Catriona Hong

UConn School of Medicine

I was born and raised in Glastonbury, Connecticut. I attended Northeastern University in Boston where I obtained a Bachelor of Science in biology and English, with a minor in Health, Humanities, and Society.

In high school, I volunteered with the Hartford Police Athletic/Activity League as a hockey coach for underserved youth in the local area. In Boston, I worked as an EMT, a role that illuminated the barriers at-risk populations struggle against when accessing medical care. Most recently, I worked at Pine Street Inn at the Men’s Stabilization program as a substance abuse case manager, and volunteered at Community Servings.

Working at Pine Street Inn changed my life: I saw clients at some of their lowest moments, but also at their most hopeful. I have had clients who left the program and are still sober today, clients who relapsed and came back, and clients who left and have passed away from overdoses. This was an incredibly impactful and formative role, demonstrating the nuances of medical and psychological care, as well as the role stigma and isolation play in health outcomes. I learned the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, how a variety of unique skillsets can make a huge difference in the lives of the patient. Most of all, I learned that I want to continue working with urban underserved populations, those who face innumerable barriers at the intersection of health care, in hopes that I can enact long lasting, positive change.