PROJECT: Reduce mental health disparities for young Black men by turning barbershops into health hubs with tailored mental health resources, mentorship, and psychosocial support, including one-on-one and group therapy sessions and resource navigation. 

Jahmil Lacey is a native of Oakland, CA, and resident of Baldwin Village (“The Jungles”), Los Angeles. In addition to being a medical student in the Charles R. Drew/UCLA Medical Education Program at the David Geffen School of Medicine, he serves as the founder and executive director of TRAP Medicine, a place-based community health startup that aims to address disparities in access to mental health services.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lacey was awarded $1.2 million in funding to lead a county-wide initiative expanding access to preventive, wraparound support, and mutual aid — connecting thousands of Angelenos to services by leveraging barbershops, churches, and homeless encampments as health hubs.

Throughout his career, Lacey has demonstrated a passion for alleviating the root causes of health inequities as demonstrated by his past experiences in K–12 education, economic development, policy, and community organizing. Prior to medical school, he managed a subsidized housing program for transitional-aged youth with chronic mental health and substance use disorders. He also served as director of two federally qualified school-based health centers in the Bay Area and most recently led a school-based mental wellness initiative at ICEF Public Schools called Embrace the Mind.

Lacey has published research on depression and HIV treatment adherence among Black and Latinx men and is in the post-production phase of his first short documentary film. His work with TRAP Medicine has been featured on several media outlets including NPR Morning Edition, AP, the TODAY show, and the Los Angeles Times.

Lacey received his undergraduate degree from Morehouse College and a graduate degree in social policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Following medical school, he intends to pursue further training at the intersection of public health and psychiatry.