Christian Gronbeck

UConn School of Medicine Class of 2021

I was born in 1992 in Hartford, Connecticut and raised in Simsbury. I received Bachelor of Science degrees in Chemistry and Economics from Williams College in 2015.

While at Williams, I helped begin the Eph Buddies program, an initiative that forged relationships between Williams students and special needs individuals in the surrounding communities. As a co-founder and treasurer for the group, I applied for funding from the school and planed activities such as cookouts and arts and crafts days. Following graduation, I worked as a healthcare consultant with ClearView Healthcare Partners in Boston. I worked on a team constructing targeted marketing plans for novel therapies and diagnostic devices. I also volunteered in the pediatric ER at Newton-Wellesley Hospital, where I provided assistance and comfort to families and children came in with healthcare emergencies.

Today, primary care physicians are particularly needed in low-income areas, and the need for effective healthcare delivery among disadvantaged individuals is greater than ever. To deliver this effective care as a physician, I need to be able to fully understand the goals and needs of all patients, including those who are disadvantaged. The Urban Service Track will give me the skills to develop such understandings and to relate to my patients as social beings, not simply medical cases. The UST will also provide me with skills to work in team settings with other healthcare professionals. The highest quality patient care depends upon collaboration between physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and professionals from all other healthcare disciplines. My time working with students from these disciplines in the UST will enable me to provide individualized, holistic care to my future patients.