Dayna Bowen Matthew

Dayna Bowen Matthew, JD, PhD, is a legal scholar, author, and academic leader serving as dean and Harold H. Greene Professor of Law at George Washington University Law School. Matthew is the first woman to lead the law school as dean. Her scholarship focuses on racial disparities in health care and civil rights law. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Harvard-Radcliffe College, a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law, and a doctorate in health and behavioral sciences from the University of Colorado Denver. Early in her legal career, Matthew clerked for Justice John Charles Thomas of the Virginia Supreme Court.

Before entering academia, Matthew practiced as a civil litigator in Kentucky and Virginia, focusing on the defense of medical care providers and corporate manufacturers in state and federal courts, as well as before administrative and licensing tribunals. She later served on the University of Colorado law faculty as professor, vice dean, and associate dean of academic affairs, was a member of the Center for Bioethics and Humanities on the Anschutz Medical Campus, and held a joint appointment at the Colorado School of Public Health. Matthew also served on the faculty of the University of Virginia School of Law, where she co-founded and directed The Equity Center, a research center dedicated to addressing racial and socioeconomic inequality through community-engaged scholarship.

Matthew is the author of two books on health equity: "Just Medicine: A Cure for Racial Inequality in American Health Care" and "Just Health: Treating Structural Racism to Heal America." Her policy work includes serving as a Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellow for U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, senior advisor in the Office of Civil Rights at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and visiting fellow for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. She co-founded the Colorado Health Equity Project, a medical-legal partnership focused on removing barriers to health for low-income clients through legal representation, research, and policy advocacy.

As dean, Matthew established an agenda to enhance the law school's reputation, increase funding for professorships and scholarships, and strengthen community connections. She launched the Equity Institute Initiative at George Washington University, which led to the creation of the Institute for Racial, Ethnic and Socioeconomic Equity, where she serves as inaugural faculty director. Matthew has overseen significant faculty growth, hiring new tenure-track, permanent legal writing, and adjunct faculty members.

Matthew was inducted into the National Academy of Medicine, recognizing her contributions to health and medicine. She serves as a non-resident senior scholar in the Center for Health Policy at the Brookings Institution and is a member of the American Law Institute. Matthew serves on several public health boards, including the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' COVID-19 Vaccine Working Group, the American Society of Law, Medicine, and Ethics, and the Scientific Advisory Council of the Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts. She has been recognized by the Colorado Women's Chamber of Commerce as one of the Top 25 Most Powerful Women. Matthew frequently speaks on the intersection of law, medicine, and public policy, advocating for equity and justice in health care and civil rights.