Myechia Minter-Jordan, MD, MBA, President and Chief Executive Officer of the CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, will receive Grantmakers In Health’s (GIH) 2023 Terrance Keenan Leadership Award in Health Philanthropy. The award recognizes outstanding health grantmakers whose work is distinguished by leadership, innovation, achievement, creativity, and boldness. Sara Ward of the CareQuest Institute for Oral Health nominated Dr. Minter-Jordan, with support from Makeeba McCreary of The New Commonwealth Fund and Orlando Williams of The Boston Foundation.
Dr. Minter-Jordan is both a physician and business executive, leading a dynamic team of professional and clinical experts committed to building a future where every person can reach their full potential through excellent health. Through Dr. Minter-Jordan’s leadership, CareQuest Institute operates as a catalyst for systems change, bringing forth ideas and solutions to create a more equitable, accessible, and integrated health system for everyone. CareQuest Institute collaborates with a wide range of partners to achieve its mission—to improve the oral health of all—through work in grantmaking, research, health improvement programs, policy and advocacy, and education, as well as leadership in dental benefits, care delivery, and innovation advancements.
Dr. Minter-Jordan also continues to shine a national spotlight on the importance of ending deep social inequity. In 2020, she joined 18 other Black and Brown executives in Massachusetts as a founding leader of The New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund to provide philanthropic support to community groups and coalitions fighting systemic racism and racial inequity in Massachusetts.
Before joining CareQuest Institute, Dr. Minter-Jordan served as Chief Medical Officer and CEO of the Dimock Center, one of Massachusetts’ largest community health centers. During her tenure, Dimock was recognized as a national model for comprehensive, integrated health, and human services. As CEO, Dr. Minter-Jordan formed partnerships with world-class institutions to advance person-centered care, including Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Partners HealthCare. Prior to Dimock, she worked for Johns Hopkins Medicine as an attending physician and instructor of medicine.
Dr. Minter-Jordan also invests personal time in her community, serving on several boards and committees, including BlueShield of California, The Boston Foundation, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Previously, she held appointed positions for influential agencies, including the Massachusetts Health Planning Council Advisory Committee and the City of Boston Public Health Commission.
Dr. Minter-Jordan earned her doctor of medicine degree from Brown University School of Medicine and a master of business administration degree from the Johns Hopkins University Carey School of Business. She also received honorary doctorates from Northeastern University and Newbury College.
In selecting Dr. Minter-Jordan, this year’s committee members were particularly impressed by her ability to call out inequity and injustice wherever she sees it and by her leading meaningful action to drive change on this issue throughout her career.