While the class of 2026 medical students recently learned where they will go for their residency programs, most don’t know where their careers will take them afterwards. Seven have promised to practice medicine in Vermont communities, in exchange for having their medical school tuition reimbursed. Medical incentive/ loan forgiveness scholarships will allow these future doctors to live and work in their beloved Green Mountain State and bring much-needed health care to areas that need it most. 

More than two-thirds of Vermonters live in small towns with low populations, removed from the clustered services found in the greater Burlington area. Only 9 percent of physicians practice medicine in rural areas, however. The Vermont Medical Society says the state is currently short 115 primary care doctors compared to national benchmarks, and that this shortage will worsen as providers age, retire, and aren’t replaced. 

One strategy for attracting new physicians to rural regions is to pay back medical school tuition in exchange for a promise to practice medicine in those areas. Larner medical students can apply for loan forgiveness scholarships supported by philanthropic funds and the Office of Primary Care and Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Program, which aims to create a robust and stable health care workforce throughout the state. Scholarships amounts vary, with some paying partial tuition and others paying for several years of medical school. 

“AHEC is committed to ensuring that an adequate number of physicians is geographically distributed around the state,” says Jennifer Gaudreau, physician placement professional for AHEC. “The scholarships and loan forgiveness options we offer provide incentives for medical students in any specialty to choose Vermont, and for those entering primary care to choose rural Vermont locations.” 

Meet Larner’s 2026 medical loan forgiveness scholarship recipients— Vermont’s newest future doctors—and discover what calls them to reside in the Green Mountain State.

Erzsi Nagy

David and Eleanor Ignat Scholarship

A native of Maine, Erzsi Nagy moved to Vermont in 2013 to attend Middlebury College. Before medical school, Nagy worked at a small drug research company in Woodstock, Vermont, and lived in Norwich where they spent countless hours learning the layout of local trails, dirt roads, and swimming in the Connecticut River.” Nagy trekked from Camel’s Hump to Mt. Mansfield in one day, participated in the Vermont 100 on 100 relay, and ran a 50-mile race at Mount Ascutney. 

In medical school, Nagy volunteered as a doula at UVM Medical Center and worked with patients from many different backgrounds. They plan to pursue psychiatry, hoping to settle in Vermont’s Upper Valley region. 

“Fostering community is one of my core values, and I’ve cultivated a community in this state of Vermont that is now my home."

Julia Bernier

David and Eleanor Ignat Scholarship

A life-long Vermonter from St. Albans, Julia Bernier knows a thing or two about Vermont’s outdoor spaces and agrarian activities. She enjoys trail running, hiking, paddleboarding, kayaking, picking apples, eating cider donuts, and crosscountry skiing. She also understands the struggles Vermonter’s face with finding transportation to medical appointments or feeling intimidated by “big city” doctors. 

“Calling Burlington a big city may sound comical, but I understand that feeling, having grown up in rural Vermont,” says Bernier, who graduated from UVM in 2021. 

Bernier plans to pursue internal medicine, with a focus on women’s health, obesity, and addiction medicine—all important needs in Vermont. Receiving the Ignat scholarship “allowed me to take out minimal loans for my last year of medical school, and gave me the flexibility to pursue any medical specialty without having to weigh finances into the mix,” Bernier says.

“Because I share similar experiences, knowledge, and an understanding of being a Vermonter, I can connect with patients on a deeper level, and that is why I want to practice here in the future.” 

Tucker Angier

AHEC Scholars Medical Student Incentive

A graduate of Stowe High School and Middlebury College, Tucker Angier’s Vermont roots run deep. An avid downhill skier, he worked as a ski patroller at Middlebury Snow Bowl after college and lived briefly in Idaho and Chicago before returning to Vermont for medical school. Angier’s family lives in Stowe, and his mother is a practicing psychiatrist in Morrisville, Vermont. 

As a Vermonter, Angier understands small town residents’ need for longitudinal, place-based care. “Our health care landscape is condensed in Burlington, yet most of the state’s population lives rurally. This has created a need for broad scope primary care services across our state,” he says. “Our state needs primary care physicians who can work up complex conditions, perform routine office procedures, and integrate in their communities.” 

Angier’s ambition is clear: “My goal is to become a rural family medicine physician, a ‘Swiss Army knife,’ a one-stop-shop for my community,” Angier says. “The AHEC scholarship generously allows for this to be possible.”

Molly Hurd

AHEC Scholars Medical Student Incentive

When asked what she loves about Vermont, Molly Hurd doesn’t hesitate: “The strong sense of community. People genuinely care about one another, and that shows up in everyday interactions,” she says. “I also value the proximity to outdoor activities and local food culture. I love that I can leave the clinic and go for a hike, hit the slopes, or try a new restaurant or brewery with friends.” 

A 2019 UVM graduate, Hurd majored in neuroscience with a certificate in integrative health, followed by an M.S. in pharmacology in 2020. At Larner, Hurd has served as leader for the Family Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine student interest group. She credits Larner’s family medicine faculty and clinical preceptors for guiding her academic journey. 

“I want to practice family medicine because of the diverse scope of practice combined with strong community ties, which I have observed with family docs here.”

Anna Landis

Freeman Foundation Scholarship

“My decision to practice medicine in Vermont is rooted in the sense of community I have found here,” says Anna Landis, who was born in South Korea and raised in Stowe, Vermont, since she was two years old. Even while living as an adult in Boston, Philadelphia, and Providence, she felt that Vermont is her forever home. 

“Growing up in Stowe, community was paramount. We had frequent neighborhood cookouts, holidays, friendly competitions. People care about the folks across the street or down the hall. This sense of connection was something I missed when I was in larger cities, and something I haven’t been able to replicate elsewhere,” says Landis, who intends to pursue anesthesiology. 

“As I see it, the world of medicine reflects the community it serves. I want to stay here to be part of that.”