Christina Farrell

UConn School of Medicine, Class of 2019

I grew up in Guilford, Connecticut and graduated from Brown University with a degree in Biology in the spring of 2014.

 I have spent much of my life learning about inequalities in education and healthcare systems, and volunteering to improve these systems. In my hometown I did this by teaching middle school students with the Breakthrough Collaborative. At Brown, I did this by volunteering with Med Life, a program through which I raised money and collected donated resources, then used them to set up clinics in rural parts of Ecuador. During this past year, I served with City Year Boston, an Americorps program through which I tutored 4th grade students in math and reading at a school in Dorchester. I have learned how often not having access to resources prevents communities from thriving, and how simply volunteering time or skills can help resolve this problem.

The Urban Service Track offers unparalleled opportunities to learn about the specific, complex challenges that people living in underserved communities face when accessing healthcare. I think it is important to appreciate the change that each individual is capable of carrying out. I want to be an integral part of the medical community in which I work, to have close working relationships with other doctors who have similar goals, and to take part in providing continuous care for all patients over an extended period of time The UST will help me achieve these goals better than any other program can.