Theresa Meotti

UConn School of Medicine - Class of 2018

I was born and raised in Old Saybrook, CT and I attended UConn for my undergraduate studies.  I have had extensive experience helping underserved populations. I volunteered with a midwife in rural Guatemala providing prenatal care for many women. I also lived in Nicaragua, where I shadowed and assisted a primary care physician at a community clinic and accompanied her on her weekly home visits to patients in impoverished neighborhoods. In these roles I learned more about the complications of chronic conditions and how lifestyle choices contribute to their development, as well as how dangerous it is to have poor access to health care. These experiences have encouraged me to seek a career in medicine where I can work with others to create a patient-centered care model, one that can cater to a variety of patients with a variety of social, cultural, and economic backgrounds and narratives.

The Urban Service Track’s emphasis on providing care to vulnerable communities in Connecticut aligns with my medical ambition to lessen the disparities that exist in the current healthcare setting. I am particularly interested in increasing access to care for immigrant populations as the state continues to grow more culturally diverse. The chance to work closely with and learn from health care providers in associated disciplines will enrich my understanding of healthcare and healing and contribute to the holistic medical education I want to pursue.