Lucy Marcil

Why you should listen

Lucy Marcil, MD MPH, creates innovative solutions buffering kids from the adversity they face growing up with economic stress and poverty. As a pediatrician, she cares for children at Boston Medical Center. She co-founded StreetCred, a nonprofit addressing the health impact of financial stress by providing fiscal services to low-income families in the the doctor’s waiting room. StreetCred increases access to critical anti-poverty tax credits such as the Earned Income Tax Credit by integrating tax preparation services into pediatric clinics; it has returned over $3.2 million to 1700 clients at 9 sites in 4 states since its inception in 2016. StreetCred is now bundling tax services with enrollment in other economic mobility services to create greater financial stability.

Internationally, Dr. Marcil has undertaken pediatric health-systems strengthening. As a HIV/AIDS & Community Health Peace Corps volunteer in Namibia, she leveraged public-private partnerships to create a comprehensive orphan care program and girls’ leadership camps. In Bangladesh, she identified community engagement methods to build maternal-child healthcare systems in urban slums. In Kenya, she consulted for Jacaranda Health to transform newborn care systems.

For her work, Dr. Marcil has been recognized with the American Academy of Pediatrics Anne E. Dyson Child Advocacy Award and the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Quinn Prize, and has been named a Café 100, Davidson College Game Changer and 2018 TED Fellow.