|
Home
>
Prospective Students >
Student
and Faculty Profiles > Jill
Schondebare
Student
and Faculty Profiles
Meet Jill...
Class:
2009
Hometown: Long Island, New York
Undergrad: Cornell University
Major: Animal Science
Program: M.D./M.B.A.
My passion for science began at a young age when
I assisted in a zebra autopsy at a game farm near my home on
Long Island, New York. Originally planning on veterinary
medicine, I attended Cornell University which afforded me the
opportunity to study abroad in Kenya and make a critical career
change.
Although medical school thoughts always
percolated in my head, it wasn’t until I was in Africa and
witnessed first-hand the global inequities of health care and
the challenges of providing affordable and effective care to
developing countries that I felt compelled to enter medicine.
After graduation, I worked at Columbia Medical
Center as a lab technician in an HIV clinical trials support
lab. Here I recognized a crucial factor in the development of
effective health care: the need for medical professionals to
understand and play an active role in the business behind health
care systems.
“UConn fosters a cooperative
mentality amongst its students and faculty...”
|
Medical school applications were put on hold as
I subsequently immersed myself in the world of finance by
spending three years as a consultant for a financial services
consulting firm. I kept in tune with the medical community
through hospital volunteer work. When the time came to join
these two seemingly divergent paths, I targeted schools offering
a joint M.D./M.B.A. program and UConn quickly jumped to the top
of that list.
I wanted to find a place that would facilitate
and support my career growth in international health care. UConn
fosters a cooperative mentality amongst its students and faculty
– a team effort where everyone works together to ensure the
success of each individual student.
Future plans include participation in a UConn
affiliated Spanish immersion summer program, earning my
M.D./M.B.A., and entering an internal medicine residency.
I am confident I chose the right school. Armed
with an internal drive to obtain the skills and knowledge
necessary to affect change in the current tumultuous health care
industry, a student can only thrive in the UConn environment. |