Robert Larner, M.D. '42 Student Award
This award is presented annually to a current student(s) for their outstanding leadership and loyalty to the College and one who embodies Dr. Larner’s dedication to not only supporting his medical alma mater but to inspiring others to do so
as well.
2023 Robert Larner, M.D. '42 Award Recipient
Anneliese Lapides, Class of 2024
Anneliese Lapides is a member of the Larner College of Medicine Class of 2024. She received a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences and a Bachelor of Arts in Human Development and Family Sciences from the University of Connecticut in 2020. While
an undergraduate student, she participated in research on auditory brainstem responses and developmental psychology, as well as mentored middle school students interested in health careers in Cape Town, South Africa for two summers.
At LCOM, Anneliese serves as a Student Ambassador and was the Class of 2024 representative on the 2021-2022 Medical Education Antiracism Task Force. She has continued to pursue her passion for mentoring through various AHEC mentorship programs and
the URiM Pathway to Pediatrics. In 2021 she worked on an AHEC project on health equity and culturally/linguistically responsive care, and this past year worked on a presentation to pediatric providers on HIV prevention and PrEP therapy for adolescent
patients. This year, she had the opportunity to advocate for technology safety bills for kids and teens on Capitol Hill at the American Academy of Pediatrics Advocacy Conference.
Outside of LCOM, Anneliese is a co-founder and
Director of Community Engagement for the Southeastern Connecticut Organization for Racial Equity (SCORE). SCORE is a 501c3 non-profit organization that works on anti-racism efforts in areas such as education, local government, and health initiatives
such as raising awareness of racism as a public health crisis. SCORE also provides scholarships to local graduating high school students of color.
2022 Robert Larner, M.D. '42 Award Recipient
Vinh Le, Class of 2023
Vinh Le is a member of the Larner College of Medicine Class of 2023. He is the Student Body President and formerly served as Student Council Chair of Communications, representing and collaborating with fellow students in many capacities.
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Science with a Chemistry minor from Messiah University (Class of 2019). As an undergraduate, he joined several major honor societies, served as a pianist to the college president, and presented
research on pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma at the Pennsylvania Academy of Science.
During his preclinical years, Vinh was appointed by the dean to the LCME Task Force and chaired the Independent Student Analysis Survey Success Committee, working with members of all four classes to achieve a historic 100% student participation
rate. He also served on the LCOMCares Service Corps, co-led the LHOMe Initiative for underserved populations, and helped schoolchildren learn science via the SMILE Docs program. He was awarded the Louis and Mary Vayda Scholarship and the peer-nominated
Class of 2023 Wellness Award. Finally, he directed the Medical Student COVID-19 Action Network, which compiled over 550 service opportunities organized by 115 medical schools nationwide during the pandemic.
During his clinical years, Vinh used his passion for music and the arts to engage with patients and foster a relationship-based care environment. Alongside receiving outstanding evaluations from faculty, he was inducted into the Gold Humanism
Honor Society and was selected as a finalist for the 2021 and 2022 ACP National Abstract Competitions.
2021 Robert Larner, M.D. '42 Award Recipient
Luke Higgins, Class of 2022
Luke Higgins is a member of the Larner College of Medicine (LCOM) Class of 2022. During his time at the College, Luke has been engaged as a student leader across campus, representing the student voice while recognizing the mission of the College
and vision of our medical education program.
Luke received a Bachelor of Science degree with highest distinction in Biomolecular Science with a minor in the History of Law and Policy from University of Michigan in 2018. While
an undergraduate student, Luke engaged in several clinical research opportunities as a Detroit Community-Based Research Program Fellow with the American Indian Health and Family Services and as a Clinical Lab Research Assistant in the Departments
of Transplant Surgery and Pediatrics.
At the Larner College of Medicine, Luke is an elected student member of the LCOM Medical Curriculum Committee, which is the institutional body that oversees our medical education program. In
addition, he serves as an organizer on the Social Justice Coalition Student Leadership Group and worked on a student-led personal pronoun inclusivity initiative. He is also a student member of the Jumpstart VIC Curriculum Committee, the LCME
Independent Student Analysis Task Force, and multiple search committees for leadership positions in the College.
