Building Healthier Communities Through Policy and Compassion
Published December 03, 2025
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Each month, third-year New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State (NYITCOM-Arkansas) medical student Jacob “Jake” Mickelberg meets like-minded peers looking for opportunities outside of traditional healthcare settings to shape better health outcomes for their patients.
He’s part of a health policy fellowship program operated by NYITCOM-Arkansas's Delta Population Health Institute (DPHI), designed to cultivate physician leaders with the power to catalyze change in health and healthcare.
Jake’s medical education teaches the evidence-based knowledge needed to treat patients compassionately and creative problem-solving to support their whole-person health and well-being. But what if the underlying health issue is systemic? For Jake, that’s where his extracurricular fellowship is helping enhance his abilities as a future doctor of osteopathic medicine.
Jake speaking with prospective students about NYITCOM-Arkansas’s Delta-Care-a-Vans
"I became interested in policy early in my adult life. My combat experiences required me to pay attention because it affected my job, my livelihood, my family, everything," Jake shared.
His career in the military helped him realize he wanted to continue helping people, but in a different capacity. Urged by his mother, a nurse and educator, he shifted career paths to focus on medicine full-time and followed the draw he felt towards policy. “There's a sense of duty to the community and to the people that I serve. That's kind of pulled me in the direction of the military and medicine,” said Jake.
Through the bold DPHI fellowship practicum, Jake and his peers work directly with local, state and federal leaders to address barriers to health in their Arkansas community.
“[As a] physician, [you] should be listening to what’s going on in your [health] system, in your hospital, in your clinic and nationwide because it affects you. It affects your patients,” says Jake.
Bridging Food and Medicine
Jake is currently serving on the Advisory Committee of the North Jonesboro Community Development Corporation (NJCDC), a local organization that elevates the voices of community members on important issues and serves as a bridge between the community and institutions.
Jake shared that he and the NJCDC are, "advocating and helping try to bring life back to some of the impoverished areas of North Jonesboro—[through initiatives on] transportation, access to medical care, education and more. Lifting voices of those living in North Jonesboro, so that decisions of policy makers are not made without them.”
One target the group is working to address is hunger. Currently, North Jonesboro has no food pantry available to its citizens, and that’s why the group seeks to establish the first food pantry in their community to reduce food insecurity. They partner with the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance to offer a popular weekly Cooking Matters program, offering budget-friendly meal ideas and groceries through an interactive train-the-trainer model cooking class. The organization also hosts an annual Men Who Cook Competition, which brings together local celebrity chefs and live music to cultivate community through food and raise funds to bridge health divides in the community.
Flyer for the Cooking Matters cooking class program
“NYITCOM-Arkansas’s advocacy program helped me refine who I am and build [on my] strengths. We’ve built a really tight knit community, and not just in osteopathic medicine but [also] in policy at the local, state and federal level. It’s about the people; where we live, learn, work, play and pray, it makes a difference not just in our health outcomes, but also for those of our children as well. It’s been really rewarding and helped me [pursue] my vision. [This] is what I want to do.”
In addition to the DPHI fellowship program, Jake also serves on NYIT's Strategic Planning Action Oversight Committee, which aims to identify, fund, implement and track collaborative programs for students and supports the DPHI's Delta-Care-A-Van, which provides free preventative care in communities across Arkansas and allows students opportunities to provide care in rural and underserved areas.
Lucas Mclaughlin, OMS III, and Alaina Mitchell, OMS II, at DPHI’s annual health fair
Jake credits Brookshield Laurent, DO, the executive director of the DPHI, for inspiring him. “Hearing Dr. Laurent speak made me go, 'This is where I want to be.’ A lot of [medical school] programs do some sort of community engagement, but NYITCOM-Arkansas really hammers home the population health aspect, and the importance of teaching students why it's important to advocate for your patients. It's such an important concept that I think a lot of people overlook. That's [ultimately] why I chose DO over MD when I was accepted into both programs.”
After graduation, Jake looks forward to a career in emergency medicine. Long-term, he hopes to continue being active in policy work through administration and education. He believes that by providing young physicians with opportunities to engage with policy they can better understand their role in supporting health in their community, provide empathetic care for their patients and add a valuable tool in their belt to address complex patient health needs.
Jake is a medical student at the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM-Arkansas), pursuing his doctor of osteopathic medicine degree. He also has a graduate certificate in Health Care Administration and Management at Missouri State University. Jake has over six years of experience in the U.S. Army as a 19D Cavalry Scout, where he served as a sergeant with 1st Infantry Division 4-4 CAV B Troop, 4th Infantry Division 1-10CAV B Troop and 3-61 CAV B Troop. He completed three tours and earned a Purple Heart for his bravery and sacrifice under enemy fire.
Jake's mission is to serve others, his community and his country through osteopathic medicine and population health. He plans to complete a residency in Emergency Medicine and be involved with healthcare administration and policy. His long-term goal is to oversee a series of clinics and hospitals that provide quality and affordable care to underserved populations. Jake is skilled in organizational leadership, executive decision-making and communication. He enjoys spending time with his wife, Kelsey, son, Jonathan, granddaughter, Adalyn, and looks forward to welcoming a newborn, Emelia, in October. In his free time, he is a PADI-certified Rescue Diver, a triathlete that completed his first Ironman this year, and enjoys reading each evening and meeting new people.
Spread the word!
Through @NYITCOMAR’s Delta Population Health Institute, Jake Mickelberg is gaining real-world experience in policy—working with community leaders to expand food access, improve local resources and advance health equity. Read his story.
How can medical students shape healthier communities outside the clinic? @NYITCOMAR student Jake Mickelberg is doing just that through hands-on policy work in North Jonesboro. Learn how he’s helping address hunger and strengthen community health.
“There's a sense of duty to the community and to the people that I serve. That's kind of pulled me in the direction of the military and medicine,” says Jake Mickelberg, third year student at NYITCOM-Arkansas. For Jake, service to others is a guiding principle. Through the Delta Population Health Institute, he serves as a health policy fellow, working directly with community organizations and policymakers to improve health in Arkansas. Learn more about Jake’s story.
NYITCOM-Arkansas’s Delta Population Health Institute is cultivating physician leaders who understand how to leverage the power of policy to benefit their community's health. Hear from third-year student and health policy fellow Jake Mickelberg, who is partnering with his community to reduce hunger in Arkansas, about his passion for osteopathic medicine and serving his community.
