Kristina Ziegler

UConn School of Medicine

I am a second-year medical student who grew up in Meriden, CT and moved around a bit until the age of 14, when my family settled in Chester, CT.  Before beginning medical school, I volunteered as an EMT with the Chester Hose Company Ambulance and worked as a CNA in a nursing home and in the New Britain Hospital dialysis unit. The most important lesson I learned through these assignments was the essential role of teamwork in the provision of patient care. My expectation is that the UST will promote positive interactions among members of different health care disciplines, making us better caregivers as a result.

I grew up in an area with an economically and ethnically homogeneous population, which has compelled me to broaden my vision through the UST. My goal is to become a family medicine practitioner in urban and rural areas with limited access to health care.  UST will help me learn about different social and ethnic groups so that I can expand my cultural competency for the benefit of my future patients.