Steven Cosgrove

UConn School of Dental Medicine, Class of 2021

I was born and raised in the border city of El Paso, Texas. I attended Arizona State University and obtained my B.S. in Biochemistry with a minor in Business.

While attending Arizona State University, I volunteered as part of the Arizona Mentoring Society providing free tutoring to students from a local underserved elementary school. I also served as president of the university’s Habitat for Humanity chapter working with the Phoenix affiliate to provide safe, affordable housing to low-income families in the Phoenix Metropolitan area. I have worked as a peer mentor for college students, in a research laboratory studying membrane proteins, and as a general office assistant in a dentist’s office.

Growing up in the border city of El Paso Texas, I witnessed numerous socioeconomic disparities. I remember looking out from I-10 viewing the slums of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, wondering how it must feel to look across and seeing all the wealth of the U.S. I witnessed firsthand how people receive substandard care from the U.S. healthcare system. I know that improving the state of healthcare locally and abroad is a massive undertaking that will only be accomplished by professionals in a variety of disciplines working together. The UST is a great way to foster a culture of cooperation amongst medical professionals and begin the lifelong process of improving healthcare for underserved populations.