Allison Ellsworth, MD
Native of the Great Northwest, Allison spent a number of happy childhood years in the valley of the Cascade Mountains before moving out to Wisconsin to attend college at Marquette University. While unsuccessful at becoming a basketball enthusiast, Allison did adapt to -40 degree winters and thrived in the academic milieu, nurturing her love for literature and creative writing with an English major, while fulfilling pre-requisite classes for medical school. A proud member of the Alpha Sigma Nu Jesuit Honors society, Allison also sought to broaden her knowledge of the world by embracing a core Jesuit principle of service learning. During her sophomore and senior years in college, she spent her spring break in remote towns in the Appalachian mountains repairing houses, working with the elderly and disabled, and learning about the daily challenges and repercussions of extreme poverty in the US. Though she did not know it then, the stark images of drug abuse, mental illness, and chronic disease in these remote towns would later guide her decision to pursue Combined Family Medicine-Psychiatry Residency.
At the Medical College of Wisconsin, Allison explored her larger role as a community leader by entering into the Urban and Community Health track and engaging in a food access project which brought fresh produce into corner stores in inner city Milwaukee. She additionally uncovered a robust interest in psychiatry after her M3 Psych rotation and attending a week-long course at Rutgers on Addiction Medicine. After learning about the Combined FMP programs, she applied to the UCSD Sub-I and was convinced soon after her first day at St. Vincent’s that it was the perfect place for her. She is thrilled to be back as a resident and is looking forward to the years of learning ahead. In her free time, she frequents the gym and the beach, enjoys hiking, trying out new water sports, and passing away quiet hours with a good book.
