Anne Reisch

UConn School of Medicine

I was born in Germany, and moved to the United States at a young age. I lived throughout the Northeast, eventually settling in Westerly, Rhode Island. I have an undergraduate degree from the University of Rhode Island where I majored in chemical engineering and German through the International Engineering Program.

Through this program, I spent a year abroad volunteering in the Braunschweig Klinikum as a green lady, interning at a dialysis clinic in Wesseling, Germany, and teaching German at the Silpakorn University in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand. I improved my intercultural competences, learned about universal healthcare, and developed a passion for working with people from diverse backgrounds. In the United States, I volunteered at the Jonnycake Center of Westerly in my hometown and taught English to female immigrants from Central and South America in Providence, Rhode Island. This experience demonstrated to me the needs of vulnerable and underserved populations, and has motivated me to pursue a medical career in urban areas.

I was drawn to UConn for many reasons, including its focus on team-based learning, its proximity to Hartford, and the Urban Service Track/AHEC Scholars Program. As a German immigrant, I have seen the benefits a universal healthcare system holds for a country’s population, and, as a US citizen, I have observed healthcare inequalities for a number of underserved populations. I know the UST/AHEC Program will give me the tools needed to collaborate with other healthcare professionals to serve these vulnerable populations and, ultimately, to advocate for all my patients.