industries to better serve people throughout the region and meaningfully impact accessibility, affordability and quality of care for all.
“Now more than ever, there needs to be dedicated people and resources to effectively address and support the health of our communities,” said Stacia Cohen, R.N., Executive Vice President of Health Services for CareFirst. “Dr. Lindsay’s personal and professional achievements have demonstrated a deep commitment to promoting health equity and reducing disparities. Her public health leadership, medical background and vision fit seamlessly with CareFirst’s priority mission: to achieve equity in healthcare.”
Dr. Lindsay most recently served as CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Community Health Plan District of Columbia’s (CareFirst CHPDC) Medical Director, where she provided medical management oversight for Medicaid-insured special populations including adults with special care needs, perinatal and early intervention patients. Before this, she served as the Deputy Director for Community Health at the District of Columbia Department of Health, where she led strategic development, implementation and evaluation for a $70 million program portfolio consisting of more than 80 public health programs.
“I want to take a proactive approach to partnerships with regional public health systems, and bring data into decision-making,” said Dr. Lindsay. “This could mean using data to inform our philanthropic investments or arming employers with the information they need to impact the health outcomes of their workforce. My first priority is looking at our role in driving equitable health outcomes for the people and communities we serve, and we can’t do that without understanding where there are inequities and unpacking why there are inequities. We’ll employ strategies based in sound evidence.”
Dr. Lindsay completed her residency with the Georgetown University-Providence Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program. She holds a Doctor of Medicine (MD) Degree from the George Washington University School of Medicine, a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Health Care Management and Policy from the Harvard School of Public Health and a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Chemistry from Howard University.
“Having grown up in a marginalized community, I’ve made my life’s work caring for people that have been underserved or experienced poor outcomes in the healthcare system,” said Dr. Lindsay. “There is so much more we can do for people to be healthy.”
In addition to her work with CareFirst, Dr. Lindsay is a member of the Federal City Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated and serves on the Board of Directors for BEST Kids, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit dedicated to supporting foster youth through long-lasting mentoring relationships.
Dr. Lindsay resides in the Brookland neighborhood of Washington, D.C. with her husband and twin sons.