Arlington, Virginia ∙ Harvard University

Akshar Abbott is a board-certified ophthalmologist and a student at the Yale School of Management, where he is focused on learning how healthcare can be reformed to heal the searing pain of the rural health crisis. From a childhood in Appalachia and a career rooted in the Upper Midwest, he carries with him the knowledge that the fate of rural America is “tied in a single garment of destiny” to the fate of our country as a whole.

He is profoundly grateful for the opportunity to deepen his knowledge of Kingian nonviolence and the sacred legacy of Congressman John Lewis. Guided by the core teaching of his Hindu faith, that all people are beloved in the eyes of God, he believes that the future belongs to love and justice.