Joe Abou-Khalil
Joe Abou-Khalil is a rising senior at Yale University pursuing a BS in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology with a certificate in Human Rights. He is passionate about pediatric health and advancing equity and humanitarian efforts in underserved communities, particularly in the Middle East. After graduation, he hopes to pursue these interests through a career in pediatric medicine.
During the SUMR program, Abou-Khalil works with Dr. Heather Burris on the Penn-CHOP ECHO (Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes) Program, a large-scale NIH-supported initiative studying how environmental exposures shape maternal and child health outcomes. His work supports research examining how neighborhood, behavioral, and environmental factors influence outcomes such as preterm birth, childhood obesity, and neurodevelopment.
At Yale, Abou-Khalil serves as president of Yale Dabke, fostering cultural connection and community through Levantine dance, and conducts genome-editing research at the Yale School of Medicine within the Department of Pediatric Surgery, building on prior research experience in fetal gene editing at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia under Dr. William Peranteau. He is also president of Yale Mathcounts Outreach, where he helps expand access to STEM education through middle school math enrichment programs, and serves as co-director of the Vaccine Department at HAVEN Free Clinic, working to improve equitable access to preventive healthcare in the New Haven community.
In his free time, Joe enjoys playing and watching tennis, hiking, and spending time with friends and family.