Our Story

YoungeLab was born in Fall 2020, when Dr. Younge partnered with local dance company, Red Clay Dance, and the Cook County Physician’s Association (CCPA) to create a project to prevent deaths from COVID. Red Clay Dance Company, Dr. Younge, and the Cook County Physician’s Association, created an online dance offering called the Pamoja Dance Project, which distributed blood pressure machines throughout the city, and asked participants to fill out a weekly or monthly resilience survey. The project revealed that dance is a very effective way to control blood pressure and prevent diabetes. It, also, showed that dancers who were most resilient against COVID were those who remained the most hopeful against the pandemic.

 

YoungeLab believes that people care about their health – even when they do not trust or understand the healthcare being provided to them. As a healthcare consulting company, YoungeLab teaches, listens to, and learns from communities and individuals, in order to provide tailored health education that is meaningful, and evocative.

 

Leading YoungeLab is Jewel Sophia Younge, who is a board-certified, residency-trained clinical pharmacist with over a decade of experience in the field. Before becoming a pharmacist, Jewel was an author, a writing and humanities professor, and a performing arts director. This unique blend of clinical expertise and creative insight shapes YoungeLab’s work.

 

YoungeLab is a proudly self-funded startup rooted in community, driven by concern curiosity, and committed to creative approaches to healing.