Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

These projects were completed by students in the University of Vermont Family Medicine Clerkship. Block Clerkship Projects were completed during a five-week period, while Longitudinal Clerkship Projects were completed over the course of a 12-month longitudinal clerkship.

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Addressing Problem Gambling in the Advent of Online Sports Betting in Vermont

Sarah Yang
Short-term Project
With the legalization of online sports betting in Vermont as of January 11, 2024, residents now have access to commercial sportsbooks such as DraftKings, FanDuel, and Fanatics. As online gambling becomes increasingly rapid, accessible, and immersive, the associated risks for harm to consumers are rising. Problem gambling, a behavior with potential to significantly disrupt one’s well-being, career, and relationships, is recognized as a mental health disorder affecting over 11,600 Vermonters (2.2% of the adult population). The social and economic costs of problem gambling in the United States total approximately $14 billion annually, spanning healthcare, criminal justice expenses, job loss, and bankruptcy. This project introduces a brochure designed to provide primary care patients and physicians with essential, nonjudgmental information on recognizing and managing problem gambling. The brochure aims to raise awareness, educate, and offer support resources to at-risk individuals and their families. Through strategic distribution in primary care settings, this resource seeks to address an urgent public health issue by equipping patients and practitioners with tools to mitigate the impact of problem gambling.
Culturally Competent Resources Focused on Wellbeing & Mental Health in Vermont's Immigrant Communities

Meron Yishak
Short-term Project
Recognizing the unique stressors and barriers immigrants often face, this list compiles a range of culturally-sensitive online & in-person resources here in Vermont. It includes community organizations, hotlines, online platforms, and services working to address the diverse needs of immigrant populations. By empowering immigrants with knowledge of available resources, this guide strives to promote well-being within immigrant communities.
Brochures & QR codes as an E-Cigarette Informational Tool

Yasamin E. Zamanian
Short-term Project
Can a brochure and website with resources about e-cigarettes make a difference in the way that parents speak to their children about e-cigarette use?
Promoting Cardiovascular Health Through Health Food

George Zhang and Vyha Do
Short-term Project
Poor diet is one of the leading causes of cardiovascular disease.
Patient Satisfaction and Staff Protection

Cole T. Zweber
Short-term Project
Front desk, reception, and rooming staff at Middlebury Family Health have experienced an increased degree of patient agitation and frustration since 2020 and the COVID pandemic (this trend of increased violence in healthcare settings is seen nationally as well). This is a source of physical and emotional strain on staff and can contribute to decreased quality of care for all patients. Former projects have addressed the need for increased training and support for staff facing these tense interactions. This project aims to describe the underlying factors and sources of patient agitation, namely access to care for urgent issues, in order to better address their concerns and minimize the burden on staff.
Patient Pamphlet for Basic Lab Values

Robert A. Adamian
Short-term Project
As a result of lab results being immediately available to patients online, many patients experience unnecessary anxiety when viewing their results before speaking with their physician. Misleading lab values and increased patient concerns lead to more time spent by physicians answering messages on EPIC, which adds to the burden of public health costs. To combat this, a double-sided pamphlet was made with quick high yield facts about lab data that patients can use for information in the time between seeing their results and communicating with their doctor.
Increasing Patient Education on Proper Antibiotic Stewardship

Arif S. Ahsan
Short-term Project
Antibiotic resistance is a growing public health issue in the United States. Coinciding with this, patients often inappropriately self-treat infections using antibiotics. Locally, this causes complications in treating patients in an outpatient setting, and nationally, this causes an increased economic burden on the United States healthcare system. A handout was developed for distribution at pharmacies in order to better educate patients on proper antibiotic stewardship, based on information that providers believed to be most important for patients to know.
Caring for Patients At Risk of Suicide in Vermont

Lindsay R. Aldrich
Short-term Project
Suicide is the 9th leading cause of death in Vermont among all age groups. 34% of people who died by suicide had a primary care visit for their mental health within the last year. As a response to this statewide issue, I assisted Richmond Family Medicine’s application for this year’s Suicide-Safer Care Mini-Grant.
Improving Cardiovascular Health in Low Socioeconomic Status Women through the Vermont You First Program

