Alyssa Harduby

UConn School of Medicine

I was born in Secaucus, NJ, but was raised mostly in Wallingford, CT. I attended Sacred Heart Academy in Hamden, CT, for high school, then obtained my bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame, where I majored in neuroscience and behavior and minored in Compassionate Care in Medicine.

In the summer of 2022, I started volunteering at Bridgeport Rescue Mission in Bridgeport, CT. After eight weeks, I was offered a paid position for the remainder of that summer and for the summer of 2023. At Bridgeport Rescue Mission, I planned several community events, registered guests for the food pantry, coordinated the diaper ministry, and assisted in the free clinic.

I sought involvement in UST/AS because I wanted to build upon the preliminary knowledge of healthcare barriers that I learned from working at Bridgeport Rescue Mission and gain a more comprehensive understanding of the specific challenges and healthcare needs of the underserved. I am currently interested in going into primary care pediatrics and hope that what I learn from UST/AS will allow me to anticipate and mitigate the barriers that an urban pediatric population may face. Knowing that conditions such as obesity and diabetes disproportionately affect this population, I hope to act proactively by guiding my patients to develop healthy frameworks concerning food, exercise, sleep, and stress that will last into their adult lives.