Joel Salinas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joel Salinas
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Salinas in 2015
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| Born | July 11, 1983 Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| Occupation | Neurologist, author, scientist |
| Alma mater | Cornell University (B.A.) University of Miami Miller School of Medicine (M.D.) University of Miami Business School (MBA) Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (M.Sc.) |
| Website | |
| joelsalinasmd.com | |
Joel Salinas (born July 11, 1983) is a doctor, writer, and scientist from the United States. He is also from Nicaragua. He works as the Chief Medical Officer and Co-Founder of Isaac Health. He is also a professor of neurology at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
Dr. Salinas helps people with brain and nerve problems. He specializes in how brain health affects behavior and mood. Before working at NYU, he taught at Harvard Medical School. He also worked at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. He is also a scientist who studies the brain at the Framingham Study. This study is part of the Boston University School of Medicine.
In 2017, he wrote a book called Mirror Touch: A Memoir of Synesthesia and the Secret Life of the Brain. This book shares stories about his patients. It also talks about his own experiences with synesthesia. This is when your senses mix, like seeing colors when you hear music. He has a type called mirror-touch synesthesia. This means he feels what others feel. In 2025, he wrote another book. It is called Conflict Resilience: Negotiating Disagreement Without Giving Up or Giving In. He wrote it with Bob Bordone. This book teaches how brain science can help people solve disagreements.
Early Life and School
Joel Salinas was born in Miami Beach, Florida, on July 11, 1983. His parents were immigrants from Nicaragua. They came to the U.S. during the Contra War. He grew up in Miami, Florida, with his younger brother and sister. For a time, his family faced money problems. They moved back to Managua, Nicaragua, for a while. In 2000, he was named the Student of the Year in Miami-Dade County. He was the top student when he graduated from Miami Southridge Senior High School in 2001.
He went to Cornell University. In 2005, he earned his first degree in biology and society. While in college, he did research in the Amazon rainforest in Pará, Brazil. He studied how mercury affected the water. He also learned about the Kayapo people. He wrote about how culture affects how people react to health risks.
In 2011, Joel Salinas earned his medical degree. He went to the University of Miami School of Medicine. In 2006, while in medical school, doctors found a small growth in his brain. It was successfully removed. The growth was not harmful. From 2008 to 2009, he was a research fellow. He studied brain imaging at the University of Iowa. During this time, he was in a serious car accident. He also earned a business degree. He won a big prize in a business plan competition.
From 2011 to 2015, he trained in neurology. He studied at Harvard Medical School. He worked at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He became a chief resident in neurology. Then he studied behavioral neurology. In 2016, he earned a master's degree in public health. He studied at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Career and Research
After his training, Dr. Salinas joined the staff at Massachusetts General Hospital. He worked as a neurologist. He helped people with brain health issues. In 2020, he became a professor at NYU Langone Health. In 2022, he helped start Isaac Health. He is the Chief Medical Officer there. Isaac Health uses technology to help people with brain health. They help identify and manage conditions like dementia.
Brain Research
Dr. Salinas's research focuses on brain health. He wants to reduce the impact of stroke and dementia. He also studies how the brain changes as people get older. He uses information from different areas. These include epidemiology (studying health patterns). He also uses social and behavioral sciences. He uses "digital phenotyping." This means using data from phones and other devices. It helps him understand how people's brains work in daily life.
Awards and Family
Dr. Salinas has received many awards. In 2017, he won the Robert Katzman Research Training Fellowship Award. This award is from the American Academy of Neurology. It is for research in Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Joel Salinas lives in New York, New York. His parents are Norma and Armando. He has a younger brother named Rainier. His younger sister is Scarlett.
