Eliezer Lappots-Abreu, better know as Eli, is an internationally recognized, award-winning public health & human rights leader, writer, poet, and multidisciplinary artist whose life and work embody the fusion of radical compassion, cultural power, and transformative community action.

Born in the Caribbean and shaped by the lived realities of displacement, racism, and systemic injustice, Eli has become a global voice for equity, healing, and liberation. His journey—from a boy to a visionary leading change across borders—is both an act of defiance and a beacon of hope.

With over 16 years of experience in global and community health, he has designed and led groundbreaking initiatives in mental health, chronic disease prevention, maternal and youth health, and grassroots leadership. He is the founder of the first community mental health response program in the northern Dominican Republic and a trailblazer in establishing rural health councils that elevate marginalized voices into decision-making spaces.

Eli’s work has received international recognition not for its scale, but for its soul—for being deeply rooted in community, driven by justice, and centered on those most often left behind. His awards celebrate not only his leadership, but the power of collective action and culturally grounded solutions.

As a writer, poet, and visual artist, he creates work that reclaims ancestral memory, confronts historical erasure, and invites healing. Through storytelling, fashion, and jewelry, he transforms pain into purpose and visibility into power.

Eli is the first Dominican and Afro-Caribbean to receive the Lead2030 Award by One Young World and AstraZeneca, and he now represents the Caribbean in regional health strategy at multiple platforms. His work centers on dignity, equity, and the belief that heart health is a human right.