Meet Madeleine Tessier-Kay, MPH. She will walk across the stage on May 11, 2026 at Commencement to accept her UConn medical degree. Read about her exciting journey from Harvard basketball athlete to global public health experiences such as working for the NBA in rural South Africa to Yale for her MPH to UConn medical school where she discovered her love for dermatology. She now heads to Johns Hopkins to train as a future dermatologist in residency.
Q. Why did you choose UConn School of Medicine?
A. During my medical school interviews, the UConn faculty and students were incredibly welcoming and kind. UConn has a strong sense of community with a collaborative, collegial learning environment that I wanted to be a part of. This, in addition to the school’s strong clinical training and dedication to service, made UConn an easy choice.
Q. Tell us more about your path to medical school.
A. Entering college, I had an established interest in science and medicine. Following freshman year, I worked with the NBA in rural South Africa to promote academics and athletics among local youth. Working with players both in the classroom and on the court, I became uncomfortably aware of the impact of malnutrition on performance in the classroom and on the court. There, I began to understand health, not as a singular clinical encounter, but as something shaped by access, opportunity, education, and social norms. This realization drew me to the intersection of public health and clinical care, motivating me to pursue an undergraduate minor in global health and health policy and to take advantage of global health opportunities when they were presented. Following my junior year, I served as a Harvard Global Health Institute Fellow with Partners in Health and the University of Global Health Equity in Kigali and Rwinkwavu, Rwanda, where I supported development of their Master of Science in Global Health Delivery and assisted with evaluation of ongoing child malnutrition programs. I went on to earn my MPH in chronic disease epidemiology from the Yale School of Public Health, where I elected to pursue additional studies in health policy, environmental law, and health care management. Applying what I learned, I created a social ecological framework for the New Mexico Department of Health on the changing epidemiologic landscape of substance use disorders in the wake of the COVID pandemic, and, in collaboration with the American Cancer Society, completed a thesis on survivorship care utilization. Through these endeavors, I learned that the issues in health equity I had seen abroad were very much present in the United States, leading me to a domestic focus as I approached medical school. Through medical school, my public health interests have shaped my research and career goals as a future physician.
Q. What activities were you involved with as a student?
A. While at UConn, I have conducted research at the intersection of public health and dermatology, completing projects characterizing access to specialized care, specifically among pediatric Medicaid beneficiaries. Locally, I have worked with the department of dermatology to organize and facilitate skin cancer screenings in the greater Hartford community. I also serve as the elected class representative for the Academic Integrity Board, a peer tutor, and a member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society.
Q. What’s one thing that surprised you about UConn?
A. Having mainly lived in Stamford and New Haven, Conn. prior to medical school, I wasn’t aware of, or expecting to see, the bears that we have here! I love wildlife and have grown to look forward to seeing them (from a very safe distance) at the reservoir on my walks.
Q. What’s one thing every student should do during their time at UConn?
A. Two things! Attend a basketball game and walk at the West Hartford Reservoir.
Q. Who inspired you to enter healthcare? Or who was your favorite mentor here and why?
A. Paul Farmer inspired me to enter healthcare. Working with Partners in Health and reading “Mountains Beyond Mountains,” I was inspired by the positive impact a physician could make, not only for their individual patients, but their communities and greater populations as well.
While at UConn, I have had the opportunity to learn from phenomenal mentors in dermatology. Over the past four years, I have collaborated with Dr. Feng on research projects characterizing access to pediatric dermatologic care and have worked with Dr. Sarfo in the clinic on a weekly basis for CLIC and my longitudinal clinical elective. My mentors, and the residents and faculty at UConn overall, have made me feel truly cared about as a person in addition to a student and future physician.
Q. What are your plans after graduation?
A. I’m hoping to spend quality time with my parents and friends in Connecticut before I move to Florida for my transitional year! My partner coaches collegiate rowing at UCF and we’re excited to be in the same place for at least one year of my medical training.
Q. What’s one thing that will always make you think of UConn?
A. Electrolytes and “arrow questions” will always make me think of Dr. Henry.
Q. What does being a part of UConn mean to you?
A. Being a part of UConn means being part of an environment and community that truly cares for and looks after one another, an environment where we both encourage and challenge one another to be the best versions of ourselves.
Q. What’s it going to be like to walk across the Commencement stage and get your degree?
A. Surreal. The past four years have entailed incredible work and dedication for all of us, but at the same time have gone by in the blink of an eye. I’m so proud of everyone in our class for how far we’ve come and how much we’ve all grown.
Q. Any final words of wisdom for incoming students?
A. Take the time to explore. Savor the moments of the first two years. You don’t need to come into medical school knowing what you want to do, and the four years are not linear for everyone. Prioritize learning, discover your areas of interest and your passions, and enjoy the journey! It will fly by.
Tune-in on May 11, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. for UConn Health’s 55th Commencement.
