Bassil Bacare ’11 and The Healing Project

Breaking Down Barriers To Diversity In Healthcare

By Suzy Akin, Director of Strategic Marketing & Communications

It’s no surprise that

Bassil Bacare set a Roxbury Latin record in the 110 high hurdles, an event in which he went on to compete at the collegiate level. It’s an event that requires speed, agility, and intensity of focus, and Bassil isn’t a guy who takes the easy way through. He gravitates to intensity, productivity, and challenge in everything he does. A 2018 graduate of Trinity College, he’s currently working at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, studying for MCATs, setting up to apply to medical school…all while launching and running his own nonprofit dedicated to helping young people from underserved communities, like him, manage the hurdles involved in getting into the medical field.

Going back to his days as a Steppingstone* scholar in Grade 5, he remembers working hard through hot summer days, and the intensity of the academic work throughout the school year, followed by more long, challenging, hot summer days as he prepared to apply to independent school. He recalls, “My Mom had been trying for Park for some time,” and he was thrilled when he was accepted into Grade 7. Reflecting on all that intensity, he says “It pays dividends later.”

Bassil remembers his time at Park fondly, and particularly appreciates the support he received from teachers, including Allan Rivera, Bob Little, and Peter Amershadian. Mr. Amershadian was “hugely influential,” he says, with teaching that was “so fluid and easy to understand. Spanish was my favorite class.” He internalized the “little wins” his teachers championed, and gained academic strength and confidence along the way. Bassil stayed at Park through Grade 9 and he and his classmates bonded into a tight knit group. “That year, the Spain trip in particular was an opportunity where I solidified friendships,” he recalls. “It was bittersweet too, because we would all be departing from Park.”

He loved his experience at Roxbury Latin as well. “It was very nurturing,” he says, “and they cared about me as an individual, both academically and athletically.” A successful student, he also excelled in track, consistently finishing in the top 10 at New Englands. While he went on to Trinity knowing that he wanted to pursue studies in the sciences, what really solidified his commitment was a seven week immersion program at Harvard Medical School, designed for students looking to explore careers in medicine. “The program really opened my eyes to the complexities of science.” The program got him into labs and into contact with patients, hands-on experience that challenged him with opportunities to actually help real patients.

Bassil majored in Neuroscience and minored in Psychology at Trinity and competed in Track & Field. He also served on the college’s Honors Council, working with the Dean of Students to uphold college integrity. As a member of the council, he helped evaluate and make sound decisions on questions ranging from social issues to academic integrity. “The work was very collaborative,” he recalls, and gave him the opportunity to articulate and share his opinions. He says, “I felt the gravity of this work,” and it left its mark.

At the same time, he actively expanded his experience in science and medicine. Earning the opportunity to participate in a Harvard research program at Boston Children’s Hospital’s neurobiology center, he investigated the role of Neuropeptide Substance P in allergic reactions in the context of airway inflammation, and then participated in presenting and showcasing the findings. He followed this first experience with hands-on research in healthcare with a summer research opportunity his junior year summer at New York City’s Mount Sinai Hospital in the surgical ICU. Donning scrubs and a white coat, and working 12 hour days, 7 a.m to 7 p.m, he says, “they really made me feel like part of the family.” His work that summer centered around finding other cases around the country similar to a medical abnormality the hospital was treating, and resulted in a published abstract in The Society of Critical Care Medicine for which he shared credit.

All the intensity driving Bassil forward came to a screeching halt when COVID hit. The MCAT was interviews. He observes, “I was completely unaware of the resources available as well as the time, energy, and devotion needed.” How might he leverage his experiences and the connections he had made to help as many people as possible?

He wanted to help students gain the confidence needed to pursue a meaningful path to medicine. He notes, “I am sure there are other students out there who are overwhelmed like I was and unsure where to begin.” And so he created The Healing Project.

Over the past two years, this initiative has grown from initial conception to an active resource for pushed back, and suddenly, Bassil had time. Free time. Unscheduled time. He took the opportunity to look at himself holistically and consider his path forward.

He completed a Post Baccalaureate year at Northeastern, intended as a refresher for his courses, and was lucky to secure work as a medical assistant in a small pain management practice. He worked closely with the physician, assisting with epidural procedures, gaining hands-on experience while helping ensure that the practice ran smoothly. This practical exposure encouraged him to learn more about health issues on a grander scale, beyond the clinical setting. He volunteered as a counselor with SPARK Boston, working on how to solve Boston’s overall health problems, from food insecurity to vaccine distribution, and sought to learn more about health care legislation while becoming increasingly aware of how rigid, constricted and difficult our healthcare system can be—especially for people of color.

