In this powerful episode of FYH News, we sit down with Jasmine Leonard, a senior business consultant at CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield and a proud member of NMQF’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2025. Rooted in both passion and scholarship, Jasmine shares how her academic foundation in Africana studies and human biology laid the groundwork for a lifelong commitment to advancing health equity.

Jasmine opens up about the persistent challenges facing minoritized communities, including how systemic racism and generational stress show up in our biology—from elevated cortisol levels to increased risks for chronic disease. “We are living our history,” she says, “and it’s in our genes, our stress responses, our outcomes.”

She emphasizes that health equity work didn’t start for her when it became a buzzword—it’s been personal from the start. For Jasmine, understanding the intersection of Black health, science, and structural barriers is not just research—it’s reality.

She also addresses the growing wave of anti-science sentiment, including in communities of color, and the deep mistrust rooted in historical injustices like the Tuskegee study and the story of Henrietta Lacks. But she’s also hopeful—pointing to a new generation of researchers and public health advocates who look like the communities they serve and are working to rebuild trust through transparency, education, and empathy.

Jasmine makes a clear case for why diverse participation in clinical trials matters, and how public health can only move forward when the people most affected are included in the solutions. “If we’re not in the room,” she warns, “our outcomes are shaped without us.”

From vaccine confidence to community engagement, Jasmine Leonard brings truth, urgency, and heart to this conversation. Her story is a reminder that achieving equity requires more than awareness—it demands action, accountability, and connection.

Watch the full episode now to hear how history, science, and lived experience are driving one of health equity’s rising voices.