Shamsul Arif

UConn School of Pharmacy, Class of 2012

I was born and raised in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, a country in South Asia. After completing my GCE A Levels in 2005, I moved to Manchester, CT and enrolled in UConn’s pre-pharmacy program. Bangladesh, a country of 14 million people, has only about 30,000 registered doctors, most of who practice in cities. However, some 70 percent of the population lives in rural areas where it can take hours to reach a hospital or doctor. Growing up in a country with such a tremendous health care crisis, I was always geared toward a profession that would help alleviate the disparities that exist in its services. My reasons for joining UST are three-fold: I believe orchestrated interdisciplinary teamwork among health care professionals is crucial for improved patient outcomes; I believe that with my knowledge and skills comes a responsibility to reach people most in need; and I want to live up to an oath of serving humanity for life. I expect that my experiences with UST will strengthen my beliefs and provide the exposure necessary for my professional development. Working with fellow Urban Health Scholars, I seek to become a better collaborator in a health care team.