This group of health professional students (two representatives from each program) will liaise with the Committee on Interprofessional Excellence in Healthcare (CIPEH) to facilitate the university’s efforts in interprofessional education/clinical care, scholarship, and outreach/engagement.
Two students from ISAC will serve as members of CIPEH. ISAC will be charged with assisting in the implementation of the Interprofessional Strategic Plan, including serving as mentors to UConn pre-health professional students, advising CIPEH on various IP initiatives, and serving as an information source about and advocates for IP among the health professional student body.
Student Advisory Committee Members
Chair – Julia Sokolovska (NURS)
My name is Julia Sokolovska and I’m a third year nursing student at the University of Connecticut School of Nursing from East Lyme, Connecticut. I just recently completed my Medical/Surgical clinical rotation at Backus Hospital and I’m now looking forward to my Maternity/Pediatrics rotation at Hartford Hospital. I’ve always wanted to pursue a career in which I could change someone’s life and I couldn’t be happier when I see my patients smile. In addition to being a member of the Interprofessional Student Advisory Committee, I’m a Resident Assistant for the Nursing Learning Community and the Residence Hall Association Executive Director of Promotions and Public Relations at the Storrs campus. I love taking part in organizations that not only allow me to connect with people but also work towards building a positive community in many aspects. I’m excited to see what the upcoming semesters hold as well as getting the chance to connect with some wonderful individuals. When I’m not taking care of patients or spending time with my residents, I enjoy taking time to travel to new places around the world and play some tennis. |
|
Secretary – Shannon Wannagot (AUD)
Shannon is a fifth year dual degree (Au.D./Ph.D.) doctoral student in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences. She received her B.A. in Communication Disorders from the University of Connecticut in 2012. She is a graduate assistant and teaches an undergraduate course, Introduction to Audiology. In addition to serving as an audiology student representative on ISAC, she is also an InCHIP Graduate Student Affiliate and Hear Here Hartford Board Member. Her research interests include speech in noise understanding, classroom acoustics, and pediatric aural rehabilitation. |
|
Syed Alam (SOM)
Syed is a third-year medical student at the University of Connecticut. He graduated with a degree in English from Boston College and is currently an editor of Anastomoses, the literary journal for the medical and dental schools at UConn. His academic interests include urology and oncology, and he has presented his work on bladder cancer at multiple national conferences. Outside of school, his interests include baseball and snowboarding. |
|
Jessica Barrett (KINS)
Jess is a fourth year doctoral student in the Department of Kinesiology. She received her BS from Springfield College in Athletic Training and her MSEd from Old Dominion University in Athletic Training Education. Her research interests include mentorship, women in athletic training, and new faculty socialization. At UConn her graduate assistantship includes teaching courses in the BS Athletic Training program. |
|
Daniel Bergeron (AHS)
Daniel is a second year graduate student in the Healthcare Genetics Professional Science Masters degree program at UCONN. He attended the University of Connecticut for his undergraduate education, where he graduated in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in Nutritional Sciences. His current work is focused on elucidating the role of various candidate genes on variability in the response to painful stimuli in patients with chronic inflammatory bowel diseases. Through his involvement with the Interprofessional Student Advisory Committee, Daniel hopes to contribute to the development of a more interconnected healthcare community dedicated to personalized care. |
|
Wiktoria Bogdanska
My name is Wiktoria Bogdanska, a third-year professional student at the UConn School of Pharmacy. I am an Urban Health Scholar in the Urban Service Track and part of the community service committee in Lambda Kappa Sigma (a professional pharmacy fraternity promoting women in health care). I currently work at the Hospital of Central Connecticut as a Medication Reconciliation Technician (MRT) and in my work, I am able to collaborate and work with other health care professionals to help patients who come into the ER. Through UST I am also able to work with Dental, Medicine, Pharmacy, Nursing, PA and Social work professional students focusing on improving and providing health care and education to underserved populations. I enjoy working on a team with students from other health care professions because I value the importance of a team to provide the best care for our patients. In the future, I plan to become a Clinical Transplant Pharmacist where I would have the opportunity to utilize the skills I have learned in school and work with other health care professionals to help patients on their path to better health. Outside of school, I love to travel, go hiking in the summer and skiing in the winter. I am excited to be part of the Interprofessional Student Advisory Committee (ISAC) and I look forward to working with and building relationships with students in other disciplines to help spread awareness of the importance of working as a team. |
|
Kelly Coleman (KINS) Kelly is a Doctoral Student in the Department of Kinesiology. She received her B.S. in Athletic Training from UConn in 2010 and M.S. in Exercise Science from James Madison University of 2012. She has worked as an Athletic Trainer for the past three years at Connecticut College in New London, CT. Her research interests include the development of female leaders within athletic training, healthcare, and sport. |
