On October 22, the Larner College of Medicine recognized students, faculty, and medical residents inducted into the Aequitas Health Honor Society, the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, and the Gold Humanism Honor Society. These societies honor those in the Larner community who have demonstrated such core principles as professionalism, leadership, education, scholarship, and service.
After welcoming remarks by Christa H. Zehle, M.D.’99, senior associate dean for medical education and professor of pediatrics, and Richard L. Page, M.D., dean of the Larner College of Medicine, professor of medicine, and chief medical affairs officer for the University of Vermont, the keynote address was presented by James Wallace, M.D., associate professor emeritus of radiation oncology. Officiating for the honors society inductions were Katherine Menson, D.O., assistant professor of pulmonology, for Aequitas; Marie Sandoval, M.D., associate professor of medicine, for Alpha Omega Alpha; and Jonathan Flyer, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics, for Gold Humanism.
Aequitas Health Honor Society
Health Equity, Anti-Racism, Community Engagement
Ten Larner Class of 2026 students—Adama Aja, Christopher Kruglik, Shani Legore, Hosna Mohabbat, Michelle Nguyen, Shrey Patel, Krystal Ramos Barrera, Aina Rattu, Shruthi Santhanakrishnan, and Katie Waeldner—have been selected for induction into the Aequitas Health Honor Society, in recognition for “engaging in work rooted in improving health equity, anti-racism, and community engagement.”
The University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine chapter of Aequitas was formed in 2023 with the mission of identifying, recognizing, and developing future physician leaders to address the glaring health inequities that exist in our society today. Aequitas Fellows are committed to addressing health disparities in their communities and centering anti-racism in their efforts. Their peers have recognized them as individuals who have a deep understanding of social medicine and the structural causes of inequities, are very capable of learning with humility, and are excellent collaborators.
Selection: Aequitas Fellows are nominated by their peers through an anonymous survey. Nominated individuals are invited to submit an application; applications are then blinded and scored by Aequitas Health Selection Committee Members.
Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society
Distinction, Excellence, Achievement
Twenty-four members of the Larner Class of 2026 have been selected for induction into the Alpha Omega Alpha (AΩA) Honor Medical Society on the basis of their “demonstrated excellence in leadership, research, professionalism, service to the school and community, and clinical acumen”: Anika Jane Advant, Louisa Grace Adama Aja, Haley Nicole Bayne, Julia Bernier, President, Jackson K. Bressor, Hikmat Ramen Chmait, Hayden Jonathan Christensen, Jenna Grace Clark, Elle Grace Cunningham, Isabel Marie Goodrich, Christopher Peter Kruglik, Sarah Krumholz, Taylor Erin Lamarre, Wendy Memishian, Hosna Mohabbat, Vice President, John Libakken Rustad, Nicole Wael Salib, Julianne Emma Scholes, Susanna Louise Schuler, Secretary-Treasurer, Isabella Ruth Sutherland, Adam Boake Thompson, Alex Dang-Khoa Tran, Kathleen Helen Waeldner, and Abigail Bowman Wootton.
Four faculty members—Karen Elizabeth George, M.D., M.P.H., David Rand, D.O., Erin Morris, M.D., and Seaf Shafique, M.D.—and five residents—Margaret “Maggie” Gray, M.D., Presely Azarcon, M.D., Jesse Evensky, M.D., William “Will” Lorentzen, M.D., and Syed Farhan Hussain, M.D.—were also inducted into AΩA.
AΩA is committed to national leadership in advancing intercultural excellence in the profession of medicine based on evidence that inclusion of talented individuals from different backgrounds benefits patient care, population health, education, research, and scientific discovery.
Selection: The primary criteria for fellowships, grants, and awards—based on AΩA’s core principles of professionalism, leadership, education, scholarship, and service—are distinction, excellence, and achievement.
Gold Humanism Honor Society
Outstanding Personal and Interpersonal Characteristics
The following members of the Class of 2026 have been selected for induction into the Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS), recognized by their peers for their “demonstrated excellence in clinical care, leadership, compassion, and dedication to service”: Adama Aja, Tucker Angier, Haley Bayne, Secretary, Julia Bernier, Jeyna Doshi, Jenna Eaton, Callan Gravel-Pucillo (inducted in 2024), Ana Homick (inducted in 2024), Molly Hurd, Heather Kettlewell (inducted in 2024), Christopher Kruglik, Jasmine Liu, Henry Mitchell, Treasurer, Neeki Parsa (inducted in 2024), Shrey Patel, President, Kara Pflaster, Surya Radhakrishnan, Krystal Ramos Barrera, Javier Rincon (inducted in 2024), John Rustad, Shruthi Santhanakrishnan, Susanna Schuler, Katie Waeldner, Vice President, Meron Yishak, and Cole Zweber
The Larner College of Medicine established a chapter of the Gold Humanism Honor Society in 2005. The purpose of the GHHS is to recognize those rising fourth-year students who have demonstrated outstanding personal/interpersonal characteristics in their interactions with fellow students, teachers, staff, and/or patients and their families.
Selection: GHHS Fellows are determined by students within the class using a peer evaluation survey and by members of Larner faculty and staff.
Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award
In addition to the class GHHS members, one student and one faculty member were nominated by the students, faculty, and staff and selected as the recipients of the 2025 Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award. Announced at the Class of 2025 Honors Night in May, student Michelle “Mimi” K. Falcone, M.D.’25, now a pediatrics resident at Oregon Health & Science University, and faculty member Lee-Anna K. Burgess, M.D., associate professor of medicine–hospital medicine and primary care, University of Vermont Medical Center, were recognized as “exemplars of humanism in the delivery of care to patients and their families.”
