Students & Residents, Primary Care Series, AHEC, Larner College of Medicine, UVM

AHEC Student Interest Groups (SIG)

AHEC Scholars Education & Mentoring SIG 80-hour Pathway

The Education & Mentoring pathway is an AHEC Scholars eligible activity that can be completed by Larner medical students in their first or second year at LCOM. The program includes 40 didactic hours and at least 40 field hours. To meet AHEC Scholars requirements, the 80 hours must be completed within the same academic year (August – May).

Participating students complete 40 field hours as a member of the HERO SIG or Med Mentors SIG.

The 40-hour didactic curriculum is titled Cross-Cultural Encounters in Mentoring and Patient Care and is led by Nicole LaPointe, MSW, EdD, Executive Director for Northern Vermont AHEC.

See Education & Mentoring program overview HERE

Applications for the 2025-2026 academic year will be accepted from August 15 – September 1, 2025. Please read the full program overview before applying.

Application link: AHEC Education and Mentoring SIG Application

HERO SIG

The HERO Mentoring SIG was established to support under-represented high school students by exposing them to health science and careers. It is comprised of one-to-one mentoring activities with high school students led by Northern Vermont AHEC. By working with the HERO Mentoring Program, the HERO Mentoring SIG provides Vermont teens with firsthand experiences in health science through connection with medical student mentors. Meaningful interactions between mentors and mentees help youth gauge if a career in health or medicine would be right for them. Mentees are able to ask questions and engage their curiosity through online modules and one-to-one mentoring. The program consists of eight structured modules (75 minutes each) conducted in sequence from October through December. HERO is a structured program with time commitment of 40 didactic training hours and a minimum of 40 mentoring field hours.

Student Leaders: Tsering Sherpa Ngima and Jessica Gagne (Class of 2028) AHEC Advisor: Nicole LaPointe, Northern Vermont AHEC LCOM Faculty Advisor: Anne Morris, MD

Med Mentors SIG

The Med Mentors SIG provides mentoring and medical education opportunities for undergraduate students at UVM and other Vermont universities, and students in LCOM Masters in Medical Science and UVM Post-Bacc Pre-Med Program. Med Mentors is a student-led organization that aims to encourage and support students interested in pursuing careers in medicine or other health care fields. In collaboration with the Vermont AHEC Network, we provide one-on-one matching between medical students and pre-health students in addition to group opportunities, such as panels and skills clinics. Recognizing the importance of diversity in medicine, mentors support and encourage students at all stages of their journey - from early exploration of a possible career in medicine to all aspects of the application process. Mentors and mentees are matched based on answers to a survey that asks which factors they feel are important to the match, including shared experiences, backgrounds or identity. Email medmentors@med.uvm.edu to learn more.

Our 2024-2025 activity calendar can be viewed here: Med Mentors Yearly Activity Calendar

This SIG welcomes LCOM members with all levels of interest and time commitment - there is the opportunity to mentor just a little as well as the chance to complete the 40 mentoring hours needed to complete the AHEC Scholars Education and Mentoring SIG 80-hour pathway.