Kathryn Bentivegna

UConn School of Medicine

I was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and raised in Avon, Connecticut. I earned a B.S. in Molecular & Cell Biology and MPH from UConn.

During my MPH, I worked as a research assistant at the Injury Prevention Center, where I contributed to studies focused on intimate partner violence screening in hair salons and how law enforcement responded to this violence. For my practicum at the Office of the Healthcare Advocate, I worked with Choosing Wisely, a project promoting patient-clinician conversations to help patients choose care that is evidence-based, non-duplicative, harmless, and truly necessary. I helped draft a report for Choosing Wisely recommending action steps to empower and engage underserved communities. As an undergraduate, I interned with Hispanic Health Council and conducted satisfaction surveys for the Mobile Market, a non-profit grocery store that travels to food deserts in Hartford. I also tutored immigrants at Hartford Public Library in English and Civics to prepare them for the naturalization interview. Throughout college, I volunteered with Hartford Hospital’s Emergency Department interviewing a diverse patient population for clinical and health-promotion studies.

The Urban Service Track offers an excellent opportunity to gain practical care experience and develop a deeper understanding of the variegated social challenges vulnerable populations experience. As an aspiring pediatrician and public health advocate, the UST will help me develop leadership and advocacy skills early in my career, allowing me to develop a focus on individual- and community-level interventions for underserved populations.