History

Congress awarded MSM $7.5 million in 1997 to establish NCPC, making the Center the first congressionally-sanctioned center to develop programs focusing on the intersection between the primary care system and health equity. This major public health milestone was possible thanks to the efforts of Dr. Louis Sullivan, the former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and President Emeritus of MSM.

NCPC’s unique lens brought together a diverse and interdisciplinary group of professionals focused on community-oriented prevention and primary care for low-income, minority, and other underserved populations. Over the past 25 years, we have established our voice in the national health equity conversation through strong partnerships, innovative research, and a wide range of programming.

NCPC has addressed primary care needs across many aspects of the system. Some examples of our work and impact include:

Icon Identified disparities in electronic health record adoption and highlighted the national digital divide among primary care providers who serve underserved communities.
Icon Completed a multi-year study on telemedicine use in primary care settings in the Southeastern United States and how existing telehealth reimbursement policies affected healthcare access and health equity.
Icon Part of research team led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that modeled the trajectory of Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias through the year 2060 and the racial disparities in the diseases’ projected morbidity and mortality.
Icon Explored racial and ethnic disparities in the initiation of antiretroviral treatment among HIV-infected Medicaid enrollees and showed the need for parity in treatment for Hispanic/Latinx populations.
Icon Identified significant problems with the quality and contextualization of racial and ethnic COVID-19 data reported among states in the early months of the pandemic, and identified opportunities to advance health equity through more robust data collection.
Icon Led a national discussion about the importance of disaster preparedness and a need for equitable care before, during and after pandemics and disasters.

Learn more about NCPC’s current work through its Divisions.