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Student and Faculty Profiles

Meet Janelle...

Class: 2007
Hometown: Scarsdale, NY
Undergrad: Harvard University
Major: Biology
Program: M.D./M.B.A.

As the first doctor in his family, my father was especially proud of his professional achievements. Growing up, I listened attentively to stories about his surgical successes curing various bladder and prostate conditions. I remember attending a dinner for the mother of a baby boy on whom my father had performed a life-saving operation. The mother now considers my father part of her own family.

After an especially challenging first undergraduate semester at Harvard, I seriously considered other career paths and took “easier” courses during the second semester. When I first arrived at UConn to participate in an Health Career Opportunity Programs sponsored academic enrichment summer program following my freshman year at Harvard, I was not sure if I would be able to get into medical school. I used this as an opportunity to take more science classes and do some soul-searching. Did I really want to become a doctor?

It was that summer when my approach to preparing for a career in medicine changed completely. Inspired by the pre-medical students that shared the passion for the medical field and by current UConn medical students who seemed so content with their career choices, I realized that although the pre-medical and medical educational experience can be stressful and competitive, it can also be incredibly challenging and rewarding. I could see that the students were comfortable with the “culture” of a school that fostered camaraderie over competition. I realized that I shared the same values with other students with a passion for medicine.

Returning to Harvard for my sophomore year, I was enthusiastic and prospered in the remainder of my pre-medical requirements. I joined Project Health at Boston Medical Center and assisted pediatricians in the adolescent division in supplementing medical care with social services, allowing patients dealing with teen pregnancy to achieve a stable and healthy lifestyle through adequate housing, education and job resources. Through a freshman mentoring program, I realized that I could use the experience from only one year at Harvard to guide incoming students, easing their transition into college life.

During the year between college and medical school, I worked for Biogen Inc.’s customer support line and educated people with Multiple Sclerosis and health professionals about the blockbuster drug Avonex™. Sometimes people recently diagnosed with MS would call in, desperate for information because they did not know why they were diagnosed. Others questioned why they should take Avonex™ if it could only slow the disease process, offering no cure. Others called in devastated that they could not afford the $10,000 a year drug, wanting reassurance. It was the experience at Biogen that prepared me for the complexities of the doctor-patient relationship.

I feel that the small medical class size and small group learning experiences at UConn fosters a collegial atmosphere. We are taught to value the group learning process. Problem-based Learning teaches us to appreciate our differences as we decipher interesting medical cases. Student Continuity Practice teaches us to be aware of and improve on how we treat patients in hypothetical situations and provides solid clinical experience early in our medical education so we can start applying our recently acquired knowledge to real situations.

Additionally, I also feel that UConn has allowed me to grow personally as well as academically. The school’s tremendous involvement in community service has given me a wealth of opportunities to work in the Hartford community. During my first year at UConn, I taught sex education to sixth graders in Hartford Public Schools, held a workshop for middle school students on basic physiology principles during Primary Care Week, gave a PowerPoint presentation for high school students on diabetes and high blood pressure, and served at the student-run South Park Inn and Migrant Farm Workers clinics.

I am also involved in the American Medical Student Association and the Student National Medical Association, both locally and nationally. From these experiences I have gained tremendous exposure to political issues in medicine. I am currently enrolled in the M.B.A. program at the Storrs campus. I will graduate with a combined M.D./M.B.A. degree. I have lobbied for universal health care on Capital Hill in Washington D.C. and met medical student leaders from around the country. I learned that we have a voice, even as medical students, in shaping our careers as future physicians.