Joel Selanikio, MD| Pediatrics | MedStar Health
Joel Selanikio

Joel Selanikio, MD
Provider is directly employed by MedStar Health

4.9 out of 5 (56 reviews)

Specialties: Pediatrics

Languages: Spanish, French, English

(202) 243-3434

About me

Dr. Joel Selanikio (@jselanikio) is an award-winning physician, epidemiologist, TED speaker, futurist, and emergency responder working in the fields of technology, healthcare, entrepreneurship, innovation, artificial intelligence, big data, child health, global health, and disaster response.

He is the winner of the Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Award for Healthcare, and the $100,000 Lemelson-MIT Award for Sustainable Innovation, and a founding member of the World Health Organization Digital Health Roster of Experts.

A frequent keynote speaker, Dr. Selanikio speaks and consults on the intersection of technology, health, and healthcare, identifying ways in which advances in technologies such as artificial intelligence will alter healthcare, global health, the pharmaceutical industry, and our personal health.

He has consulted and/or spoken at Davos, Foo Camp, Nasdaq, WHO, UNICEF, IFRC, Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Google, DARPA, CNN, Fox News, the Clinton Global Initiative, the Royal Society of Medicine, and for many leading organizations in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry – and has been profiled by the Guardian, Wired, Forbes, TED, The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, Fox News, the BBC, NPR, Information Week, and the Washington Post, among many other publications.

An emergency responder and former CDC epidemiologist and outbreak investigator, he served as a consultant epidemiologist to the DC Department of Health and to FEMA for the COVID-19 response over 2020 to 2021. In December 2014 to January 2015, he was the lead physician at the IMC Ebola Treatment Center at Lunsar, Sierra Leone. As an officer of the Public Health Service, Dr. Selanikio served as Chief of Operations for the HHS Secretary's Emergency Command Center after the 9/11 attacks. In 2005, he was given the Haverford Award for Humanitarian Service for his work in treating tsunami victims in Aceh, Indonesia. He lives in Washington, DC with his wife and son, and continues to practice pediatrics at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.

Clinical areas of focus

  • Behavior Concern
  • Cough
  • Ear Infections
  • Feeding Problems
  • Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
  • Headache
  • Newborn Feeding Problems
  • Seasonal Allergies
  • Sleep Disorders
  • Well Child Exam
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Conditions and procedures

Conditions I treat

  • Abdominal Distention
  • Abdominal Migraine
  • Abdominal Pain
  • Acne
  • Aggressive Behavior
  • Anal Fissure
  • Ankle Injury
  • Ankle Sprain
  • Anxiety
  • Arm Pain
  • Back Muscle Injury
  • Back Pain
  • Behavior Concern
  • Behavioral Disorders
  • Breathholding Spells
  • Calf Pain
  • Celiac Diarrhea
  • Celiac Disease
  • Cellulitis
  • Colic
  • Conduct Disorder
  • Conjunctivitis
  • Constipation
  • Cough
  • Cradle Cap
  • Depressed Mood
  • Depression
  • Destructive Behavior
  • Developmental Delay
  • Diarrhea
  • Disruptive Behavior
  • Dysmenorrhea
  • Ear Infections
  • Eating Disorders
  • Eczema Herpeticum
  • Elbow Pain
  • Enuresis
  • Failure To Thrive
  • Feeding Problems
  • Fever
  • Food Allergy
  • Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
  • Headache
  • Impetigo
  • Irritability
  • Leg Pain
  • Lice
  • Lymphadenopathy
  • Neonatal Acne
  • Newborn Feeding Problems
  • Novel Coronavirus
  • Otalgia
  • Pertussis
  • Pharyngitis
  • Respiratory Syncytial Virus
  • Scabies
  • School Anxiety
  • School Related Problems
  • Seasonal Allergies
  • Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD)
  • Sleep Disorders
  • Sore Throat
  • Strep Throat
  • Substance Addiction
  • Syncope
  • Teething
  • Tinea Capitis
  • Toilet Training Issues
  • Urinary Tract Infection
  • Weight Problem
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Procedures I perform

