In Memoriam – David Meyers, M.D.

Join us in celebrating the extraordinary life of Dr. David Meyers, a compassionate healer whose impact on the lives of countless patients, students, and colleagues will forever be cherished. Delve into heartwarming anecdotes, heartfelt testimonials, and a lasting legacy that continues to inspire and uplift all those who were fortunate enough to cross paths with him.

David Meyers, MD
David Meyers, M.D.

As you may have heard, we lost one of our department’s stars recently. After a long illness from brain cancer, Dr. David Meyers died at home on July 2, surrounded by family, friends, and former teachers.

David finished our residency in 2000, and became our first health policy fellow, helping to shape the fellowship and get it off the ground. He later joined our faculty and became director of the health policy fellowship, as well as director of our practice-based research network, CAPRICORN. Because of David’s groundwork, CAPRICORN has grown into one of the most successful research programs in the country.

In 2004, David left Georgetown to join the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. There, he directed the Agency’s work in support of the patient-centered medical home. He was director of the Center for Primary Care, Prevention and Clinical Partnership, and was AHRQ’s first chief physician.

David directed AHRQ’s Practice-Based Research Network initiatives, putting to work what he learned at CAPRICORN on a national level. He served as Acting Scientific Director for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, and Deputy Director of AHRQ (serving as acting director for a year in 2021). In 2019 David was inducted into the National Academy of Medicine.

A former director of AHRQ (Gopal Khanna, MBA) once said of David: “I cannot think of anyone who cares more, or works harder, to advance the quality and safety of the nation’s healthcare.”

Here is the announcement from AHRQ, which provides more details about David’s amazing and impactful career.

David was remarkably public about facing his own mortality. You can learn more about living from David’s writings and interviews about dying. Here is a selection:

As you know, we’ve named our Grand Rounds in David’s honor, and have an annual health policy presentation in his name. View a photo of the plaque that will hang in our department; we have previously sent a copy to David and his wife, Hannah Joyner.

David wanted any donations in his name to go to one or more of these programs: