Alison Blackman

UConn School of Pharmacy

I wanted to help people. Previously, I was involved in the UCONN Collegiate Health Service Corps, a program similar to UST, which is made up of students interested in going into healthcare and helping underserved populations. My team was assigned to a farm site where we discussed health topics of interest to the farmworkers. This experience solidified my preexisting interest in helping the underserved.

I currently work as a pharmacy intern at CVS/Pharmacy as well as an inpatient pharmacy technician at the VA in West Haven, CT. My favorite aspect of these jobs is talking with the patients and seeing a positive impact I can have on their lives by even providing modest amounts of healthcare information. However, I often find myself learning more from my patients than I can teach them. Based off my experiences, I’ve come to believe health care should be a team approach with the patient being the main focus. I also have come to believe that a person’s socioeconomic status should not be a factor in receiving the best possible health care. I look forward to my experiences in the Urban Service Track as I know they will help me in becoming the best health care professional I can be, but, more importantly, the best person I can be.