NH/ VT Schweitzer Fellows for Life

Olivia and Aamore focused on increasing healthy food access and security for White River Valley students and their families. They offered students hands-on support and guidance in household meal planning and preparation and provided parents with assistance in navigating federally funded meal programs. They worked in partnership with local schools, small businesses, and food pantries to provide students and parents with the resources and ingredients to build healthy meals with their families.

Abby worked with the Howard Center on a program called Make Life Better, a program that encourages the population served by Howard Center to make positive lifestyle changes that will be sustainable and enjoyable. The focus population was a group of mentally ill residents at a transitional shelter in Burlington, VT. Activities centered on cooking healthy meals, physical activity and the positive impact of a healthy lifestyle.

Abigail helped disabled teens to deal with chronic illness, birth defects and other disabilities, through peer counseling and adult mentoring.

Adessa and Sheridan developed and taught a cooking and nutrition class to Lund residents and their babies. Their project included collaborating with local food organizations and recipe development for Lund's residential dining services.

Ahra and Claire designed a targeted health education curriculum for middle school students focused on substance abuse and mental and physical health. They created the "DartHealth Education Corps (DHEC)" to deliver a series of workshops in partnership with local schools.

Akua and Niveditha created Medical Education Directive, a mentorship program that paired underrepresented high school students with medical or premedical undergraduate students. They provided high school students with mentors who guided them on pathways to enter the healthcare field and exposed them to careers in medicine through activities, trips, and workshops.

Al created Trans*Form, a project focused on reducing the number of transgender Vermonters who transition in isolation. They developed online resource modules to help trans* Vermonters navigate various legal and medical transition processes, as well as to communicate their personal stories.

Albert developed new community outreach programs and streamlined operations for the clinic in order to make the yearly turnover of staff more manageable. He also compiled an extensive Handbook for the Clinic, which outlines the daily functions of the Clinic, maintained relevant information on local organizations and community contacts, and provided packaged outlines for future clinic projects.

Alejandra taught members of the Family Room's father and kids group healthy habits through cooking classes, mindfulness practices and the use of Fitbits to track daily activity.

Alex and Megan improved the existing environmental health education curriculum at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont, and to establish new formalized and non-formalized environmental health curricula. In addition, they engaged in environmental health education outreach targeted towards medically underserved populations in the Burlington, Vermont area.

Alexandra established an after school cultural arts program for the youth of South Royalton Vermont ages 11-14. The Arts and Communities Together (ACT) program focused on cultivating the artistic expression of its participants concerning social and cultural issues and their effect on the lives of today's youth, ultimately nourishing the thoughts and ideas and voices of the next generation's potential leaders.

Alice and Ellen expanded the Step Up program, a twelve-week nutritional-based weight management program for cancer survivors. They broadened the program to include both men and women who participated in monitored diary tracking and weekly educational classes focusing on behavioral interventions.

Alicia provided support, guidance, and friendship to children with special needs and their families, while at the same time increasing community understanding of the issues facing this population.

Ali and Ben focused on addressing the disproportionate and increasing incidence of type II diabetes amongst Vermont's migrant farmworkers. In collaboration with partners at the Open Door Clinic and from within the migrant farmworker community, they gave community members the knowledge necessary to take charge of their metabolic health while also fostering conversations about how to do so in ways that stay true to migrants' cultural values. 

Working with the Vermont Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, Alison and Emily delivered a series of educational workshops aimed at supporting the wellbeing of caregivers and promoting healthy aging among older adults.

Alissa and Liz worked with Upper Valley Trails Alliance on Outdoor Odyssey, an outdoor education program that provided opportunities to middle school students who have limited access to outdoor experiences. They collaborated with the Upper Valley Trails Alliance and the Dartmouth Outdoor Programs to integrate outdoor activities with workshops and presentations in an interactive group experience, aiming to inspire students to appreciate the outdoors, choose positive interests and activities, and adopt an active and healthy lifestyle.

Allison and Rachel worked with school nurses, health educators, athletic coaches, parents and students, to develop and implement a curriculum to increase eating disorder education and awareness in rural high schools. They linked school personnel and other interested parties with the available resources in the Upper Valley for treating eating disorders.

Allison, working with the Vermont Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, developed a resource manual for people diagnosed with the early stages of the disease and their families.

Allison improved environmental and community health by partnering with local certified energy auditors and Efficiency Vermont to initiate home energy audits and weatherization improvements in the Vermont Law School community. Allison aimed to promote energy efficiency and encourage local partnerships.