2020 Robert Larner, M.D. '42 Award Recipient
Sidney Hilker, Class of 2021
Sidney Hilker, Class of 2021, received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science with a minor in Global Health and Health Policy from Harvard University in 2014. While an undergraduate student, Sidney conducted research related to global
health and health policy and was awarded a Cordeiro Fellowship for Global Health and Health Policy to support her research in Rwanda and Tanzania on the effectiveness of NGO Government partnerships in healthcare systems to the Harvard Interfaculty
Initiative on Global Health and Health Policy. After working for Bain & Company in Boston, Sidney matriculated into the College of Medicine in 2017.
During the preclinical curriculum, Sidney was selected to serve as one of two student members on the University of Vermont Board of Trustees and recently completed her two-year team. This provided Sidney the opportunity to engage with University
leadership and participate in important university decisions. Sidney also served on the University President Search Committee. She currently is enrolled in the clinical clerkship level of our curriculum and has honored in her family medicine,
pediatrics and ob/gyn clerkships so far.
Sidney continues to provide an important student perspective on curriculum related areas via her leadership roles. She serves as a student representative on the Student Education Group (SEG) and was recently elected as chair-elect and will serve
as chair of SEG in the 2020/2021 academic year. Sidney was also appointed by the dean and the LCME faulty accreditation liaison to serve as co-chair of the LCME Independent Student Analysis. In addition to her leadership positions within medical
education, Sidney serves as a Larner College of Medicine Student Ambassador and is actively involved with recruitment of future LCOM students.
2019 Robert Larner, M.D.' 42 Award Recipient
Chad Serels, Class of 2020
Chad Serels, Class of 2020 graduated with a degree in biology from McGill University in 2015, before enrolling at the Larner College of Medicine the following year. He is actively involved in medical education and program development at the College
as a member of both the Student Education Group and the Medical Curriculum Committee, which is the highest committee involved with curricular oversight at LCOM. Mr. Serels successfully co-led an initiative to change the Foundation curriculum
to Pass/Fail. During his longitudinal integrated clerkship in New York state, he received exceptional accolades and evaluations from faculty. Back in Burlington, he strives to represent student voices while supporting the College’s academic
vision for innovative and outstanding teaching that prepares graduates for excellence in compassion and commitment to patients, profession, and community. Not only is he an excellent student and a natural leader, but he is also eager to learn
and addresses his clinical rotations with the utmost compassion for the patients involved.
2018 Robert Larner, M.D.' 42 Award Recipient
Desiree
DiBella, Class of 2019
Desiree received a Bachelor of Arts degree in anthropology from The University of Tennessee in Knoxville, summa cum laude, with a concentration in cultural anthropology, in May of 2013. She subsequently was employed by Teach For America and taught
elementary education in Nashville, Tenn., for two years before entering the Larner College of Medicine’s Class of 2019.
She has been actively involved in many of the College’s initiatives, the local community, and national health concerns. She is a Student Ambassador and serves on the Student Admissions Leadership Team. She was also appointed as a student
representative of the Larner College of Medicine Admissions Committee. In addition, Desiree has organized community-wide events such as “White Coats for Black Lives” and has served as a MedQuest Assistant Director for Vermont AHEC.
She also volunteers her time as a member of multiple other student organizations, including the NICU Cuddling Program, Students of Medicine Involved in Local Education (SMILE Docs), Student National Medical Association, Minority Association
of Pre-Medical Students (MAPS), Special Olympics, and MedQuest Anatomy Outreach Day. She is a member of the Gold Humanism in Medicine Honor Society.
2017 Robert Larner, M.D.' 42 Award Recipient
Eric
T. Schmidt, Class of 2018
Mr. Schmidt is a
third year medical student in
strong
academic standing at the University
of
Vermont College of Medicine, thus far receiving
honors in four out of
five
of his clinical rotations. He is from California, where he
attended UC Davis, graduating with highest honors and receiving the Citation for Outstanding Achievement in Exercise Biology. Before enrolling at the Larner College of Medicine, Mr. Schmidt worked as an emergency room scribe and volunteered
at Safe Harbor Crisis House. At UVM, he has been a Running Team captain, a member of the Admissions Committee, an MMI interviewer, and an LCOM Student Ambassador. He is the Larner College of Medicine Class of 2018 historian, and, of course,
he excels in his academics.
