Kaitlin Markoja

UConn School of Medicine, Class of 2018

I was born in Newport Beach, California, but I spent most of my childhood in Cheshire, Connecticut. I earned my Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Richmond in Virginia.

I have consistently strived to learn and to contribute to the underserved in modest yet meaningful ways. I have been fortunate to have volunteered in Peru with the non-profit Pan Peru and in Virginia with Remote Area Medical and to have studied abroad in India with the School for International Training’s Health and Human Rights Program. In India, I performed research in a Calcutta leprosy hospital, tutored Bhutanese refugees, and worked as a village teaching fellow for a year in rural Uttar Pradesh. Through all these experiences, I challenged myself to understand people from communities unlike my own.

My experiences have shaped my belief that access to adequate, culturally sensitive healthcare is a basic human right. I also believe that making healthcare information approachable is critical for empowering patients to take part in their own wellness. I appreciate the Urban Service Track’s multidisciplinary approach to medicine and am confident that the collaborative program will help me to better serve my patients in the future.