A Message from the President
I did not anticipate the start of my role as helping lead the Larner College of Medicine Alumni Association to be marked by a global pandemic. Dare I say things can only improve from here? I am reminded of my time in Vermont, through medical school, residency and beyond and how it was marked as much by unpredictability as anything else. As a first-year student, everything seems simultaneously scary and wonderful (as a first-year resident, more of the same). And as a Vermont resident, seeing a beautiful sunrise the same day as driving through a 12-inch snowstorm later that day gives one a new perspective on uncertainty. I feel like that now, with the uncertainty amplified several times over, and I am sure many of you do too.
As we all navigate the COVID-19 pandemic at work and at home, I hope you also feel as I do the strength of our Larner College of Medicine family. Now, more than ever, I am grateful to have trained at UVM, a place where I found lifelong mentors and friends I continue to learn from every day. We can lean on each other as we navigate this crisis - I have heard from fellow alums who are at the front line in clinics and hospitals across the country and around the world, everyone working hard to do their best for patients. Whether we’re triaging patients in the ED, comforting families, or collaborating with colleagues to develop new vaccines and treatments, our medical education has prepared us for this moment. We are in this together.
In August, we welcome the newest class of medical students into our family. This year, the Medical Alumni Association has partnered with Dean Page and Medical Student Education to provide each student a copy of Make it Stick: The Science of Successful Learning, a book that provides a sound introduction to the learning methods they’ll be experiencing during their medical education. I’m eager to get to know members of the Class of 2024 through our White Coat note writing tradition, and I look forward to witnessing their transformation into the able and compassionate physicians the world needs right now.
Although Medical Reunion will look a little different this year, with a remote gathering in the works for the fall, I know it will be a fun-filled, joyous time of connection and celebration. We’ll be celebrating our Medical Alumni Association award winners (read more about them in this issue), and get together online for talks and events. Most importantly, we will reflect on our time together in Vermont, plan for days yet to come, and appreciate the present more than ever.
I appreciate all of you, and all you do for your communities and for each other.
Sincerely,
Omar Khan, M.D. '03
President, UVM Larner College of Medicine Alumni Association