Zachary Yannes

Quinnipiac University Physician Assistant Program

I was born and raised in Oxford, Connecticut, and earned my bachelor of science in athletic training from Southern Connecticut State University.
I have spent most of my professional career and volunteer time with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, now called the Islanders, a hockey team in the American Hockey League. I started as a volunteer with the team, then, in 2010, I became a paid member of the game night staff. In 2015, I became the assistant athletic trainer and strength and conditioning coach, then took the same position with the New York Islanders, an NHL team, from 2017 to 2021.
I have been passionate about caring for others since I was young; I want to become a physician assistant to realize my dream of caring for others as a profession. I feel that the Urban Service Track/AHEC Scholars (UST/AS) Program will give me the opportunities and experience I need to become a better medical provider. By forcing its students out of their comfort zones, the UST/AS Program requires them to change the lens in which they view topics related to health care and society. I believe programs like this cultivate the change we need to see in our communities and within the healthcare system itself.