Alyssa worked towards improving the support available to peripartum women and new families in the Upper Valley. She worked with several community organizations to achieve these goals by increasing integration and reducing siloing among related organizations, and she spoke to parents and community leaders alike to identify unmet needs that could be addressed in order to improve the delivery of educational materials and increase successful connections to community resources for pregnant and parenting people with the overarching goal of making this community feel more supported in the peri and postpartum periods. 

Amanda worked with existing VT and NH domestic violence resources and middle/high schools to create and implement educational programs targeting teen dating violence. She used age appropriate classroom activities and open discussion to raise awareness and help empower teens in abusive dating relationships.

Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont

Amanda and Izabella aimed to help youth navigate the challenges associated with everyday life. They used a website (spartansadvance.com), tutoring sessions, and workshops. They gave the students life skills that will help them become the best and most confident version of themselves.

Community Partner: Winooski Middle/High School

Amanjit designed and conducted workshops for the medically underserved in order to promote diabetes prevention for diabetic patients, their families, and patients at risk for developing this disease through the Good Neighbor Health Clinic.

Amy developed the SMILE-DOC (Students of Medicine Involved in Local Education—Doctors Ought to Care) program at the Larner College of Medicine. In this program, medical students go into Burlington, VT, area elementary schools to teach an eight-week health education course, focusing on preventative medicine and healthy living.

Amy developed a student-driven and community-supported organic garden in South Royalton, VT.

Amy developed an outreach program in the Enfield/Canaan area for the Good Neighbor Health Center, a health clinic for uninsured individuals in the Upper Valley.

Amy worked with the Capital Region Family Health Center to establish a free health clinic in Pittsfield Middle High School staffed by second and third year residents from the NH Dartmouth Family Practice Residency. By the end of the year, over sixty kids had used the clinic services, many uninsured kids had been enrolled in the NH Healthy Kids (an affordable state insurance program) and even more kids had been linked to a primary care physician to provide a medical "home."

Amy and Syed promoted the health and well-being of adults with developmental disabilities by conducting workshops designed to improve their ability to advocate for their health care needs.

Ana created a prevention-based youth program to empower and cultivate the leadership skills of local youth in Morrisville, Vermont at the Clarina Howard Nichols Center. The program delivered its curriculum through various modalities, including art, dance, and writing.

Working with junior high and high school age youth in the Upper Valley, Ana and Brendin promoted the health and advocacy of the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transsexual, and Questioning (LGBTQ+) community. They developed a curriculum to better prepare medical students to provide appropriate and supportive care to the LGBTQ+ community.

Andrew co-developed and directed an after-school program teaching introductory computer science and robotics skills. He also incorporated this program into a summer camp focused on applying coding and robotics skills to solve problems in energy conservation, energy generation and nutrition.

Andrew and Hanna worked with the NH Medical Society to promote future physician participation in health policy decisions by informing medical students about current health policy issues and the legislative process, training those students how to become effective advocates, how to monitor and testify on a proposed bill in the New Hampshire State Legislature, and developing a model for teaching health care advocacy in medical schools across the United States. Their goal was to help current medical students become politically active and informed physicians who will have the resources to shape health policy and thus serve patients on a more comprehensive scale.

Andy and Rusty interviewed veterans and created a video montage as an introduction to a presentation on what it means to be a veteran. They focused on how the veteran's service has influenced their mental, physical, and social health, and how practitioners can use this knowledge to improve health care services for this population.

Paige and Angie sought to connect Upper Valley residents with the White River to promote community resilience in the face of increasing flood events. They facilitated community conversations around shared love of rivers, assisted in FEMA disaster clinics related to the 2024 floods, and organized community education events regarding Vermont's recent floodplain development laws. 

Angela and Paul wrote a curriculum to serve the pregnant and parenting teens at Hannah House in Lebanon, NH. The "Healthy Moms Healthy Kids" curriculum included lessons entitled: How do I know When My Baby is Really Sick? Help Your Doctor Help You, Safety in the Home and many others.

Through Project Rescue, Anjani and Amanjit provided health education materials translated into the respective languages of the refugee populations that currently have the greatest health and cultural needs: Serbo-Croatian, Russian, French, Vietnamese and Somali Bantu. They also organized events to increase the awareness of health professionals and the community about specific refugee health and cultural issues

Anna and Bill expanded and developed Outdoor Odyssey, an outdoor recreation and wilderness education program for middle school students who have limited access to outdoor experiences. They integrated group activities with workshops and presentations in a supportive, interactive setting.

Anne worked with the Guardian ad Litem Program in Orange County, Vermont, which is presently in crisis, to propose a new structure so that the now inaudible voices of children could again be heard and their needs and hopes realized.

