n 1993, Jean Leclerc Raphael graduated
from Xaverian Brothers High School as
co-valedictorian and was named “most
intelligent” by his classmates in the
senior superlatives. He went on to do
his undergraduate studies at William’s College
before attending Harvard Medical School. Dr.
Raphael completed his residency in pediatrics
and became Chief Resident at Boston
Children’s Hospital. He then concurrently
earned his Master of Public Health from
Harvard and trained in health disparities
through the Commonwealth Fund Harvard
University Fellowship in Minority Health
Policy. Upon graduation from that program, he
was offered a position at Texas’s Baylor College
of Medicine, primarily focused on general
pediatrics but with a secondary appointment
in hematology and oncology. Now, Dr. Raphael
is the Head of Academic General Pediatrics
at Texas Children’s Hospital, overseeing the
primary care program in terms of clinical care,
research, education, and advocacy. He is also
the Founding Director of the hospital’s Center
for Child Health Policy and Advocacy.
It was a long road from his childhood
growing up in a single-family home in
Dorchester, commuting 90 minutes to
and from school, his activities dictated by
the schedule of the 34E Forest Hills bus
because it was his only way of getting home.
But throughout the journey, he knew he
wanted to make a difference for underserved
communities, and he believed helping children
was the best way to do that.
“I’ve always been interested in child health.
Growing up in Dorchester, I wanted to give
back to communities that were vulnerable and
underserved. That was always a passion of
mine. I felt that getting into healthcare would
allow me to take care of families - to take care
of children. The key with children is that there’s
so much potential there. Being able to interact
with them at that stage of development is an
opportunity to transform their lives, and also
the lives of their families as well.”
Now the Boston native who has lived in
Texas since 2006 is busy raising three children.
Despite a 16-year absence from the city, he
considers himself a Bostonian to this day,
checking Boston.com each morning and
raising his children in the proud tradition
of cheering on the Boston home teams. The
Raphael’s are known around Houston as “the
Boston family,” because they’re often spotted
in public wearing Boston sports paraphernalia.
About the move, Dr. Raphael says, “Texas
Children’s Hospital is a large hospital and it
has the great academics that I wanted.” Plus,
he adds, the cost of living in Boston had gotten
more expensive. So, Dr. Raphael and his young
family packed up and they made the move.
No matter where he’s been located,
throughout his career Dr. Raphael has focused
on the issue of equity. He says, “Based on
where I grew up, seeing so many families
including my own deal with a lot of adverse
childhood experiences, the issue of equity has
always been an important one to me. Every
child should have an opportunity to succeed
in the ways that they desire, so that they can
meet the full potential of what they want to be
in the world. That doesn’t exist in the current
landscape because of economics, racism,
bias, access to health care, and issues around
educational opportunity. My overarching goal
Promoting Equity and the
Next Generation of Leaders
Dr. Jean Raphael ’93
Every child should
have an opportunity
to succeed in the
ways that they
desire, so that they
can meet the full
potential of what
they want to be in
the world.
2 www.xbhs.com