The Capital Area Health Consortium honored three stand-out UConn School of Medicine residents in training with its annual Community Service Awards during its spring Board of Trustees meeting on May 27.

Founded in 1974, the non-profit Capital Area Health Consortium manages salary and benefits for all residency and fellowship programs sponsored by UConn that span across seven associated member hospitals.

One 2026 recipient of the Consortium’s Community Service Award is Dr. Henry Siccardi, a UConn School of Medicine Class of 2023 graduate, on the brink of completing his three-year UConn internal medicine residency training and becoming a UConn primary care physician.

“I wanted to become a UConn primary care doctor, and I made it!” shared Siccardi who is set to start caring for internal medicine patients at UConn Health Torrington.

Siccardi reflected how the end of his residency training at UConn is bittersweet, but definitely more sweet: “Residency was a lot of fun. I would do it here at UConn again. I feel accomplished.”

His nominator and Internal Medicine faculty mentor Dr. Christopher Steele applauded Siccardi at the Consortium’s award ceremony.

“I’m very proud that you are set to be an internist here,” shared Steele sharing how Siccardi’s transformative work during medical school and his internal residency training at UConn has helped so many people to get the care they deserve. “His impact as a resident has been extraordinary.”

Steele shared in his nomination letter of Siccardi how he has had the privilege of working closely with Siccardi over the past seven years following Siccardi’s founding of the UConn Health Leaders (UCHL) program as a medical student.

“From its earliest days he has committed thousands of hours to building, leading, and sustaining a program that has become a cornerstone of how we address health-related social needs in our community. UCHL is a volunteer-driven initiative designed to identify and address unmet social needs among some of the most vulnerable patients in the Hartford area. Henry oversees a large, student-led organization that screens patients across inpatient and ambulatory settings and connects them to essential resources such as food access, transportation, housing support, and insurance navigation. Importantly, the program emphasizes follow-through, ensuring that patients are not just identified, but supported through closed-loop interventions that directly impact their ability to access and benefit from care. Since its inception, UCHL has helped thousands of patients navigate barriers that would have otherwise gone unaddressed, and Henry has been central to every stage of that impact,” wrote Steele.

Steele concluded, “His leadership has created a ripple effect. His work through UCHL has had a lasting impact on both our institution and the Hartford community. Henry is exactly the type of resident this award is meant to recognize. His contributions have meaningfully improved the lives of patients while building a sustainable model for community engagement that will continue long after his training. He built his career giving back to our community and will now start his career at UConn continuing his efforts.”

“It was a wonderful surprise and honor to receive this award,” says Dr. Ariana Adamski-Larson, a third-year UConn pediatric resident trainee who is also a 2026 recipient of a Community Service Award by the Consortium.

As part of her longitudinal pediatric residency training, she partnered with Hands On Hartford, an organization that provides critical services including a food pantry, educational programming, and a pay-what-you-can café.

“Over the course of her residency, she has volunteered in their food pantry beyond the required amount, gaining firsthand insight into the needs of the community. Through this work, Dr. Adamski-Larson identified a specific and often under-recognized need: access to diapers for families experiencing financial hardship. Recognizing this gap, she independently developed and led a diaper donation initiative,” applauded Dr. Stewart Mackie in his nomination letter. He serves as Pediatric Residency Program Director at Connecticut Children’s and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at UConn School of Medicine.

From organizing the campaign to mobilizing participation across her residency program, over the past two years her efforts have resulted in the collection of more than 1,500 diapers for families in need.

“I had the idea of organizing the diaper drive after having a conversation with a father who asked if the food pantry I was volunteering at had any diapers available for his baby. When I learned more about how rarely these items were donated, it seemed like a small but meaningful action to take,” says Adamski-Larson.

“Dr. Adamski-Larson’s work exemplifies the spirit of this award,” adds Mackie, concluding, “We are fortunate that Dr. Adamski-Larson will remain at our institution to continue her training in pediatric pulmonology. We are confident that her dedication to community engagement and advocacy will continue to grow, and that she will remain a strong advocate for children and families throughout her career.”

“I love UConn because of the supportive learning environment we have and the local community we serve. I have been fortunate to be mentored by many wonderful physicians from many different specialties (including my future pediatric pulmonology fellowship program director Dr. Melanie Sue Collins). They are a big reason why I wanted to stay for fellowship!” Adamski-Larson said.

Fellow UConn pediatric resident, Dr. Leah Pinksy, in her second-year of residency training, is also a 2026 recipient of the Capitol Area Health Consortium’s Community Service Award.

In addition to Mackie, Pinksy was also nominated jointly by Dr. Emily Hogeland who co-leads the advocacy efforts for residents in the UConn Pediatric Residency Program.

“Dr. Pinsky has consistently gone above and beyond her clinical duties to serve her local community in broad-reaching and innovative ways. Last fall, she led a group of UConn pediatrics residents to join forces with Yale pediatrics residents to form the new Connecticut Pediatric Residency Advocacy Coalition. Joining the only two pediatric residencies in the state, this new coalition allows pediatric residents to amplify their voices on statewide issues that affect children both within and beyond the clinic walls,” wrote Mackie in the nomination letter.

During the coalition’s inaugural year Pinsky’s leadership has focused on advocating for water safety by writing letters to state representatives and senators, testifying on relevant legislation, creating education on swim lessons for families, and joining a community outreach event focused on injury prevention. Her dedication was recognized by the local pediatrics community when she and her co-leader from Yale received the “Best Poster” award at the CT American Academy of Pediatrics 2025 Annual Meeting.

In addition, Pinsky has also been very involved in other advocacy efforts during her residency including developing an interest in expanding Medicaid coverage for undocumented immigrants in Connecticut, shared legislative testimony about the benefits of broadening Medicaid coverage, and has motivated other trainees to becoming more involved in advocacy.

“Dr. Pinsky has demonstrated the strongest dedication to legislative advocacy of any our pediatric residents in recent years, and the program will often refer to her as the gold standard of what our residents can achieve,” adds Mackie. “She is incredibly deserving of this recognition for her incredible work and to bolster her future career as a pediatric hospitalist and advocate.”

“Ariana and Leah, congratulations, you both have really stood out in your advocacy,” applauded Dr. Kenneth Robinson, chair of The Capital Area Health Consortium’s Board of Trustees who serves as VP of Academic Affairs for Hartford HealthCare.

At the end of the Consortium’s honors Assistant Dean for Graduate Medical Education at UConn, Dr. Steve Angus, also shared his gratitude with the UConn resident honorees, “Thank you for everything you have done. We truly appreciate your work and advocacy for our community.”