Jeremy Nobel

Dr. Jeremy Nobel, MD, MPH, is a physician and public health practitioner recognized for his work at the intersection of medicine and the arts. Nobel is the founder and president of The Foundation for Art & Healing and its signature initiative, Project UnLonely. He serves as a faculty member at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where his teaching and research focus on population health, social determinants of health, and the design and evaluation of health improvement intervention programs.

Nobel has contributed to research exploring how creative expression can mitigate illness and enhance well-being. He advocates for integrating creative engagement with traditional medical care as a pathway to healing. The Foundation for Art & Healing was established to explore and promote the connection between creative modalities and health. Project UnLonely has gained national visibility by raising awareness of the physical and mental health challenges associated with loneliness, reducing stigma, and offering arts-based programming to foster connection and belonging. The initiative focuses on vulnerable groups, including older adults, college students, employees, and individuals with marginalized identities. Project UnLonely Films features nearly 150 short films examining the human experience of loneliness and creative paths toward connection.

Nobel is regarded as an expert on the use of creative expression to address public health issues such as loneliness. His book, "Project UnLonely: Healing Our Crisis of Disconnection," published by Penguin Random House, explores the roots of loneliness and offers steps to find comfort and connection. The book incorporates perspectives from researchers, leaders in business, education, the arts, health care, and individuals with lived experience, highlighting that a true sense of loneliness often stems from disconnection to the self. The book has received praise from thought leaders, including MIT Professor Sherry Turkle.

Nobel has maintained a career-long focus on workplace health, serving as medical director at Verizon and the Northeast Business Group on Health, and has held advisory roles with Fortune 500 employers, municipal employers, unions, and Taft-Hartley Trusts. His work has contributed to improvements in acute and chronic care, including diabetes and cardiovascular care, as well as hospital quality and safety. Nobel is also recognized in the field of medical humanities, which draws on the creative arts to inform medical education and practice.

A published poet, Nobel has received awards for his poetry, including the Bain-Swiggett Prize from Princeton University and the American Academy of Poets Prize from the University of Pennsylvania. He has served on the board of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, the Board of Overseers of the De Cordova Art Museum, and the Institute for Contemporary Art/Boston Director's Circle. Nobel is a frequent keynote speaker at major conferences, sharing insights into how loneliness affects the brain, mind, and behavior, and identifying innovative approaches to managing it, particularly through creative expression and arts-based experiences that improve social connectedness, mental and physical wellness, and quality of life.