Miguel Blancarte, Jr.
GLHW Council Member and Subcommittee Lead
Health Equity and Community Consultant
About
Miguel A. Blancarte, Jr. (he/him/his/él) is a health, equity, and community consultant with over twenty years of experience who is passionate about health equity. His work is dedicated to addressing the social determinants of health to improve the quality of life of marginalized people and individuals, and those facing economic inequalities. At his core, Miguel has four pillars that are fundamental to him: equity and justice; health and wellness; community and engagement; and, education and opportunities. Miguel advocates for disinvested communities and individuals by addressing systemic issues, inequities, inequalities, and discrimination.
In 2020, Miguel was nationally distinguished for being a COVID-19 response and community health expert responding to the COVID-19 pandemic with an equitable lens. As a result, Miguel was recruited to be the Director of COVID-19 Response and Community Outreach at Esperanza Health Centers, a federally qualified health center operating primary care clinics. Miguel spearheaded the charge of consolidating COVID-19 services and resources into a cohesive department while optimizing capacity and expanding services. Prior to his leadership work at Esperanza, Miguel was the Regional Director of Community Engagement, Health Equity, and Partnerships at Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE), a humanitarian response organization selected to operate the Chicago community-based testing sites.
Miguel is a first-generation American, and first-generation college student who earned his bachelor’s degree from Brown University, as a Bill and Melinda Gates Millennium Scholar. He graduated top of his class from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business and from the Walsh School of Foreign Service with a Master in International Business and Policy. Miguel is also a graduate of the Civic Leadership Academy from the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago.
Miguel continues to inspire and lead others to transform their life through health and wellness. After losing 180 pounds in eight months, on his own via healthy eating and exercise, he enjoys maintaining and advocating for a healthy lifestyle. As an avid runner, you will find Miguel running five times a week.