Alexander Eapen
Alex Eapen is a senior Health and Societies major with a concentration in Health Policy & Law at the University of Pennsylvania with plans to pursue higher public health and medical education. In the past, Eapen conducted data analysis and visualization of epigenetic markers in the African-American community related to aging with the Johns Hopkins Asthma and Allergy Center. He has also engaged in wet-lab research with the University of Maryland School of Medicine related to the study of neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome.
During SUMR, Eapen worked on a project with Dr. Harald Schmidt, PhD studying different disadvantage indices and examining how they reduced inequity in COVID-19 vaccine distribution, extrapolating how indices can be utilized similarly in other aspects of the health care system to ensure more equitable access to care and limit inconsistencies in the quality of health and life expectancy across different groups.
At Penn, Eapen serves as the Vice President of the undergraduate student body as Vice President of the Undergraduate Assembly. Last summer, he was a Congressional Legislative Intern, working on COVID-19 and global health-related policy for Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD). Eapen also writes for The Daily Pennsylvanian as an Opinion Columnist, where he has previously shed light on health inequities in Philadelphia. He also finds time to serve the community as a volunteer for Service Link, a partnership with Penn Medicine to secure public health needs for Philadelphia patients, and the Penn chapter of UNAIDS. If he’s not doing any of the above, you can find Alex baking, binge-watching TV, or going on a run.