Jacqueline Johal-Morales, MD

University of California, Davis; Jackie was born and raised in Gilroy, a small town in Northern California known as the “Garlic Capital of the World”. Growing up, the sacrifices of her family instilled in her a deep appreciation for higher education and a strong commitment to serving underserved populations. She studied Psychology at UC Berkeley, where she learned that comprehensive care combined with community support can improve the overall well-being of the community. This led her to work for 6 years with homeless families in San Francisco, first as a case manager/crisis counselor and then as an assistant program director. 

During this time, she also volunteered at a drop-in center for homeless women and as a health educator at a women’s community clinic, further developing her advocacy skills and knowledge of social determinants of health. Motivated to apply this knowledge to address health inequities, she attended UC Davis School of Medicine and was selected to join the TEACH-MS program, a four-year track that focuses on providing culturally respectful and equitable healthcare to urban underserved communities. As an underrepresented minority in medicine, she is dedicated to mentoring and empowering minority students to pursue their goals of working in healthcare. She chose Family Medicine because it allows her to combine her passion for women’s health, advocacy, and preventive health, while building longstanding patient relationships that operate under the principles of empowerment and cultural humility. In her free time, Jackie enjoys traveling to new places, trying new restaurants, and spending time with family and friends in the Bay Area.