Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Undergraduate students from groups under-represented in medicine often overlook pediatric medicine as a career choice. Larner medical students hosted an event to increase pediatrician diversity and support undergrads who feel apprehensive about medical school.

(APRIL 20, 2023) Kae Ravichandran ’25 won the newly created nonbinary division at the 2023 Boston Marathon on April 17 with a time of 2 hours and 38 minutes, NBC5 and numerous other media outlets reported.

The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont hosted the fourth annual Celebration of Gender Equity in Medicine and Science on March 2, 2023.

Quinn Capers IV, M.D., Rody P. Cox professor of internal medicine, cardiology, and associate dean of faculty diversity at the University of Texas Southwestern School of Medicine, presented UVM's 2023 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Health Equity Lecture on January 18, 2023.

Larner College of Medicine medical alum Philip A. Chan, M.D.'06, M.S., associate professor of medicine and behavioral and social sciences at Brown University's Alpert Medical School and School of Public Health, presented the 2022 Imbasciani-DiSalvo LGBTQ Health Equity Lecture on October 28.

In 2021, the College of Medicine’s inaugural “Look at Larner” outreach program attracted aspiring medical students from across the country. For the 2022 Look at Larner, Class of 2025 members Jasmine Bazinet-Phillips and Karena Nguyen served as co-leaders and welcomed 27 individuals to the second iteration of the program.

For students pursuing a degree in medicine, there’s no off-season. During a two-month break between their first and second years, many Larner College of Medicine medical students tackled projects to address unmet health needs, practice clinical skills, and immerse themselves in specialty clerkships with physician preceptors. Engaging in clinical, basic science or health policy-related research can be among the most valuable experiences during medical education. This summer, second-year students assessed health disparities pertaining to breast cancer screenings, explored laboratory components of health literacy, documented behavioral and health trends of LGBTQ teenagers and tracked the impact of peer support on relieving stress among immigrant parents of children with autism, and more.

In April 2022, Class of 2024 medical student Kiana Heredia was named the inaugural recipient of the Oguejiofor Scholarship, named in honor of Collins Oguejiofor, a member of the medical Class of 2022 who died unexpectedly at the end of his second year. The scholarship is supported by The Oguejiofor Fund, which was established in the fall of 2020 with gifts from family, students, faculty, staff, friends and the UVM Larner Alumni Association.

The Larner College of Medicine Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion hosted the third annual Celebration of Gender Equity in Medicine and Science on March 3, 2022.

Christine M. Crawford, M.D., M.P.H., associate director of medical student education and assistant professor of psychiatry at Boston University (BU) School of Medicine. Crawford presented UVM's 2022 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Health Equity Lecture on "Impact of Racism and Trauma on Black Mental Health" on January 19, 2022.

Described as “a traditional summer camp experience with a queer twist,” Camp Outright provides a supportive environment and a range of activities focused on community, social justice, and fun for youth aged 13 to 17. During the two 2021 summer sessions, the camp also served as a place for medical trainees and campers to see a different side of patient care and clinicians, respectively.

In a salute to graduating medical students’ accomplishments and to honor the faculty and staff who have supported them during their medical education journey, the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine launched a virtual 2021 Honors Celebration on May 6, 2021.

University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine Associate Professor of Surgery and Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Margaret Tandoh, M.D., has been named to the Senior Advisory Group of Dean Richard L. Page, M.D.

The Larner College of Medicine's Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion held its second annual Celebration of Gender Equity in Medicine and Science on March 4, which featured a keynote by Diane Magrane, M.D., and an awards ceremony.

One of the most alarming realizations of the past year has been the clear link between structural racism in the U.S. and the racial and ethnic health disparities that have led to a disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on communities of color. Thanks to the collaboration of numerous partners in Vermont, members of the New American community are getting the education they need to make informed decisions about their health and the COVID-19 vaccine.

​For Professor Elizabeth Bonney, M.D., M.P.H., juggling the roles of scientist, clinician, mentor, and advocate has been the norm for decades. So, it’s no surprise that in a year turned upside-down by the COVID-19 pandemic, the delayed reckoning with racial injustice in America, and political turmoil, she has forged ahead with her science, delivered care on the front lines, and used this pivotal moment in history to raise issues of critical importance not only to science, but society.

This week, the University of Vermont's Dana Medical Library, in conjunction with representatives from the UVM Larner College of Medicine Office of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, the Office of Medical Communications, and medical students from the College's Student National Medical Association, Latino Medical Student Association, Social Justice Coalition, and the gender & Sexuality Alliance launched a digital resource collection called "Together We Learn."

Margaret A. Tandoh, M.D., F.A.C.S, an expert in trauma, burn, and wound care and acute care surgery, has been invested as the inaugural Richard L. Gamelli, M.D.’74 Green and Gold Professor in Surgery at the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine. The ceremony was held remotely on September 22, 2020.

The Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont held its first-ever event to celebrate and recognize achievements in gender equity on March 4, 2020. Governor Madeleine Kunin provided a keynote address, followed by an awards ceremony at which Ramsey Herrington, M.D., Mary Cushman, M.D., M.Sc., Debra Leonard, M.D., Ph.D., and Lauren Elizabeth Faricy, M.D., were recognized.

From the tiniest ticks of genetic expression to the sweep of organ systems, medical students gain a deep understanding of human body function. They spend hundreds of hours learning how to use tools and technologies, from stethoscopes to point of care ultrasound, to deliver the best patient care they can. However, when it comes to thorny societal issues like the intersection of race and class in medicine, unequal access to health care, and the outsized toll chronic disease can take on marginalized populations, medical students have historically had little opportunity to engage.