UConn School of Medicine Brochure

University of Connecticut
School of Medicine
COLLABORATIVE • COLLEGIAL • STUDENT CENTERED

Unique Culture
At the UConn School of Medicine, you will find
our culture of learning to be truly unique. The
pervasive atmosphere is one of collaboration,
not competition. Our devoted faculty
demonstrates tremendous respect for students.
We are proud to offer a top-quality learning
experience for our physicians of the future.
Here, our students begin with unlimited
potential and are honed to excellence through
didactic and hands-on experience.
“
UConn promotes
“UConn promotes
“collaboration “collaboration where
“students work
together toward
success. Emphasis
on the dynamics of
patient-doctor
relationships
transforms
students into
physicians capable
”
of delivering
”
superior care.
– Michael Kelleher, M.D.,
’11, Radiology-Diagnostic
resident at Yale University
School of Medicine

Our White Coat Ceremony is a time to celebrate the accomplishments of the entering class and welcome students to the journey ahead. At the UConn
School of Medicine, we say: “Look to your right, look to your left. He will be your family practitioner, and she will
be your surgeon.”
2

“
My three years as a medical student serving
“My three years as a medical student serving
“on the Committee on Undergraduate Medical
“Education (CUME) has shown me how dedicated
our faculty and attendings are to improving
the medical school and how much they value
student feedback. My election to CUME allowed
me to give back to my medical school by serving
as a link between my classmates and the
governing body that institutes change.
”
– Sarah Steenbergen, M.D., ’11, Medicine Preliminary resident at
Norwalk Hospital and Radiology-Diagnostic resident at the Hospital
of Saint Raphael, Yale University School of Medicine
as a link between my classmates and the
”
Student
Centered
At the UConn School of Medicine, you will play
a role in patients’ health from the very start of
your medical education.
In your first week of medical school, you
are assigned to a community physician to
begin your clinical education. Our curriculum
complements your practical experience,
shaping and refining your problem-solving,
diagnostic, and treatment skills.
Our culture of collaboration has its roots in our
pass/fail system of grading which promotes
better peer and small-group learning. You will
find that our faculty are caring, approachable,
and accommodating.
medicine.uchc.edu 3

4
Serious
Academics
“ “learning environment. A large percentage
”
conferences.
“I I matriculated here knowing that the
“faculty nurtures a supportive and congenial
of class time is dedicated to small group
”
– Pauley Chea, ’13”
’13”
89
The number of
medical students
accepted into the
class of 2010
(including those
enrolled into the
M.D./Ph.D. program)
In order to become successful clinicians,
physicians must gain a firm understanding
of the basic sciences. Our school’s
integrative curriculum is designed to
meet this need, while allowing students
to apply their medical studies to handson
clinical experiences throughout their
entire four years of study.
Our passing standard is high, and
students strive to excel. We provide you
with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes
to allow you to succeed in any chosen
field of specialty. We especially pride
ourselves on providing exceptional
training for the practice of high-quality
and patient-centered clinical medicine.
The population surrounding our medical
school is extremely diverse with respect
to age, education, culture, and socioeconomic
status. As a result, you will
have the opportunity to interact with
a varied patient population and health
issues in settings that range from
urban to rural, and from wealthy to
disadvantaged communities.

Personal
Touch
The transition from student to physician is
not always easy – but we strive to ease that
transition. Much of student education comes
from UConn-trained physicians who went
through the same experience.
Teaching faculty routinely offer informal
review sessions, often staying late in the
anatomy lab or classroom in order to assist
students. Faculty are always willing to
accommodate student requests for additional
assistance, and work very closely and
collaboratively to share their common goal
of excellence.
Your success here is our success!
“What first attracted me to UConn was the
“unique culture of learning. Far beyond having
an innovative curriculum, the Health Center
community is a place where you feel like
paramount.
”
your learning and enjoyment of medicine are
”
– Dan Henderson, ’12
www.web medicine.uchc.edu link info 5

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250
Number of community-based physicians who
participate in the Student Continuity Practice
“
One of the best things about my training at
“One of the best things about my training at
“UConn “UConn was the early exposure to patient
“care. From the first month of my first year,
I was talking with and examining my own
patients… I think UConn is a great place to
”
grow into a doctor. It certainly prepared me
well for a rewarding career.
”
– Jason Ryan, M.D., M.P.H., ’01, cardiologist and assistant
professor, at the UConn School of Medicine
Caregivers
at the Start
One of the distinctive features of our curriculum
is our Student Continuity Practice (SCP), in
which every student is placed at a private
practice to meet with patients once a week
for the first three years of medical school. The
experience is such a positive one that many
students continue to participate in SCP in the
form of a fourth-year elective.
The program gives you the opportunity to
develop a conceptual understanding of medicine
while developing skills in history taking,
physical examination, and clinical reasoning.
SCP also provides you with exposure to
personal and professional issues that
accompany medical training and practice.
Working in the same physician’s office for three
to four years gives you the opportunity to
experience continuity with patients, the office
staff, and the physician. Along with your
growing body of knowledge and skills, you will
be given more independence – frequently, you
will have your own panel of patients to follow
over the course of your participation.

