My Story

Jamari Heredia

Public Health & Neuroscience / Elon University

Jamari is a fourth-year double major in Public Health and Neuroscience at Elon University, driven by a deep commitment to building healthcare systems that work equitably for everyone — especially those who have been historically failed by them.

With a background spanning academic mentorship, community-based engagement, policy analysis, and laboratory science, Jamari approaches public health with an interdisciplinary lens that bridges biological foundations with genuine human experience. Her work is grounded in the belief that understanding the science behind behavior and pathology is not dichotomous from understanding the social and cultural contexts in which people navigate care systems.

Drawing from her own lived experience navigating behavioral healthcare, Jamari understands firsthand the gaps that exist for people of color and individuals managing complex, co-occurring conditions. Jamari's long-term goal is to work as a program administrator and director, cultivating and leading culturally informed behavioral health programs designed to meet people where they are, with the nuance and specificity their care actually requires.

Currently expanding into neuroscience research to deepen the scientific grounding behind her public health work, Jamari is building a career on the intersectionality of brain science, health equity, and systems change. People are not inexplicable, nor do they lack nuance, and health systems should understand that.