  • Autism Testing
  • Birth Control Counseling
  • Camp Physicals
  • Concussion Testing
  • Developmental Assessment
  • Examination Of Eyes
  • HIV Testing
  • Newborn Care
  • Novel Coronavirus Testing
  • Novel Coronavirus Vaccine
  • Novel Coronavirus Vaccine Booster
  • School Physical
  • Sports Physical Exam
  • Travel Vaccination
  • Visual Field Testing
  • Well Child Exam
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Practice locations

Distance from Change LocationEnter your Location

53rd and Cloud Pl NE
Dwellings Clay Terr
Washington, DC, 20019

202-444-8888

Fax 202-444-4315

Get Directions

miles away

Fax 202-444-4315

50th and Banks Pl NE
Lincoln Heights
Washington, DC, 20019

202-444-8888

Fax 202-444-4315

Get Directions

miles away

Fax 202-444-4315

3800 Reservoir Road Northwest
Pasquerilla Healthcare Center
Washington, DC, 20007

202-444-8751

Fax 866-990-5516

Get Directions

miles away

Fax 866-990-5516

1st and North St SW
King Greenleaf
Washington, DC, 20024

202-444-8888

Fax 202-444-4315

Get Directions

miles away

Fax 202-444-4315

Insurance

MedStar Health accepts most major health insurance plans. If you are uncertain as to whether your individual health insurance plan is accepted at MedStar Health, please call your insurance company.

  • List of insurance plans we accept
    • AmeriHealth Caritas DC Healthy Families
    • AmeriHealth Caritas DC Healthcare Alliance
    • Amerigroup DC Healthy Families
    • Amerigroup DC Alliance
    • Aetna Open Choice (PPO)
    • Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO & PPO Plans
    • Innovation Health: Open POS Plus
    • Innovation Health: Open POS II
    • Aetna Managed Choice Open Access (POS)
    • Aetna Choice POS & Choice POS II
    • Innovation Health: POS Plus
    • Aetna Managed Choice (POS)
    • Innovation Health: POS
    • Aetna Open HMO/Open HMO Option/Open EPO Plus
    • Aetna HMO-Open Access/Select OA
    • Aetna HealthFund/Health Network Option OA
    • Innovation Health: HMO & EPO Plus
    • Aetna Select HMO/HealthFund/Health Network
    • Aetna HMO
    • Innovation Health: Open Network Only Plus
    • Aetna Elect Choice/ Open Access (POS)
    • Innovation Health: Network Only Plus
    • Aetna Elect Choice/ EPO (Aetna Health Fund)
    • Cigna TotalCare (HMO D-SNP)
    • Cigna Preferred Medicare
    • Cigna Alliance Medicare (HMO) |
    • Cigna Achieve Medicare (HMO C-SNP)
    • Veterans Affairs Community Care Network (VA CCN)
    • United Medicare Advantage DSNP District of Columbia
    • United Student Resources
    • United Select Plus (POS)
    • United Select HMO - EPO/NPP
    • United Options (PPO) (includes Empire PPO)
    • United Golden Rule
    • United GEHA (for all other states) Compass Rose
    • D-SNP)
    • I-SNP
    • United Nursing Home Plan (C-SNP
    • United Erickson Advantage Plans
    • United Choice Plus
    • United Choice
    • United Mamsi Life & Health
    • MedStar Family Choice DC Healthy Families
    • MedStar Family Choice DC Healthcare Alliance
    • United MD IPA Preferred (POS)
    • United MD IPA (HMO)
    • Kaiser Permanente Signature-Added Choice
    • Kaiser Signature
    • Kaiser HMO Plus and DHMO Plus Member
    • Kaiser Select-Added Choice
    • Kaiser Select
    • Kaiser Medicare Plus
    • Kaiser Medicare Advantage Signature and Select
    • Kaiser Flexible Choice
    • Kaiser Maryland Medicaid MCO
    • HumanaChoice PPO
    • HumanaChoice Honor’s plan PPO
    • Health Services for Children with Special Needs (HSCSN)
    • Cigna True Choice Plus Medicare (PPO)
    • Cigna True Choice Medicare (PPO)
    • Cigna POS/Network POS
    • Cigna Indemnity
    • Cigna POS Open Access & Open Access Plus
    • Cigna Network Open Access
    • Cigna HMO Open Access
    • Cigna PPO and PPO Plus
    • Cigna EPO
    • Cigna Choice Fund PPO
    • Choice Care Network/HUMANA (PPO)
    • Beech Street PPO
    • Anthem Plus BCBS of VA HealthKeepers Plus
    • Anthem (POS & Open Access POS) BCBS of VA HealthKeepers
    • Anthem HMO - BCBS of VA HealthKeepers
    • Innovation Health: Indemnity
    • Aetna Traditional Choice (PPO)
    • Aetna Student Health Insurance
    • Aetna Signature Administrator PPO/TPA
    • Aetna Quality Point of Service (POS)
    • Innovation Health: PPO
    • Cigna HMO & Network (HMO)
    • WellPoint Maryland - Maryland Health Choice
    • WellPoint Maryland
    • Virginia Premier
    • Veterans Affairs Community Care Network
    • UnitedHealthcare Individual Exchange Plans
    • United Community Plan - Maryland Health Choice Program
    • Private Health Care Systems (PHCS) (PPO)
    • Police and Fire Clinic
    • United Optimum Choice Preferred (POS) & OCI Direct (HMO)
    • United Optimum Choice
    • United Navigate
    • United Core Essential (HMO)
    • United Group Medicare Advantage Plans
    • United AARP Medicare Complete
    • Traditional Medicare Fee for Service
    • Medicaid - Virginia
    • Medicaid - Maryland
    • Medicaid - District of Columbia
    • Tricare for Life East
    • Tricare Reserve Select
    • Tricare East Select
    • Tricare East Prime
    • Maryland Point of Service Plan (MPOS)
    • HealthyBlue PPO
    • Federal Employee Program (Std/Basic PPO/Blue Focus)
    • CareFirst NASCO
    • CareFirst MedStar Select PPO
    • CareFirst MedStar PPO
    • CareFirst Maryland Indemnity or PPO
    • CareFirst Group Medicare Advantage prescription drug benefit (PPO)
    • CareFirst Group Medicare Advantage
    • CareFirst BC/BS Advantage Core/Enhanced
    • CareFirst Blue Card Program (Out-of-area BCBS plans)
    • CareFirst Administrators
    • CareFirst (NCA) Indemnity
    • Carefirst BlueChoice Opt Out Plus Open Access (POS)
    • Carefirst Healthy Blue (HMO/POS)
    • Carefirst BlueChoice Opt Out Open Access
    • Carefirst BlueChoice Open Access
    • Carefirst BlueChoice HMO
    • Carefirst EPO
    • Carefirst Blue Preferred PPO
    • Coventry Health Care National Network PPO
    • MedStar Family Choice - Maryland Health Choice
    • First Health PPO
    • Coventry of Delaware HMO/PPO
    • Coventry Health Care of Virginia
    • Great-West Healthcare POS/CIGNA

