Jonathan Joasil

Helping Underserved Communities

Jonathan Joasil was born and raised in the Bronx, the son of Jamaican and Haitian immigrants. His mother’s experience as a patient liaison at a hospital inspired her to go to nursing school, and hearing her stories about work and patient interactions motivated Joasil to pursue a career in medicine. In high school, he explored this interest through programs that allowed him to attend medical student lectures, dissect animal hearts and brains, and attend early morning physician rounds. 

As a sophomore at Brandeis University, Joasil was accepted into the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai’s FlexMed Program, which provides “early assurance” entry into Icahn for extraordinary students. His medical school classes prompted him to reflect on how the conditions of the underserved community he grew up in affected residents’ health. Having no air conditioning exacerbated his neighbors’ heart disease and asthma; the dearth of nearby hospitals meant that people had to travel farther for care; whether they could take time off work often determined whether they pursued treatment at all.

“I am committed to becoming a leader who bridges the gap between clinical practice and policy to improve health outcomes and advance equitable health care systems for underserved populations.”

Working as a student-provider in the East Harlem Outreach Program, a student-run, physician-supervised clinic, Joasil observed other social determinants of health affecting his mostly uninsured, immigrant patients. His efforts to combat their low cancer screening rates and food insecurity revealed systemic issues that needed public health solutions.

In the MPH program at the Bloomberg School, Joasil plans to concentrate in Health Systems and Policy, with a plan to eventually influence health through local government and clinical practice.

“I want to be in a space where I can help create policies that allow people to live their best lives,” Joasil said.