Kristin Diamandis

UConn School of Pharmacy Class of 2015

I am from Melville, New York on Long Island and am the first member of my family to attend college. I currently work as an intern at CVS Pharmacy in a town with a variety of different cultures and socioeconomic classes. This has given me the opportunity to make a conscious effort to appreciate and understand cultural differences among clients. I sought to join the Urban Service Track because I want to use the information and concepts I learn in the classroom to help underserved populations. As a member of the healthcare field, it is important to be able to successfully work with different cultures. This entails more than just tolerating differences, but reinforcing their values and traditions. Becoming familiar with the countless cultures that exist in our society takes time and comes only with hands-on experience – something UST will give me. With that knowledge, I will be able to better serve the community in which I will work and also enhance the health of my future patients. Also, I believe that the only way to truly be the best you can be at your job is to successfully work with others in your field. UST will allow me to practice these skills, so that when I graduate from the PharmD program, I will have extensive experience in working as a part of a patient care team. As an Urban Health Scholar, I hope to help to be a leader in the country’s transition to an interprofessional healthcare system, where each part of the healthcare field can work together and pool their knowledge to find the best possible therapy for each one of our patients.