My name is Krithika Santhanam (She/Her/Hers) and I am a senior double majoring in Molecular and Cell Biology as well as an Individualized major in Health Policy and Racial Disparities. On campus, I serve as co-president of UConn’s Pre-Medical Society and am part of the Leadership Legacy Experience Program. Outside of UConn, I enjoy taking coffee trips to different places, playing volleyball, and painting.     

Service and Research have played an integral role during my UConn journey in finding my true passions. I am the student program director of the Community Sustainability Alternative Break to Puerto Rico through Community Outreach and a UConn Health Leaders volunteer. Through the Office of Undergraduate Research, I am part of the 6th cohort of BOLD Scholars which provided me grant funding to travel to Chennai, India and pursue my documentary project on Disability Advocacy in South India. I also have been awarded a SURF Grant for my work in Dr. Caroline Dealy’s Laboratory at UConn Health. My current research endeavors lie in Dr. Fumilayo Shower’s lab where I conduct interviews and examine the structural/systemic, institutional, and micro level factors that shaped the experiences of frontline and non-frontline health care workers during the various waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some people see my research journey as one that is out of the ordinary for a pre-medical student. Therefore, to encourage a proactive and explorative approach to research, I am also a Peer Research Ambassador through the Office of Undergraduate Research so I basically live on the fourth floor of Rowe. 🙂

My journey through UConn’s First Year Programs has shaped the individual I am today so shoutout to my LC and FYE family! Currently, I serve as President of the Learning Community Executive Council and am a past FYE Mentor for WiMSE House.  

I would love to connect with you about...

• Mentorship: How mentors have shaped my UConn journey, how to know if your mentor-mentee relationship is the right fit for you, and how to be a mentor for someone else!  
• Research: How to find an opportunity that truly excites you, how to find a research opportunity, and pursing research beyond your major! 
• Wellness: How to balance your academic and extracurricular life with your social life on campus (We all face this! You are not alone!) and how to take care of yourself throughout your pre-med journey when things can be stressful.  
• Dunkin: How to beat the line at the union and when to order so you actually get coffee! 🙂