Anthony wrote children's books about issues relating to safety and privacy for children. This book was used for educational purposes by counselors working with at risk children.

Antonietta and Laura sought to increase self- confidence and cultivate professional proficiency in public speaking and communication for individuals incarcerated within the Vermont Department of Corrections. The program consisted of an eight-week curriculum wherein female inmates learned debate, research, and critical life skills.

Arash and Bledi assessed the current understanding of Meskhetian Turkish culture by health care providers in the Burlington community. They identified practices, beliefs and customs which might act as barriers to refugees seeking medical care. Finally, they facilitated communication and understanding between healthcare providers and the Meskhetian population.

Ari and Rob completed a project that enabled current medical students to improve their skill set and knowledge base in LGTBQ issues, by (1) surveying the beliefs, attitudes and knowledge of LGBTQ health and risk factors of the UVM COM Class of 2011, (2) developing a curriculum that targets the informational gaps garnered from the survey for the Generations course that all medical students take, (3) creating a video and training session for the standardized patient program and the clerkship program that discusses how to appropriately and thoroughly elicit sexual health histories with a focus on LGBTQ issues.

Arielle and Jameson created a middle school teacher guide that incorporates diverse perspectives into the study of health, science, and the environment through the lens of Environmental Justice (EJ). They also worked with the Town of Hartford School Board to create an anti-racism policy and set of procedures.

Arvind and Arhem facilitated and helped deliver fresh produce and other groceries with Little Rivers Healthcare clinic.  They developed recipes based on the items being distributed and nutrition-related resources to be included in the food delivery.  

Ashley's project aimed to improve chronic disease care for medically underserved residents of the Upper Valley. She established a system to track and provide data-based support for treating chronic conditions. She implemented the system alongside volunteer clinicians during clinic visits. Community Partner: Good Neighbor Health Clinic

Ashifi created educational materials for 4th grade students by recycling high quality surplus materials from the machine shop at Thayer School. She used these tools to facilitate in-class science demonstrations and help further nurture an interest in science already present in the students.

Ashlee and Rahim addressed the obesity epidemic by providing nutritional counseling and physical activity programs that targeted overweight youth in the New Hampshire Upper-Valley area. They promoted healthy living and lifestyle choices that will continue throughout the lives of the children involved.

Ashleigh designed and implemented Involvmint — a sustainable after school gardening program for local youth in South Royalton, Vermont. The youth helped plant, grow, and harvest the garden to cook healthy and delicious food.

Working with Good Beginnings, Ashley and Sumitha developed education and mentoring services for women of reproductive age, working with them to design individualized reproductive health goals, measure their progress and pursue GEDs.

Ashley and Alyson created a program that trains volunteers to work with geriatric inpatients at risk for dementia.

Astia and Susannah developed a standardized health literacy training program to prepare UVM students to deliver effective and specific lessons on healthcare topics to Latino migrant dairy farmworkers.

Audrey and Kate investigated the health beliefs/practices and experience with the medical system of the Congolese immigrant community. They partnered with local health providers and the Health Department to identify needs from their perspective. Finally, they developed educational materials to promote cultural understanding and healthy practices.

Avni and Erin worked with Manchester Adult Education on a project called "Body Language." This project aimed to increase the health literacy of the Hispanic community in Manchester by developing an English as a Second Language health curriculum that educated participants on important health issues that affect this community. This curriculum was presented in weekly class sessions and covered subjects such as navigating the American healthcare system, communicating with your healthcare provider, and learning about preventative health care practices.

Aya and Kennedy partnered with staff at Mom's in Recovery to explore and expand the opportunities for mothers recovering from substance use disorders to find meaningful work or pursue further education to further support moms' resilience and financial independence.

Lukas and Sean, both veterans, aimed to bring awareness to the reality veterans face with food insecurity. By providing in-depth research while building collaboration between community organizations, they identified and advocated for the required changes to state-and federally-funded nutritional programs to combat the nutritional crisis many veterans experience.

Benjamin and Laurel created an enrichment program for individuals suffering from dementia.

Brad partnered with The Sharon Academy to develop and implement an outdoor education and recreation course. This course gave students the knowledge and confidence to use the outdoors as an outlet for the stressors they experience in day-to-day life. 

Brenda created and carried out a tutoring and mentoring program with ESL students at Lebanon High School.

Brendan and Prianca taught concepts of Design Thinking to better equip Community Health Workers and Parish nurses to solve problems affecting underserved populations in the Upper Valley. They cultivated a community of design amongst these critical upstream players in order to have a sustained impact on how problems related to the social determinants of health are tackled.

