Weill Cornell Medicine shared on LinkedIn:
“Jean-Jacques Pazmiño Hunter excelled in athletics from an early age in the strong sports culture of southern Louisiana.
While he enjoyed being an athlete, by the time Jean-Jacques was playing football at Tulane University, he had witnessed many friends experience concussions and struggle with the effects.
‘My teammates continued to suffer with brain injuries, and I saw the mental toll it took on them. That’s when I became more interested in neuroscience.’
Jean-Jacques’ fascination with the brain eventually led him to the Louisiana Cancer Research Center, where he studied glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, interacted with patients and strengthened his commitment to pursuing medicine.
Balancing dual passions in college – high-level athletics and academics – wasn’t as daunting as it seems, he explained.
‘You are able to rest and recharge from one while you are working hard in the other,’
says Jean-Jacques Hunter.
‘If I was studying for a long time, then I was ready for a three-hour football practice the next morning.’
After graduating Tulane, Jean-Jacques spent a year in California, gaining clinical and research experience at practices in plastic surgery and orthopedic surgery.
In addition, he founded the Concussion Literacy Project, an education and advocacy platform to help athletes, coaches and parents understand brain health and long-term impacts of brain injuries.
‘It’s something I’m really passionate about, especially given my background as a former collegiate football player and my research experience in neuroscience.’
When it was time to select a medical school, Weill Cornell Medicine stood out, he said.
‘Weill Cornell is a leader in academic medicine, and I am drawn to it not only for the mentorship, but also the clinical and research opportunities, I chose to be in place that will champion me, push me to succeed and challenge me to be the best I can be.’
As he prepares for the next step in his academic life with the White Coat Ceremony, Jean-Jacques credits his parents with leading the way.
‘My parents always set an example to work hard, be true to yourself and to go the extra mile for other people,’
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