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► Members of the Wilderness Medicine SIG pose for a photo on the slippery summit of Camel’s Hump before “penguin sliding” back down the trail.

Kulaga Appointed Assistant Dean for Students at CT Campus

Internist and clinical educator Ellen Kulaga, M.D., was appointed as the UVM Larner College of Medicine's assistant dean for students at the Connecticut campus on January 1, 2018. For the past 12 years, she has supervised the outpatient teaching program for both residents and medical students at the Norwalk Community Health Center in Connecticut. Learn more about Dr. Kulaga.

► Match Day is March 16!  Get the details >>

Sidney Hilker ’21 Selected as Member of UVM Board of Trustees

The workload of a med student is pretty daunting, but adding another level of responsibility seemed like a good fit for medical student Sidney Hilker ’21. On March 1, 2018, she will officially begin a two-year term of service on the UVM Board of Trustees, succeeding student trustee and fellow medical student Soraiya Thura ’18, who will be graduating in May.  As a student trustee, Hilker says she hopes to “offer a perspective from the day-to-day lives of students and articulate the impact of board decisions on the student experience.” Read an interview with Hilker.

► Visit Instagram highlights (right under our bio on our Instagram page) for an inside view of a typical day at the Connecticut campus thanks to our DAY in the LIFE students Rebekah Misir ’19, Tori Close ’19 and Kristen Dalton ’19!

The Fate of Public Service Loan Forgiveness for Debt-Burdened M.D. Graduates

Regardless of the amount of money medical students owe by the end of their fourth year, 48 percent report that they plan to pursue federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) - possibly the most scrutinized and jeopardized student loan repayment benefit available. Created in 2007 by President George W. Bush to inspire indebted graduates to enter less lucrative public service roles, this generous program is projected to soon cost the government more than a billion dollars, putting it at risk for elimination. Learn more from Kari Brayden, student financial services coordinator at the Larner College of Medicine.

On the Blog: Empowering Residents to Improve Health Equity

Alumnus Gaurab Bau, M.D.’10, M.P.H., discusses the importance of educating medical professionals in social medicine on the blog this week.  “As clinicians, we have a unique vantage point from which we can understand how these social and systemic factors impact our patients,” writes Bau. “We hear their stories and experience their tragedies. And yet, most often, we have not been trained to understand what we can do about it.” Read the full blog post. 

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► LCOM Dean Search Interview Luncheons: RSVP by March 12

SIG Highlight: Here to Help

"Here to Help" - a free clinic offering health screenings, haircuts, hot showers, hot meals and access to social services - was started by UVM Larner College of Medicine student and Schweitzer Fellow Jasmine Robinson in 2016. In 2017, Erin Hunt '20 and Rachael Munoz '20 took over the clinic for their Schweitzer Fellows project. Now, a group of first-year students are taking the reins and have turned the project into a Student Interest Group.  Read about Robinson's initial project, its continued growth, and the future of the Here to Help SIG.

View all Student Interest Groups.