Members of the Larner College of Medicine’s medical Class of 2023, leaders, medical educators, and staff gathered virtually January 28 to celebrate the students’ achievements and recognize the faculty and staff who have supported them during an online Foundations Celebration event.
A collage of video screen images of Larner Medical Class of 2023 Student Council members (clockwise, from top left) Vinh Le, Lud Habtu, Cyrus Thomas-Walker, and Kyle Kellett.
Members of the Larner College of Medicine’s medical Class of 2023, leaders, and medical educators, and staff gathered virtually January 28 to celebrate the students’ achievements and recognize the faculty and staff who have supported them during an online Foundations Celebration event.
A special Foundations Celebration event web site launched January 28 at 3:30 p.m. and featured videotaped remarks from Dean Richard L. Page, M.D., Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education Christa Zehle, M.D., Interim Associate Dean of Students Lee Rosen, Ph.D., Foundations Director Karen Lounsbury, Ph.D., and Level Director for the Core Clinical Clerkship Elise Everett, M.D. The event provided an opportunity for leaders to congratulate Class of 2023 medical students on their achievements and completion of the Foundations level of the Vermont Integrated Curriculum and recognize the challenges they navigated while taking courses during an unprecedented pandemic.
Student Council representative Vinh Le delivered the Class of 2023 Foundations Ceremony speech, highlighting the students’ collective accomplishments over the past 18 months of their medical school careers.
“As we prepare to begin this next stage, let's take a moment to reflect on how far we've come: Over the past 18 months, we, as a class, have attended 100s of sessions, conquered 49 TBLs, taken 306 readiness quizzes, and completed 34 major exams . . . and served our community on local and national levels during this pandemic," said Le. “We have to remember that our calling is to care for one another as much as we would for our patients . . . Our strength as a community hinges on every member feeling cared for, valued, and understood."
Le and Class of 2023 Student Council representatives Lud Habtu, Alex Jenkins, Kyle Kellett, and Cyrus Thomas-Walker, presented the following awards from the Class of 2023:
- AMWA Gender Equity Award: A. Evan Eyler, M.D., M.P.H., Professor of Psychiatry and Family Medicine. This award honors a male or female faculty member who promotes a gender-fair environment for the education and training of physicians and gender diversity in the field.
- The Dean Warshaw Integration Award: William Raszka, M.D., Course Director, Attacks & Defenses, and Professor of Pediatrics. This award recognizes the faculty member whose teaching best captured the spirit of the VIC.
- The Silver Stethoscope Award: Nicholas D’Alberto, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Neurological Sciences. This award recognizes the faculty member who had few lecture hours, but made a substantial contribution to students’ education.
- Above and Beyond Award: Nicholas D’Alberto, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Neurological Sciences. This award recognizes the faculty member who went above and beyond the call of duty to help the students in their learning objectives.
- Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award: Sean Meagher, Class of 2021. This award recognizes the teaching assistant who was the most helpful in teaching and facilitating within a Foundations course.
- Best Support Staff (Non-teaching) Award: Julie Chiappinelli, Curriculum Coordinator, Foundations. This award recognizes the staff member who best supported students in areas besides teaching.
- Standardized Patient Award: Nicole D'Elisa. Standardized Patients play an integral role in the education of Larner College of Medicine medical students. They foster an environment in which students can practice interviewing and examinations skills and receive honest feedback. The ability of a physician to develop rapport with a patient, perform a focused examination, and gather an accurate history are vital skills that Larner College of Medicine students are fortunate to practice early and often. The Standardized Patients share their experience, knowledge, and time with students during both Foundations and Clerkship years.
- Foundations Course Director Award: Andrew Hale, M.D., Course Director, Cardiovascular, Renal and Respiratory Systems, and Assistant Professor of Medicine. This award recognizes the foundations course director who showed the highest degree of dedication to the successful design and implementation of their course curriculum.
- Foundations Teaching Award: Ronald Bryant, M.D., Associate Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. This award is presented to the faculty member who provided the most outstanding teaching activities within the Foundations curriculum.
- Curriculum Innovation Award: Jesse Moore, M.D., Director of Active Learning and Associate Professor of Surgery. This award is present to a faculty member in recognition of contributions to new curriculum development.
Students and faculty members presented the following awards to members of the Class of 2023:
- B. Albert Ring, MD, Memorial Grant Award for best exemplifying compassion, humor, humility, and devotion to family and friends, and intellectual curiosity – presented by Dr. Lounsbury to Class of 2023 students Isaac Adams, Sydney Chatfield, Kisha Kalra, and Sean Muniz.
- CVRI Summer Research Fellowship Merit Award – presented by Cardiovascular Research Institute of Vermont (CVRI) Director and Professor of Medicine David Schneider, M.D., to Samuel Short ’23 (mentor: Mary Cushman, M.D., M.Sc.).
- Durwood Smith Award for Excellence in Pharmacology – presented by Dr. Lounsbury to Joel Feier ‘23
- Ephraim Woll Award for Excellence in General Pathology – presented by Rebecca Wilcox, M.D., associate professor and vice chair for education in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine to Jennifer Risi ’23
- Exemplary Clinical Exam Skills Award – presented by Shirley McAdam, Standardized Patient educator, to Class of 2023 students Anna Corbalan, Aggie Forstein, Catrina Hood, Stellar Levy, and Alexy Novelli.
- Helen and Phyllis Wasserman Phorplus Prize for excellence in the Basic Sciences – presented by Dr. Lounsbury to Class of 2023 students Delaney Sztraicher, Joel Feier, and Sydney Chatfield.
- Summer Research Fellowship Merit Awards – presented by Renee Stapleton, M.D., Ph.D., director of medical student research and professor of medicine, to Class of 2023 students Dana Allison (mentor: Marilyn Cipolla, Ph.D.), Valerie Braddick (mentor: Bader Chaarani, Ph.D.), and Emma Dunne (mentors: Stas Amato, M.D., and Gary An, M.D.).
- Wellness Award: presented by Class of 2023 Wellness Committee members Jesse Naumann and Aggie Forstein to classmate Vinh Le ’23.