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Larner Medical Students Mentor Vermont Youth at Summer Health Institute

September 5, 2024 by Margie Brenner

Last month at Vermont State University’s Castleton and Lyndon campuses, 11 Larner medical student volunteers from the Class of 2027—Lajla Badnjević, Jeremiah Bates, Shannon Bennett, Alison Chivers, Aaron Dees, Lindsey Gleason, Ian Kent, Taylor Krause, Elizabeth Medve, Chloe Ruscilli, and Eli Zettler—served as Southern Vermont Area Health Education Center (AHEC) student mentors at the week-long summer Governor’s Institutes of Vermont (GIV) Health and Medicine Institute.

Larner medical student Lajla Badnjević ’27 (front row, far left), with Governor’s Institutes of Vermont Health and Medicine Institute attendees and volunteers at Vermont State University's Castleton campus

Last month at Vermont State University’s Castleton and Lyndon campuses, 11 Larner medical student volunteers from the Class of 2027—Lajla Badnjević, Jeremiah Bates, Shannon Bennett, Alison Chivers, Aaron Dees, Lindsey Gleason, Ian Kent, Taylor Krause, Elizabeth Medve, Chloe Ruscilli, and Eli Zettler—served as Southern Vermont Area Health Education Center (AHEC) student mentors at the week-long summer Governor’s Institutes of Vermont (GIV) Health and Medicine Institute.

A female teacher stands in front of a classroom in front of a projection screenEach summer, Vermont high school students attend one of two week-long summer sessions to learn about career opportunities in health care, with the goal of growing the medical labor pool for the state.  The attendees belong to a mentor group that is led by a Larner medical student, and the mentors also lead hands-on trainings. For example, Badnjević presented on food desert impacts on health; Krause focused on diabetes with the students, testing glucose levels of items like soda, lemon juice, and honey; and Gleason presented a neurological exams session with the students mimicking actual patient exams, testing reflexes, motor skills, and eyesight.  “I decided to do GIV because I love spending time with kids, and I wanted to get outside and teach science in a really fun setting,” said Gleason in a recently posted Southern Vermont AHEC video.

A male teacher standing in front of a class with the backs of three female studentsKent led Health Careers Jeopardy, Sheep Brain Dissection, Sheep Heart Dissection, and a lecture on pharmacy technician work in the retail and hospital setting. “It was a pleasure to work with such an ambitious group of students. I love opportunities like these that get people excited about healthcare, show that there are healthcare opportunities that can suit anyone, and disperse basic medical skill knowledge into our communities,” said Kent.

The Southern Vermont AHEC posted appreciation for the mentors on their Facebook page, which reads, “Big thanks to the GIV Team for their unwavering support and commitment, the mentors from The Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine at The University of Vermont , Vermont State University Castleton Campus and University of Vermont for their energy and innovation.”

Read press coverage on the 2024 Health and Medicine Institute