Brian collected and compiled data on the use and perception of tobacco at Dartmouth College and worked to develop and administer the "Nobacco Grant" program to Dartmouth College students working on tobacco awareness and smoking cessation projects.

Brian combatted the problem of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation; occurrences of which often go unreported, and can have devastating consequences. Brian addressed this problem through community outreach that increased awareness and served to educate.

Burke addressed pediatric health by providing a mentoring experience for children with chronic illness who were staying at David's House, along with their siblings. Burke recruited mentors from both the Thayer School of Engineering and the Dartmouth College varsity athletic teams, providing a breadth of experiences to enrich the lives of David's House residents. 

Brian and Franz researched issues involved in gun control policies and conducted workshops to raise awareness of gun violence issues.

Burke worked to establish a program of restorative justice in New Hampshire aimed at providing crime victims with greater satisfaction with the justice system and showing criminal offenders the human impact of their actions. This voluntary program allowed the victims of criminal actions to meet with the offender, discuss how the crime affected them, and work with the offender to develop a plan for restitution

Catlin provided in-home support to new mothers to prevent postpartum depression. Her project matched new mothers with community volunteers to help with basic tasks so that the new mom could manage her needs.

Caitlin and Phil worked at FIRST Lego League, a robotics competition designed especially for children ages 9-14, that encourages students to pursue their interests in the sciences and that teaches them skills such as teamwork and innovation. As Schweitzer Fellows, they increased the number of Lego League teams throughout the Upper Valley of NH and VT, specifically reaching out to girls and schools in low-income areas.

Caleb created the Aiding Returning Citizen-Storytellers (ARCS) program which provided a personalized one-on-one conferencing structure for returning citizens to reflect on their personal stories and the uplifting stories of others to promote healthy habits while reintegrating in their communities after incarceration.

Cara and Brice worked to improve community participation in local democratic decision making processes by providing legal and factual information to assist a group of residents of Sharon, VT, concerned about a proposed propane transfer station in their community that threatened their way of life.

Carolyn and Claire developed and implemented a sustainable educational curriculum for a life skills course for Upper Valley women who were in early recovery from drug dependency. The skills taught in this curriculum helped enable these women to maintain recovery and their sobriety.

Carrie, Sarah, and Janneke developed a program that promotes healthy lifestyles by organizing opportunities for physical activity and by providing education, motivation and support to individuals wanting to improve their dietary and exercise habits. The project was designed to work with the families living in a housing development in Lebanon, NH.

Catherine assisted victims of domestic violence and their children from the initial interview and relief from abuse order through the courts and to independence through Have Justice-Will Travel an innovative mobile legal assistance program to low-income rural women and children.

Catherine worked with the women at Hannah House in Lebanon, NH., throughout their pregnancy to help them understand the changes in their bodies. She also supported them while they were in labor as a DOULA (labor support) and taught parenting classes.

Catherine and Jayvana provided conflict coaching and resiliency training to community members involved in the criminal justice system. They expanded the program to provide coaching to youth and raised awareness about restorative justice principles and practices through community outreach. 

Charles and Faith's project supported Vermont inmates housed in Mississippi and their families. They sought to understand and respond to the hardships created by a 1,500-mile familial separation and corresponded with, supported, and brought supplies to inmates.

Charles and Penina helped individuals experiencing homelessness get back on their feet by addressing one or more of the problems this population may face, including shelter, safety, employment, health care and/or legal assistance.

Charles and Ryan developed a curriculum for training providers and consumers of substance use disorder services on how to navigate insurance claims issues and the appeals process. Utilizing the New Futures mental health parity toolkit, they created a presentation and online video training platform that educated and empowered family support groups to be consumer advocates for themselves.

Charlie and Ben connected middle high/school students in Bethel, VT with student mentors and role models at VT Law School. They encouraged teens to recognize the importance of education for a healthy and prosperous life and get kids interested in going to college from an early age.

Allison and Chinmayee improved the availability of gender-based violence advocacy resources to the Upper Valley's foreign-born communities. They conducted needs assessments, established culturally competent curriculums for advocates in training, and worked with community leaders to address the unique needs of survivors from immigrant and refugee populations.

Chris and Andree motivated kids to get outside and be active during the winter months by leading outdoor trips and teaching healthy cooking classes.

By developing the patient Health Desk, Chris and Ben improved and increased patient access to help with basic needs that determine health such as food, shelter, legal support and transportation.

Christie increased understanding of, and support for, the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among health professionals.

