Jessica Lam

UConn School of Medicine

I was born in the Bronx, NY, and moved around Connecticut before settling in Easton, CT. I graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering at UConn, with a minor in molecular and cell biology.

As an undergraduate student, I volunteered with UConn’s Society of Women Engineers to organize the biannual Multiply Your Options conference, designed to enable eighth graders from underserved communities to experience STEM workshops and meet female engineering role models. I also worked at the Center for Students with Disabilities to pair students with assistive technology to help them succeed in their learning environments. During the pandemic, I volunteered with UConn’s Health Leaders program, doing contact tracing for COVID-19, where I learned the importance of addressing social determinants of health in healthcare. Post-graduation, I gained more clinical experience as an Alzheimer’s disease research coordinator and learned to work with patients and their caregivers in managing a disease with no current cure.

I sought involvement in UST/AS because I hope to become a more empathetic and socially aware physician through direct clinical experience supporting underserved communities. Through UST, I hope to gain a better understanding of the unique challenges faced by underserved populations and work with a dedicated community towards sustainable solutions to address these needs. As a future physician, I hope to be able to not only care for my patients’ physical needs, but also understand their psychological challenges to provide high-quality and holistic care.