|
Stephanie Chan (SODM)
Stephanie is a DMD student in her third year at UConn School of Dental Medicine. Prior to dental school, she majored in Geography with a focus in Public Health at Dartmouth College. Delivering optimal care to patients requires communication between all of a patient’s healthcare providers. Being part of the Interprofessional Student Advisory Committee (ISAC) allows Stephanie to understand different perspectives in various healthcare fields, so she will be able to provide better care to her patients. Besides serving as a dental student representative on the ISAC, she also serves as a trip leader for UConn School of Dental Medicine’s 2016 humanitarian trip to Comayagua, Honduras, co-chair of the Dental Student Activities Congress, chair of the Academic Dentistry Student Interest Group, and is involved in conducting epidemiological and endodontic research. Outside of school, she enjoys reading, traveling, and skiing. |
|
Erika Dineno (SLHS) | |
Katelyn Gettens (Clinical PSYC)
Katelyn is a 5th year doctoral student in the Department of Psychological Sciences. She received her undergraduate degree from Holy Cross in Psychology and Spanish, and a master’s degree from the University of Connecticut in clinical neuropsychology and health psychology. She is a student affiliate of both the Institute for Collaboration on Health Intervention and Prevention (InCHIP) and the Connecticut Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences (IBaCS). Her research interests include the relationship between behavioral health and neuropsychology, specifically the intersection of successful weight management and executive function. She is currently working on her dissertation examining dyadic dynamics and the impact of executive skills on weight loss in a couples-based behavioral weight loss intervention. She is particularly interested in facilitating cross-disciplinary collaboration for the purpose of effective intervention design and implementation and optimal patient care. |
|
Nana Marfo (Clinical PSYC)
Nana is a 3rd year Clinical Psychology doctoral student at the University of Connecticut. She received her Bachelor’s of Philosophy (B.Phil) degree from the University of Pittsburgh with a Major in Psychology and a minor in Brazilian Portuguese. Prior to entering her graduate program, Nana served with AmeriCorps for two years as a Program Coordinator for the Youth and Collegiate Health Service Corps programs in Waterbury, CT. This experience as well as her background in psychology inspired her to pursue a public health-informed career in clinical psychology. Nana’s research interests include interdisciplinary approaches to reducing health disparities, increasing access to mental health services for underrepresented populations, and affecting health policy. She is a student affiliate at the University of Connecticut’s Institute for Collaboration on Health Intervention and Prevention (InCHIP) and a member of the Connecticut Psychological Association (CPA). Overall, Nana strongly values working across disciplines to improve and optimize quality of life for all. |
|
Vinita Mistry (Pharm)
Hi, my name is Vinita, I am a third year professional student at the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy. As the pharmacy student representative on ISAC, I bring my experience from working as a pharmacy intern and as an Urban Health Scholar in the Urban Service Track (UST) to promote interprofessional healthcare to provide patients with more personalized care. Currently, I work as an intern in the pharmacies at Natchaug Hospital in Mansfield Center, CT. Through UST, an interprofessional curriculum, I collaborate with students from the Pharmacy, Medicine, Dental, Nursing, Social Work, and Physician Assistant programs to host educational events and health fairs focused on improving healthcare in local, underserved communities. I enjoy working with students from so many disciplines because my view of the healthcare system is now broadened to encompass all the needs of each patient. I am also a mentor for the pre-pharmacy First Year Experience class and a member of the student advocacy group, No Friend Left Alone, educating students on campus about the ongoing opioid epidemic and Naloxone. Outside of academics, I am a black belt in Goju Ryu karate, a hiker, and enjoy to read and paint. I am so excited to be a part of this committee working towards increasing interprofessional opportunities for students at UCONN. |
|
Andrew Polio
Andrew is a second year medical student at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. He graduated from College of the Holy Cross with a major in Chemistry in 2012. He then went on to spend three years performing clinical research at the Lowe Center for Thoracic Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA. As part of the Interprofessional Student Advisory Committee (ISAC), he is excited to build and organize programs that foster better working relationships between health providers in order to provide optimal care for our patients. |
|
Sami Tarabishy (SOM)
Sami is a 3rd year medical student at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. He graduated from Uconn undergrad in Storrs, CT with a major in Biology and minor in Physiology and Neurobiology in 2010. He then spent the next three years doing Neuroscience research where he investigated the role of sex differences, social isolation, and various immune regulatory factors in ischemic stroke. Extracurricular activities that he enjoys include travel, photography, ice hockey, tennis, golf, and snowboarding. |
Faculty Advisors
cIPEh representatives
Storrs: Nana Marfo (Clinical PSYC) with Erin Emonds (PHAR) alternate
UCHC: Stephanie Chan (SODM) or Daniel Bergeron (AHS) with Syed Alam (SOM) alternate
Website subcommittee
Jessica Barrett (KINS), Erika Dineno (SLHS), Sami Tarabishy (SOM), Emily Seamans (PHAR)