{"id":246862,"date":"2026-05-28T14:21:34","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T18:21:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=246862"},"modified":"2026-05-28T14:21:34","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T18:21:34","slug":"uconn-residents-honored-for-community-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2026\/05\/uconn-residents-honored-for-community-service\/","title":{"rendered":"UConn Residents Honored for Community Service"},"content":{"rendered":"

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.<\/p>\n

\"Henry
Third-year UConn internal med resident, Dr. Henry Siccardi, recipient of a 2026 Community Service Award.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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.<\/p>\n

One 2026 recipient of the Consortium\u2019s Community Service Award is Dr. Henry Siccardi<\/strong>, 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to become a UConn primary care doctor, and I made it!\u201d shared Siccardi who is set to start caring for internal medicine patients at UConn Health Torrington.<\/p>\n

Siccardi reflected how the end of his residency training at UConn is bittersweet, but definitely more sweet: \u201cResidency was a lot of fun. I would do it here at UConn again. I feel accomplished.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Dr.
Dr. Siccardi with his mentor Dr. Steele.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

His nominator and Internal Medicine faculty mentor Dr. Christopher Steele applauded Siccardi at the Consortium\u2019s award ceremony.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very proud that you are set to be an internist here,\u201d shared Steele sharing how Siccardi\u2019s transformative work during medical school and his internal residency training at UConn has helped so many people to get the care they deserve. \u201cHis impact as a resident has been extraordinary.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2019s founding of the UConn Health Leaders (UCHL) program as a medical student.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom 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 \"Dr.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,\u201d wrote Steele.<\/p>\n

Steele concluded, \u201cHis 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Dr.
On the right is Dr. Ariana Adamski-Larson, a third-year UConn pediatric resident trainee, who is a 2026 recipient of a Community Service Award by the Consortium. She is excited to be staying on for pediatric pulmonology fellowship training. She is celebrating here with the program’s director Dr. Melanie Sue Collins of Connecticut Children’s.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIt was a wonderful surprise and honor to receive this award,\u201d says Dr. Ariana Adamski-Larson<\/strong>, a third-year UConn pediatric resident trainee who is also a 2026 recipient of a Community Service Award by the Consortium.<\/p>\n

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 caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver 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,\u201d applauded Dr. Stewart Mackie in his nomination letter. He serves as Pediatric Residency Program Director at Connecticut Children\u2019s and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at UConn School of Medicine.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI 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,\u201d says Adamski-Larson.<\/p>\n

\u201cDr. Adamski-Larson\u2019s work exemplifies the spirit of this award,\u201d adds Mackie, concluding, \u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI 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!\u201d Adamski-Larson said.<\/p>\n

Fellow UConn pediatric resident, Dr. Leah Pinksy<\/strong>, in her second-year of residency training, is also a 2026 recipient of the Capitol Area Health Consortium\u2019s Community Service Award.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cDr. 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,\u201d wrote Mackie in the nomination letter.<\/p>\n

During the coalition\u2019s inaugural year Pinsky\u2019s 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 \u201cBest Poster\u201d award at the CT American Academy of Pediatrics 2025 Annual Meeting.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cDr. 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,\u201d adds Mackie. \u201cShe is incredibly deserving of this recognition for her incredible work and to bolster her future career as a pediatric hospitalist and advocate.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Board
The Capital Area Health Consortium’s Board of Trustees spring meeting underway on May 27, 2026 at UConn School of Medicine where they honored three stand-out UConn School of Medicine residents for their community service.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cAriana and Leah, congratulations, you both have really stood out in your advocacy,\u201d applauded Dr. Kenneth Robinson, chair of The Capital Area Health Consortium\u2019s Board of Trustees who serves as VP of Academic Affairs for Hartford HealthCare.<\/p>\n

At the end of the Consortium\u2019s honors Assistant Dean for Graduate Medical Education at UConn, Dr. Steve Angus, also shared his gratitude with the UConn resident honorees, \u201cThank you for everything you have done. We truly appreciate your work and advocacy for our community.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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