Christine and Erik continued and expanded the health screening and education program put in place by Schweitzer Fellows in 2012-2013 at the Claremont Soup Kitchen. They also worked with the Good Neighbor Health Clinic to establish a new satellite in Claremont to serve uninsured individuals who lack the resources to travel to White River Junction for health care.

Christine and Jyothi created and implemented a nutrition, fitness, and healthy lifestyle education program for young mothers and babies. They integrated the 5-2-1-0 Healthy Kids Countdown, a health promotion initiative based on evidence-based messaging emphasizing healthy nutritional choices and behaviors.

Christine created a senior service center to enhance the aging populations' contact with their communities.

Christine stablished a website for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth to distribute information about issues which put the youth at high risk, such as suicide, substance abuse, unhealthy weight management, depression, etc.

Christine coordinated and expanded the SMILE-DOC (Students of Medicine Involved in Local Education) program, developed by Schweitzer Fellow Amy Belisle, 1996-97. Her efforts enabled 35 to 40 UVM medical students to work in the community, to teach children in the elementary school system about their bodies and health prevention while enhancing the students" abilities to communicate appropriate health and prevention messages in their future practices.

Christopher and Stephanie began their project by assisting in an effort to move six low-income families in the town of Strafford, VT. off of contaminated land at the Elizabeth Copper Mine. When this goal was accomplished, they joined forces with two Schweitzer Fellows, Heather Spurlock and Matthew Currie, who were working to establish an Environmental Law Clinic at Vermont Law School.

Christopher established an ongoing Vermont Recovery Association Project (V-RAP). V-RAP educated the public about the needs of the recovery community; issued a report identifying treatment resources currently available in Vermont and making recommendations for improvements; explored the establishment of a mentorship program designed to reduce recidivism, while encouraging active engagement from leaders within the recovery community.

Christopher and Katrina started a peer support group for teenagers struggling with emerging drug and alcohol issues. They recruited students from throughout the Upper Valley, providing a forum for "at-risk" teens to address common concerns in a positive, non-punitive atmosphere. Through regular meetings, plus social activism and community service activities, they created a community of hope where members helped each other deal with the inevitable struggles of adolescence and recovery.

Christopher and Carl expanded access to support services for VT veterans with trauma, PTSD and other disorders who are not obtaining care through the VA system.

Cindy provided studio art classes as an elective for Dartmouth Medical School students and doctors and created a volunteer service to conduct art projects with children with chronic medical conditions.

Cindy brought nutrition education to daycares throughout New Hampshire and Vermont. She also integrated the 5-2-1-0 Healthy Kids Countdown, a health promotion initiative based on evidence-based messaging emphasizing healthy nutritional choices and behaviors.

Claire and Hamza worked to improve blood pressure management for Jamaican farmworkers in Vermont by following up after UVM Family Medicine's blood pressure screenings. They organized community conversation circles to understand treatment approaches used by this population and to facilitate access to follow-up care. Their efforts aimed to enhance treatment adherence and overall health outcomes in this migrant population.

Claire combatted health issues like obesity and diabetes by creating cooking classes and spreading nutritional awareness and information to under-resourced people living in the Upper Valley, incorporating the 5-2-1-0 Healthy Kids Countdown.

Clara and Rachel provided services to overcome the barriers the unhoused population in Vermont face in gaining employment. Working with local community groups they provided employment counseling, peer coaching, and personalized employment opportunities to anyone in need.

Codi incorporated Mascoma Legal Resource Center into a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and worked on fundraising. The non-profit status increased credibility and recognition within the community as well as provided tax benefits to donors. This increased the ability to raise funds for the center and aid in its longevity and ability to serve the community now and in the future.

Conner increased access to healthy food and improved culinary skills among adolescents faced with economic hardship and impacted by social, emotional, learning and/or mental health challenges. Nutrition education was paired with cooking classes to learn to cook healthy and delicious meals and to build a positive relationship with food.

Partnering with Girls on The Run and Hartford Middle School, Hannah and Courtney led a mentorship program that promoted teamwork, developed self-esteem, and improved health and wellbeing among middle school girls. They created a collaborative space for reflection, empowerment, positive relationships, and personal growth through team-based curriculum and horizontal mentorship.

Partnering with Dismas House, Cristina organized a network of medical school volunteers to provide support and advocacy for individuals transitioning back into the community after incarceration.

At the Good Neighbor Health Center, Cristina empowered diabetic patients with the knowledge and tools necessary to control their condition and live longer, healthier lives, improved screening of incoming patients for pre-diabetic symptoms, and developed new local leadership and state dialogue between GNHC and VT Department of Health.