The challenges encountered by people of color with the healthcare system provoked another series of questions. How might young people of color advance in the medical field? He says, “it’s one thing to hear ‘get good grades,’ and ‘build connections,’ but what does a quality research experience really look like? What does an ideal recommendation look like?”

He struggled with how best to plan his academic schedule, where to turn for internship guidance and MCAT study tips, and how to prepare for students who feel themselves underrepresented in healthcare, and is currently helping approximately 15 students, with mentors drawing from Boston, New York, Connecticut, and Washington, DC who bring diverse backgrounds and experiences. Bassil says, “My team consists of doctors and passionate medical school students who have the desire to help. They bring their high level of understanding to better equip underserved students with the necessary resources to excel. And, he notes, it’s not a “one size fits all” approach—the mentoring is tailored to where each individual is on their journey.

The Healing Project has created a research hub that pulls essential information about scholarships, internship programs, leadership experiences, and more into one easily accessible drive. His mentors now number eleven—all current or recent medical school students—along with five leading physicians who have been instrumental in supporting these students’ journeys, providing that extra layer of expertise and support.

Looking back over his own journey, Bassil thinks about all he had to learn. “I had to build the plane while flying it,” he reflects, which led to some mistakes, such as signing up to take Physics and Organic Chemistry in the same semester. “I wish I had someone to tell me, don’t do that!” He hopes to make this process as seamless as possible for other young people.

Already, Bassil is seeing results: two Helping Project mentees have been accepted into medical

THE HEALING PROJECT is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that partners with those interested in healthcare to bridge the gap for underrepresented students. We provide interdisciplinary and longitudinal mentorship for students who have the passion and zeal to pursue a career in healthcare. Our fundamental goal is to cater to each student’s needs like essay preparation, editing personal statements, internship guidance, and study tips to enhance our students’ chances in achieving their goals and dreams. We work closely with our students to provide them with the necessary resources and guidance. We aim to help students achieve their dreams and break down institutionalized barriers.

WWW.HEALINGPROJECT.NET vision, noting “Bassil is totally amazing! I was most impressed with his enthusiasm, energy, and effort. In particular, how he took an idea from inception to becoming CEO and Founder of a 501(c)(3) while working full time demonstrated a commitment that was truly inspiring.” And so it is full speed ahead for Bassil, once again. Building The Healing Project has challenged him to become an entrepreneur. He had to learn how to run a business, learn marketing, build a website, recruit his team, become an effective fundraiser—everything, from scratch. “No one tells you how much work there is behind the scenes,” he reflects. school, and others are getting interviews and acceptances from top schools. Bassil says, “I’m really glad to see it happening,” and notes that it couldn’t have happened without his team, who provide the resources and expertise that might otherwise come from a costly medical consultant. Bassil observes, “We are trying to bring down institutional barriers, among them financial. I can confidently say we are increasing the diversity in healthcare…one student at a time!”

Meanwhile, he is doing clinical research in endocrinology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in a study he brought from the ground up on underdiagnosed cases of high blood pressure, work that involves recruiting participants, screening them, setting them up in the study and guiding them on referrals for treatment. He oversees a team of four, and comments that he has found “the brightest people I’ve ever been around at Brigham and Women’s.” He appreciates all the partnership and mentoring colleagues have provided him.

And, he is back at studying for the MCAT and planning med school applications—with the hope of matriculating in Fall 2024.

Among the physicians on his team is Dr. Vincent Chiang, Chief Medical Officer at Boston Children’s Hospital as well as former Park board chair and parent of three Park alumni (Molly ’15, Grace ’16, and Aidan ’19). Dr. Chiang is excited about Bassil’s

Looking back over the years to his experience at Park, he recalls that “At Park, they say ‘no question is dumb.’ They really want you to understand where you need to get to.” He valued that supportive environment, observing “You can be super talented and smart, but if you don’t have supportive teachers and advisors who are rooting for you, it’s a waste of time. ‘Learned helplessness’ comes from doing the work and not seeing results.” At Park, he learned to be a self-advocate, and carried that ability into college and beyond.

And now, he’s paying that gift forward, working to ensure that underserved students are prepared to navigate their journey into the medical field as seamlessly as possible.