Matthew Dean

UConn School of Medicine

I was born and raised in Newington, Connecticut and received my B.S. in Exercise Science from Sacred Heart University in 2016.

While attending Sacred Heart, I served as a research assistant on the GO PLAY Park Passport Project, an initiative promoting physical activity in Bridgeport, CT through examining barriers that prevented Bridgeport natives from engaging in physical activity. Since graduating, I have worked as an exercise physiologist in Bridgeport Hospital’s Cardiac Rehabilitation Program, where I help patients recovering from cardiac procedures re-initiate exercise and develop healthy habits. I also worked as a research technician in the Yale School of Medicine Pharmacology Department studying chemokines demonstrated to play a role in cancer metastasis, and I currently volunteer as a mentor in the West Hartford Public Schools Mentor Program.

The Urban Service Track provides a unique opportunity to continue my work with underserved populations and my exploration of population health. Working as an exercise physiologist, I have seen the positive impact of population health measures. Among other socioeconomic barriers to health care, members of underserved populations often lack information about these measures and face disparities in health education. I want to become a physician who serves urban communities by advocating for population health measures and striving to eliminate health care disparities. Integrating the program’s population health training along with its unique opportunity to work in an urban setting will, I believe, be an important step toward this goal.