Dayna Bowen Matthew, JD, Ph.D., is the new Dean for George Washington University Law School in Washington, DC  and the former William L. Matheson and Robert M. Morgenthau Distinguished Professor of Law and the F. Palmer Weber Research Professor of Civil Liberties and Human Rights at the University of Virginia School of Law. She holds an appointment in the School of Medicine’s Department of Public Health Sciences, and as a Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellow, worked on Capitol Hill, helping to address public health disparities for disadvantaged communities. Because of her great experience in this area, in her presentation, Professor Matthew identifies the historic and contemporary role that health providers can play in increasing health equity.  In addition, she defines the need for health care equity during the COVID-19 pandemic and the threats to health equity that have been heightened as a result of this challenging period.