Lauren Branche

UConn School of Medicine, Class of 2018

I am from New Rochelle, New York. I received a Bachelors of Science in Psychology from Tufts University in 2010 and a Masters in Biomedical Sciences from Tufts University School of Medicine in 2013. As a woman of African American and West Indian heritage coming from a financially strained background, I have a deep connection with marginalized populations. Because of this connection, I have sought out experiences that allow me to advocate for disadvantaged groups. In college, I organized service trips to local food banks and discussions regarding health disparities within the Africana community. I also participated in a medical relief trip to the Dominican Republic to aid Haitian refugees there. After college, I volunteered at Montefiore Medical Center Emergency Department, one of the most diverse and active ERs in the country. I worked as a phlebotomist at an LGBT HIV specialty practice and I continue to mentor minority pre-health students. It is my life’s ambition to promote education, awareness, and empowerment in an effort to break down the socioeconomic, racial, and cultural barriers to equal treatment. The Urban Service Track will provide me with the opportunity to give back while I receive my medical education and improve my ability to advocate for those most in need. In addition, learning with an interdisciplinary group will establish an innate understanding of how each profession can contribute to improving the quality of care, and in turn, the health outcomes of disadvantaged populations.