“
I love interacting
“I love interacting
“with patients,
“learning from a
physician mentor,
and applying what
we learn in class to
the clinical setting.
I’ve gained a wealth
of knowledge and
”
– Persis Thomas, ’14
of knowledge and
experience.
”
“
My third year as a
“My third year as a
“medical student at
“UConn prepared
me extremely well
for the challenges
of my next role
as a sub-intern,
as well as for the
USMLE Step 2
Honing Clinical Skills
Clinical Knowledge
and Clinical Skills
”
Another special highlight of medical education at the UConn School of Medicine is our clinical skills
laboratory. This facility features 16 patient exam rooms fully equipped to simulate a realistic medical
– Lindsay Bliss, M.D., ’11,
General Surgery resident
office experience.
at the UConn School of
Medicine
You will regularly visit this facility in order to improve your clinical skills through hands-on practice under
the guidance of clinical faculty. The clinical skills laboratory employs trained actors with whom you interact
as if they were real patients. The feedback you receive from your instructors truly allows for optimal
growth and development of your clinical skills.
and Clinical Skills
exams.
”
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8
Community
Service
Our students have a strong commitment to
community service, and we encourage this
in many ways. Through student-run medical
clinics, for example, students and physicians
provide basic and acute medical care to
Hartford’s ethnically diverse population.
Recently, some of our medical students
founded Hartford Health Education, a
program that provides opportunities for
students to teach health education to sixth
graders. It is rewarding to dispel myths and
educate young students on ways to protect
their health, and to provide them with the
tools they will need now and later in life to
live a healthy lifestyle.
Each summer, a group of medical students will
bicycle from San Francisco to the Connecticut
shore in order to raise funds for the Lea’s
Foundation for Leukemia Research. The
Foundation is a local organization supporting
research in leukemia and other blood disorders.
“
“Coast-to-Coast Coast-to-Coast gave me an
“opportunity to combine my
“passion for activity with my
desire to help a good cause.
It was an adventure I won’t
soon forget.
”
– Katherine Farmer, ’12
It was an adventure I won’t
”

“
My peers never cease to amaze
“My peers never cease to amaze
“me. They are talented, engaging,
“caring, and fun. We run clinics,
have rotating dinner clubs, take
part in a myriad of outdoor
each other.
”
– Elliott Higgins, ’14
activities and we take care of
”
Appealing
Lifestyle
The School of Medicine is part of the UConn
Health Center campus comprising 162 acres
outside of the historic village of Farmington,
and located just seven miles from Hartford.
Boston and New York are a two-hour drive for
day or weekend excursions. The sandy beaches
of Southern Connecticut and Rhode Island
are an hour away, with Vermont ski slopes just
a few hours away.
From the Health Center are panoramic views
of rural hills and the skyscrapers of Hartford.
You go to school in a quiet suburban area with
all the outdoor recreational opportunities and
vestiges of small-town life, yet with the excitement
of a city less than 10 minutes away.
You may opt to live in a trendy apartment in
Hartford, a comfortable condo directly across
the street from our medical school, or a quiet,
private suburban home. You can choose your
price range, living style and setting, and never
be more than 10 minutes from the Health
Center.
Snap to view a student life video.
Free mobile app: http://gettag.mobi
medicine.uchc.edu 9

