Austin DeChalus

UConn School of Medicine, Class of 2019

I was born and raised in West Haven, Connecticut. I graduated from Brown University in 2014 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology.

In college, I was a volunteer at Hope Clinic in Providence. The clinic provided health care to uninsured people and aimed to reduce unnecessary use of the emergency room. I also volunteered with Providence Science Outreach, a group that provided after school science activities to elementary school students. After graduating from college, I volunteered in a tenth grade class as part of City Year Boston, a group that provides underserved public schools with academic and socio-economic learning supports. I was a tutor in multiple subjects and mentor for my group of twenty students.

There are many health disparities that need to be addressed within our communities. The Urban Service Track will provide me with the knowledge to help eliminate these disparities in urban communities here in Connecticut or wherever else my medical career takes me. Being a doctor requires, beyond medical knowledge, the ability to speak comfortably with and relate to any person that walks into the hospital. I know that I can use my ability, patience, kindness to help improve the medical experience for many people that deserve quality care which they currently lack.