Ellen Fuller

UConn School of Medicine

Born and raised in West Hartford, CT, I obtained my bachelor’s degree from UConn with a major in chemistry and an individualized major in Speculative Fiction for Young Audiences. In college, I tutored math and chemistry at Windham High School and developed an IDEA grant to build a collaborative creative writing program for elementary and middle school students during COVID. I also engaged my passion for teaching by working as a substitute teacher in the West Hartford Public Schools.

After college, I moved to Puerto Rico to teach math and STEM to fourth through sixth graders at an international school in San Juan. I also volunteered as a coach for Lego robotics, NASA challenges, and other school clubs, and in the emergency room at Ashford Community Hospital. During Hurricane Fiona, I joined the school community in relief work.

Clinically, I was a medical scribe and a personal care assistant to people with disabilities. My most meaningful year of volunteer work was my AmeriCorps service at Central AHEC in 2023–2024. I provided education around health and career opportunities in healthcare in high-need school systems. I was involved in projects addressing food insecurity, opioid addiction, and other social determinants of health. I became a certified medical interpreter and applied my skills at the Mission of Mercy dental clinic and a free clinic in a rural community in the Dominican Republic.

I found my work with AmeriCorp incredibly fulfilling, and I want to continue what I started in UST. Healthcare is an imperfect system full of people trying their best to help. A healthcare provider has a duty not just to their patients, but to their communities. We need to build stronger, healthier communities through equitable public health initiatives, rather than just treating the ailments in front of us. Through community work, we also create a trusting relationship with our patients. With my background in teaching, I am especially passionate about patient and community education as a form of preventative health care.