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Student and Faculty Profiles

Meet Christine...

Class: 2014
Hometown: Simsbury, Connecticut
Undergrad: University of Connecticut
Major: General Studies with a health/science focus
Program: M.D./M.B.A.

Unlike many of my medical school peers, I did not know that I wanted to go to medical school as a child, or even in high school. I originally went to art school and then switched to business school before I realized that I wanted a career where I could make a difference and help people. I took time off from school and that is when I got sick for many years. I had an undiagnosed reactive inflammatory arthritis condition that made it so that I couldn't walk for weeks at a time. As an uninsured and chronically ill patient, I had very unique experiences with medical care (both good and bad). That is when I decided that if I ever got better, I would try to go to medical school. I got better, and here I am!

The reason that I decided to come to UConn was threefold: First because of the strong focus on clinical exposure right from the very beginning, second because of the strong focus on community service and the types of students that attracts,and lastly because I had experience here doing research while finishing my undergraduate degree and I just love the feeling of the UConn Health Center community.

The UConn Health Center community is warm and friendly. There is a spirit of camaraderie here among my classmates which makes the medical school experience so much more enjoyable. Now that I am here, I try to be an active member of the UConn Health Center community. I am involved with some of the student groups here such as Christian Medical and Dental Association (CMDA), FaithCare Clinic, Habitat for Humanity, and Hartford Health Education (HHE). There are a ton of great organizations that students here are involved in, and the active student life is one of the things that I think is great about the school.