Vanessa Wanjeri

UConn School of Medicine Class of 2016

I was born in Nairobi, Kenya and immigrated to the U.S. at 11 years old. Soon, Philadelphia became our new home. I graduated from Swarthmore College with a B.A. in Biology, and minors in Spanish and Latin American Studies. During my college years, I learned how structural inequalities continue to keep certain populations marginalized: education, housing and health, especially. I was interested in the medical profession from an early age, and wanted to gain insights on ways that health professionals can and do help create better conditions and improve health care access for medically underserved individuals and communities. To this end, I volunteered at Esperanza Health Center, a low-cost primary care clinic in North Philadelphia that focuses on Latino and underserved communities in the region. Shadowing doctors and dentists and learning from social workers, medical assistants and translators, cultivated in me the desire to work as a physician in a similar setting. I applied to UST with a mind to continue learning the complexities and challenges of health care in urban areas. I look forward to learning as part of a diverse team of health professionals how to play a role in addressing these challenges. I am excited to be part of UST because I am sure that through the program, I will build invaluable skills, experience and relationships that will help me contribute to the health of urban community.