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Curriculum
As a student at the UConn School of Medicine, you will
develop competency in patient care, medical knowledge,
practice-based learning and improvement, interpersonal and
communication skills, professionalism, and systems-based
practice. You will be broadly trained and prepared to undertake
advanced training for careers in patient care, academic
medicine, public health, and research.
Our curriculum consists of 164 weeks of instruction over
a four-year period, divided into three phases:
• Phase 1: During the first two years, you learn the basic
science that is required of any skilled physician. To put
this knowledge into practice, you also have significant
clinical exposure during this time.
• Phase 2: This phase spans the third year of the medical
school curriculum, exposing you to the core clinical
rotations in both out-patient and in-patient settings.
• Phase 3: This phase spans the fourth year of the
curriculum. During this time, you have the opportunity to
gain experience in acute medical care environments as
well as customize your schedule to meet your personal
needs and interests.
Our curriculum is designed to provide the training you need
to succeed, prosper, and readily adapt to an ever-changing
medical profession.
2.7:1
“
Learning how to integrate clinical knowledge
clinical rotations due to UConn’s strong
”
“Learning how to integrate clinical knowledge
“with appropriate physical exam skills and
“bedside manner is critical to any physician.
I felt very well prepared for my third-year
clinical rotations due to UConn’s strong
clinical education program.
”
– Andrew Cathers, ’12
Our faculty-to-student ratio, which according
to U.S. News & World Report is one of the
highest of all of the medical schools

Admissions
Our faculty believes that a broad liberal arts
education provides the best background
for those entering the medical profession.
Medicine is best served by physicians whose
learning has been thoroughly grounded in
both the sciences and the humanities.
Timetable for Medical School
Admissions:
• June 1: Primary application is available via
AMCAS.
• August 1: Deadline for Early Decision
applicants to complete AMCAS application.
• October 1: Early Decision applicants are
notified of their status.
• November 15: Deadline for submitting
AMCAS application.
• December 31: Deadline for receipt of
all materials, including the Supplemental
Statement and Letters of Recommendation.
• August–March: Invitations are extended to
applicants selected for interview.
• October–End of Year: Offers of acceptance
are issued on a rolling basis.
Contact Information:
Richard A. Zeff, Ph.D.
Assistant Dean, Medical School Admissions
Phone: 860-679-4713
Fax: 860-679-6763
Email: Admissions@uchc.edu
Mailing Address:
Medical School Admissions
UConn School of Medicine
263 Farmington Avenue
Farmington, CT 06030-1905
Learn more: http://medicine.uchc.edu
“
I purposefully sought a school that offered
“I purposefully sought a school that offered
“a small class size, and pass/fail grading
“during the classroom years to reduce the
typical ‘pre-med competitiveness,’ as well
as a school that was dedicated to producing
intelligent physicians that patients were
proud to call their own doctor.
”
School of Medicine
”
– Peter Le, M.D.,’08, Internal Medicine resident at Yale University
”
“
The clinical education offered
“The clinical education offered
“by UConn is unparalleled. At
“UConn, you will experience
hands-on patient care
beginning with your first year
of studies. UConn combines
medical knowledge, the art of
healing, and genuine patient
care while promoting cultural
diversity and community
outreach – all of which are
”
physician.
essential to becoming a great
”
– Neena Qasba, M.D., ’11, Obstectrics-
Gynecology resident at Indiana University
School of Medicine
medicine.uchc.edu 11

Match Day
Through the National Resident Matching
Program (NRMP), students are assigned to
a specific residency training program for the
following year. Each March, medical schools
across the country hold a ceremony known
as Match Day where graduating fourth-year
medical students learn where they will be
training in the coming years.
Match day is a joyous day on the academic
calendar. It is the culmination of the medical
school experience, celebrated by our
students, their families, friends and the
entire UConn Medical School community.
97. 5%
The average percentage
of students who secured
residencies through the match
during 2007-2011, exceeding
the national average of 93.6%
for the same period of time
Nina Dadlez with her parents and
a letter from Columbia University
accepting her into a pediatrics
residency.
“
The UConn Health Center community is warm
“The UConn Health Center community is warm
“and friendly. There is a spirit of camaraderie
“here among my classmates which makes
the medical school experience so much more
enjoyable. There are a ton of great community
organizations that students here are involved
”
in, and the active student life is one of the
things that is great about the school.
”
– Christine Castater, ’14

UConn School of Medicine
263 Farmington Avenue
Farmington, CT 06030-1905
Phone: 860-679-4713
Fax: 860-679-6763
Admissions@uchc.edu
http://medicine.uchc.edu
facebook.com/uconnhealthcenter
twitter.com/uconnhealth
The University of Connecticut supports all state
and federal laws that promote equal opportunity
and prohibit discrimination.
Richard A. Zeff, Ph.D., assistant dean of admissions for the School of Medicine, shown with some
of the many students who have generously volunteered their time to the admissions process:
(left to right) Michael Kelleher, M.D., ’11, Angela Yuan, ’14, Christine Castater, ’13, Sabrina Browning, ’13,
Charlayne McStay, ’13, and Pauley Chea, ’13.
Snap to view a video greeting from Dr. Zeff.
Free mobile app: http://gettag.mobi
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