Videos

Education

Residency: Emory University School of Medicine (1995)

Graduate: Brown University (1992)

Awards

    • Brown Medical Alumni Association Ruth B. Sauber Distinguished Alumni Lecture Award
    • Lemelson-MIT Award for Sustainable Innovation
    • Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Award for Healthcare
    • Tech Museum Award for Health
    • US Public Health Service Meritorious Service Medal
    • US Army Meritorious Service Medal
    • US Public Health Service Crisis Response Service Award
    • HHS Secretary's Award for Outstanding Service

Ratings and reviews

  • Explanations the care provider gave you about your problem or condition

    4.9
  • Extent to which the care provider listened to you

    4.9
  • Care provider’s discussion of any proposed treatment (options, risks, benefits, etc.)

    4.9
  • Provider included you in decisions

    4.8
  • Concern the care provider showed for your questions or worries

    4.9
  • Likelihood of recommending this care provider to others

    4.9
  • Sep 17, 2024

    The doctor was wonderful and we had a great appointment.

  • Oct 17, 2023

    Dr. Joel S. Was great! Very kind and included my toddler in the conversation (in both english and spanish). First time my so. was at ease with any doctor, thank you! Also really appreciate how Dr. S. Took the time to answer my questions.

  • May 25, 2023

    Dr Selankio is an excellent pediatrician with a much-appreciated caring manner with my daughter and me. He's clearly knowledgeable and willing to take the time to explain your situation so both patient and parent understand what's going on. He's not our normal pediatrician, but we were lucky to have him in the office that evening for a last-minute visit for possible strep throat and pink eye.