Elizabeth Suschana

UConn School of Medicine

I was born in Hartford, Connecticut and grew up in Somers, Connecticut. I graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 2018 with a B.S. in nutritional sciences. I then graduated from the University of Nottingham in 2019 with an M.S. in clinical nutrition.

At my local hospital, I volunteered in the infectious disease unit that primarily served mothers with HIV/AIDS, mostly comprising young immigrant women from Latin and South America, and their children from infancy to childhood. As an undergraduate, I volunteered in the emergency department in a lower income city with high rates of opioid or drug overdoses. I witnessed the effects of poverty and lack of accessible treatment and resources on patient health. While in Nottingham, I volunteered on the admissions ward in a major urban hospital in England, where I worked with patients from different socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.

My volunteer experiences have made me passionate about pediatrics, preventative medicine, and nutrition. As a future healthcare provider, I want to draw on these passions in order to eliminate healthcare disparities and to improve accessibility to high quality, affordable health care. The Urban Service Track/AHEC Scholars (UST/AS) Program will help me foster relationships with other individuals passionate about improving healthcare for underserved populations, which will allow us to collaborate and learn from one another to make the biggest possible impact on health.