Khalid El-Jack
Khalid El-Jack graduated from Boston University in 2019 with a BS in Human Physiology. His interest in health care and medicine stemmed from his experiences as a clinical volunteer in Boston as well as abroad in his family’s native Sudan. These experiences, combined with his background as a first-generation American, have inspired him to explore ways to combat health disparities in Sudan as well as in urban America. Passionate about helping underserved communities and making health care more cost-efficient by continuing research in the field of health services, he is currently a medical student at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.
As a SUMR Scholar, El-Jack worked on two projects with Dr. Carmen Guerra, MD, MSCE and Dr. Scott Halpern, MD, PhD, respectively. With Dr. Guerra, he conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis of the Penn Medicine Colorectal Cancer Screening Navigation Program that was started by Dr. Guerra in the summer of 2011. Specifically, he analyzed data from electronic medical records to determine the outcomes of patients who did not receive services from Dr. Guerra’s Navigation Program. With Dr. Halpern, he worked on a project that tested the comparative effectiveness of strategies for smoking cessation among underserved patients eligible for lung cancer screening. Under this project, he participated in stakeholder advisory council meetings that included patients, caregivers, policymakers, clinicians, and health system leaders. Finally, he created and refined patient-facing study materials that included instructional videos and messages to promote smoking cessation.
During his time at Boston University, El-Jack served as a mentor under the club Brothers United which serves the African American male community of BU. In this role, he advised and advocated for four African American students on their pre-medical journey. He was also an active member of the Islamic Society of Boston University, where he found a community of fellow Muslims. In his free time, he enjoys watching basketball, running, as well as listening to hip-hop music.