Harel Amsalem grew up in Israel until his family moved to the United States when he was six years old. He was born with a congenital heart disease and some of his earliest memories are being in awe of the images of his heart during his yearly cardiac ultrasounds. Learning about the wonders of the human heart at a young age instilled in him a deep passion for science, health, and education. This passion fueled Harel’s motivation through school, leading him to become the first person in his family to attend university.
Currently, Harel is a second-year medical student at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine pursuing a career as a cardiologist and medical educator. The obstacles he faced on his academic journey as a first-generation college student heightened his enthusiasm for increasing access to higher education. This enthusiasm inspired Harel to get involved in leadership outside of his coursework aimed at providing mentorship and support to high school and pre-medical students. These include working as a tutor and tour guide during college, conducting education research, and serving as his school’s Senator of Medical Education and as the Coordinator of Mentorship of the First-Generation Low-Income Partnership.
Harel wears his passions on his sleeves. While this applies to his professional goals, it is also seen in his hobbies of rock climbing, filmmaking, drawing, and collecting vinyl records. He plans to combine his interests in film and medical education to produce multimedia educational content that is free and accessible to all.