2016 Robert Larner, M.D.' 42 Award Recipient
Erin
R. Pichiotino, M.P.H., Class of 2017
A Burlington, Vt., native, Erin Pichiotino received her undergraduate degree from the University of Vermont before graduating from the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice with a Master of Public Health degree. During her
time as a graduate student she held research positions with the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs Outcomes Group and the Hood Center for Children and Families. She has excelled in clinical rotations as a medical student. Comments include:
“Erin was noted to have excellent interpersonal and communication skills. Several patients commented that she put them at ease, was very thorough, and caring.” Another evaluator wrote: “Erin is able to understand individual
patient needs and obstacles in the context of larger system needs and obstacles.” As a 2014-15 Albert Schweitzer Fellow, she developed a program in collaboration with Support and Services at Home and Cathedral Square to empower seniors
to take control of their health and wellbeing. Erin was selected as an American Medical Student Association Health Equity Scholar, and served as a student representative on the UVM College of Medicine Medical Curriculum Committee.
2015 Robert Larner, M.D.' 42 Award Recipient
Raj
K. Thakrar, Class of 2016
A Westford, Massachusetts native, Raj Thakrar received a B.A. in Neuroscience from Johns Hopkins University and an M.S. in Physiology and Biophysics from Georgetown University. He is the first in his family to attend medical school. Before coming
to UVM, he spent a year in the laboratory of noted Massachusetts Institute of Technology biomedical scientist Robert S. Langer, Sc.D., where he investigated a novel therapy for Type 1 Diabetes using islet isolation and transplant surgery.
Though passionate about research, Thakrar has also excelled in his clinical performance during hospital rotations, earning praise from his clinical evaluators that includes: “He was a great team player with a great rapport with his patients.
Raj is a combination of brilliance, professionalism, pure hard work and genuine personality”. One of his attending’s described him as “someone special” and undoubtedly one of the best students that has rotated on the
service. Thakrar was elected to the UVM Board of Trustee – the highest leadership position offered to a student at UVM – in 2013. He has played a role in approving the construction of a new undergraduate STEM center, the new Larner
Team-Based Learning Classroom for health professions students, and the rebranding of affiliated medical sites to the University of Vermont Medical Center and UVM Health Network.
2014 Robert Larner, M.D.' 42 Award Recipients
Emily
A. Schloff '15
Emily is currently a third-year medical student in strong academic standing at the College of Medicine and is a Larner Loan recipient. She is one of many in her family to attend the University of Vermont and has a strong sense of loyalty to the
university. She received her undergraduate degree in Nutrition and Food Science from UVM, graduating cum laude in 2010. Emily’s clinical evaluators consistently comment on her excellent interpersonal and communication skills and
her ability to always put her patients at ease. She is one of four in her class who serve on the Student Education group, a liaison between the administration and the student body on matters regarding the curriculum. Emily
was also selected to serve on the Medical Student Executive Board, the highest student leadership committee that meets with the Dean of the College and other administrators. She is a leader of UVM’s Chapter of the American Medical
Women’s Association. Emily is expected to graduate with her class, with a Doctor of Medicine degree in May 2015.
Charles
S. Hackett '15
Charles S. Hackett is currently a third-year medical student in excellent standing at the College of Medicine. Excerpts from his clinical evaluations describe him as "an excellent advocate for his patients and has an outstanding bedside manner."
He received his undergraduate degree in Biology from UVM in 2011, was a Vermont Scholar, a Pizzagalli Vermont Scholar, and graduated summa cum laude as an Honors College Scholar. He also received the George Perkins Marsh Award in Biology.
In addition to his academic accomplishments, he served the College of Medicine as a Peer Tutor, providing one-on-one tutoring to other medical students experiencing academic difficulty. He has also been a mentor in the UVM Premedical Enhancement
Program, a formalized mentoring program for UVM undergraduate students co-sponsored by the UVM Honors College and College of Medicine Office of Primary Care. Charles Hackett is also the recipient of the William Street, MD ’59 scholarship.
He is expected to graduate with his class with a Doctor of Medicine degree in May 2015.