Andrew Aboujaoude.

Andrew Aboujaoude founded Hearts for the Homeless (H4H) in 2015 as a student at the University of Central Florida, built on a simple belief: that service should be accessible, organized, and rooted in human dignity. What began as a single student group in Orlando has grown into a global organization: more than 60 chapters across 10+ countries, and over 100,000 free health screening opportunities for the communities that need them most.

His idea was straightforward: give people who want to help a clear, organized way to do it. H4H pairs preventive health screening opportunities with healthcare education and hands-on community service, and it gives students the structure to launch and lead chapters of their own. Andrew secured the organization’s first seed funding, developed the chapter model that made growth beyond Orlando possible, and guided H4H through real tests, including the COVID-19 pandemic and several natural disasters. The organization has since earned national recognition, including from a U.S. President.

But the part of H4H he points to most isn’t the numbers, it’s the people. Many of the students he mentored have gone on to become physicians and healthcare professionals around the world, and many still keep service at the center of their careers. For Andrew, that’s the real legacy: not any single event or program, but a generation of leaders who see service as something they carry with them long after their volunteer days end.

Alongside H4H, Andrew built a career in medicine. He graduated summa cum laude from UCF with the Order of Pegasus, then earned his MD from UT Southwestern Medical School, where he was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha. He completed his anesthesiology residency at Columbia University and a fellowship in interventional pain medicine at Brooke Army Medical Center. Today he practices as an anesthesiologist and interventional pain specialist, serves as a Captain in the U.S. Air Force, and teaches as an Assistant Professor.