Back in 1860, American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote that “the first wealth is health,” a phrase indicating the wellbeing of a community is directly connected to its potential for economic prosperity. The idea was not new — Emerson drew on work from the Roman poet Virgil more than 2,000 years before — and it remains critical in today’s globalized and interconnected world.

A lack of health care infrastructure — hospitals, doctors, medications, training — often creates barriers to receiving quality and timely care; causes can range from environmental threats to poverty to political instability. The World Health Organization reports at least half of the world’s population cannot obtain essential health services, stacking the deck against economic progress.

Daniel Zuniga, a graduate of Florida State University’s Program in Neuroscience, has made it his life’s mission is to tackle these issues head-on.

Born and raised in Colombia by physician parents who specialized in family medicine and gynecology, Zuniga was often confronted by the health-care disparities there. While he knew he could access proper care, he saw the opposite while accompanying his parents to nearby villages that lacked medical resources.

“I watched my parents genuinely care about their patients and build authentic connections through unconditional medical care,” Zuniga said. “This marked the type of personal medicine I want to practice, establishing quality relationships to heal people.”

When Zuniga moved to the U.S. at age 15, his academic journey was shaped by additional challenges of learning a new language and culture. As a child of immigrants, Zuniga worked hard to advance at his pre-health magnet school. His experiences growing up with ADHD eventually led him in 2019 to FSU’s Program in Neuroscience, an interdisciplinary program combining elements from the Department of Psychology, the Department of Biological Science, and the Department of Biomedical Sciences.

“Choosing my major tied back to my desire to understand what was happening in my brain throughout challenging life events,” Zuniga said. “Understanding neuroscience has played a huge part in overcoming my own difficulties; I hope to help others do the same.”

“Daniel’s empathy, cultural awareness, and dedication to improving health-care access for vulnerable populations make him a standout young professional. Daniel’s ability to bridge language and cultural barriers showcases his capacity to create change by fostering collaboration across diverse health-care settings.”

— Charles Fleischer, FSU Center on Global Health director

The FSU College of Medicine’s outreach program, Undergraduate Science Students Together Reaching Instructional Diversity & Excellence, or USSTRIDE, helped FSU feel like home by providing resources, mentors, and community to students like Zuniga studying science with the goal of working in underserved communities.

Working in a program that leverages the strengths of multiple disciplines to achieve innovation helped Zuniga explore further how a combination of diverse practices, experiences, and research perspectives can advance medical practice and service delivery.

“The Program in Neuroscience encourages students to pursue research interests across various domains in biomedical and behavioral science,” said Lisa Eckel, Program in Neuroscience director and professor of psychology and neuroscience. “By removing departmental silos, neuroscience majors interested in medical careers can pursue research ranging from clinical interventions to preclinical disease models to population health.”

Inspired by his program’s interdisciplinary nature, Zuniga joined the Global Health Collaborative Project, a joint initiative among FSU, Florida A&M University, and the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras medical school. Researchers worked with Honduran locals in Spring 2023 to learn about the country’s unique health circumstances and develop culturally considerate interventions for patients.

“Daniel’s empathy, cultural awareness, and dedication to improving health-care access for vulnerable populations make him a standout young professional,” said Charles Fleischer, director of FSU’s Center on Global Health and an assistant professor of family medicine. “Daniel’s ability to bridge language and cultural barriers showcases his capacity to create change by fostering collaboration across diverse health-care settings.”

Since graduating in 2023 with a bachelor’s in cell and molecular neuroscience, Zuniga, who was also a Rhodes Scholar finalist, has worked as a medical college admission test tutor and plans to enroll in Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. Beyond medical school and residency, Zuniga hopes to balance caring for individuals and communities. He also plans to conduct research abroad and train individuals from countries with fewer resources on innovative medical practices.

“I want young scholars with backgrounds like mine who are interested in pursuing medicine to know their experiences are crucial to the advancement of quality medical care for all,” Zuniga said. “You don’t unlock your potential until you believe you’re uniquely valuable, then you’ll find the right community to believe in you too.”