Class of 2025
Nakayama Scholar
Hometown: Placentia, California
Major: Psychology
Minor: Medical Sociology
Elliot Yoon is passionate about addressing gaps in medical care access and quality for people experiencing unsheltered homelessness through Street Medicine, which functions to bring comprehensive, person-centered medical services directly to people wherever they live or feel most empowered, no matter the location. He has worked and conducted research within Street Medicine teams in Los Angeles to better understand people’s lived experiences and how dignifying support can be sustainably delivered beyond the walls of a clinic. At Duke, Elliot is involved with the Closing the Gap Bass Connections Team which empowers patient populations disproportionately burdened by hypertension through self-management education, coordinates participant communications for the Root Causes Fresh Produce Program delivery service which supports food-insecure households in Durham County, and is a volunteer advocate with the Community Empowerment Fund, facilitating connections with housing, employment, and social service resources for Durham community members working towards increased financial independence. His experiences have informed an expanded perspective on how social environments powerfully influence people’s well-being, both physical and mental. Elliot strives to apply these insights to advocate for and embody principles of care that nurture self-efficacy, rapport-building, and holistic healing for communities navigating homelessness.