Bradley M. Anair
Short-term Project
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in men and women in the United States. Low socioeconomic status women are in a unique position because cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality is higher in lower socioeconomic status groups, and the risks of cardiovascular disease are often underappreciated in women. This project aimed to improve cardiovascular health in low socioeconomic status women through increasing awareness of the Vermont You First program. This program covers the cost of screenings for cervical cancer, breast cancer, and heart disease for low socioeconomic status women. They also offer lifestyle perks to improve cardiovascular health. This intervention will help alleviate the financial obstacle that low socioeconomic status women face in achieving optimal cardiovascular health.
Analysis of Primary Care Practice Patterns and Knowledge of Microscopic Hematuria

Clemens An
Short-term Project
To analyze and assess the primary care practices regarding the diagnostic evaluation of microscopic hematuria
Improving Healthcare for Coptic Egyptian Migrants

Lorena Ayoub
Short-term Project
There is very little known about Coptic Egyptian migrant health in the current literature. Exploring health beliefs and behaviors in regard to seeking medical care is important. Additionally, understanding how the Coptic church plays a role in healthcare is essential as many Coptic individuals believe spirituality influences physical health.
Transportation to Little Rivers Health Clinic in Wells River, Vermont

Anupama Balasubramanian
Short-term Project
Transportation to healthcare appointments is one of the biggest challenges that rural patients face. Currently, there are no resources available to patients at Little Rivers Health Care that can help them with transportation-related knowledge. This project aims to create a guide that improves patients' understanding of the options they have available in getting to their appointments.
Increasing Access of Outpatient Therapeutic Services for Adolescents With Persistent Symptoms After Sport-related Traumatic Brain Injury

Natalie J. Bales
Short-term Project
Persistent symptoms lasting at least 21 days after initial traumatic brain injury occur in about 15-20% of adolescents. Initial assessment of concussions can be done using the SCAT5 and a wide variety of other standardized assessment tools. However, there are striking gaps in standard clinical procedure for follow-up care for athletes who have persistent symptoms. Furthermore, there are many issues with accessibility to therapeutic services including long wait times that prevent timely referral to those services. This pilot intervention was implemented at the University of Vermont to address those issues by providing a hotline resource for families to use and obtain faster and easier referrals to outpatient therapeutic services based on individual persistent symptoms.
Transitioning to ASQ Online at Colchester Family Medicine

Katie Barker
Short-term Project
Development screenings are an important part of well-child visits for early identification of a developmental delay. Early identification and appropriate intervention allow for better functional outcomes for patients, preventing the worsening of a delay. Currently, only 38% of these screenings are completed at Colchester Family Medicine. With the aid of Help Me Grow, a national organization dedicated to connecting families to community resources to allow children to reach their full potential, Colchester Family Medicine should transition to ASQ online, an online version of its current screening tool. This would increase completion rates, improve accuracy of results and allow for a better experience for both the patient and their families, and the providers.
Screening for PTSD in Veterans and Expanding Awareness of PTSD Resources

Audree S. Baroni and Bradford Clark
Short-term Project
Veterans are at an increased risk for PTSD however widespread screening is currently not being done, so disease is going unrecognized and untreated. There are many reasons for this, including stigmatization within the military, access to care, and unknown resources. We looked at PTSD screening within the veteran population in Berlin, VT and provided resources to local providers.
Screening for PTSD in Veterans and Expanding Awareness of PTSD Resources

Audree S. Baroni and Bradford Clark
Short-term Project
PTSD is a prevalent mental health disorder that is especially prominent in the veteran population. Often veterans go without diagnosis and subsequently without treatment due to lack of awareness, screening, and a stigma they will loose benefits from the VA. This project aimed to identify the number of veterans with PTSD and provide alternative treatment methods for symptom management.
Migrant Farmworker Health in Windham County

Shea A. Bellino
Short-term Project
There is a significant population of migrant farmworkers, especially H2A visa holders, in Windham county with limited access to health care compared to peers in Addison and Chittenden counties. Health care is delivered to migrant farmworkers across Vermont via a volunteer-based program coordinated by the University of Vermont Extension known as Bridges to Health. Given the proximity of Grace Cottage to H2A farmworkers, it is reasonable to explore ways of increasing access for this patient population, including raising awareness of Bridges to Health.
Obtaining a Gender-Affirming Sexual History with Gender Nonconforming and Transgender Patients

Gabriela Bosmenier Cruz
Short-term Project
This project introduces a methodology to change how providers ask the 5 P's of a sexual history using gender-affirming language. Obtaining a gender-affirming sexual history will improve sexual health care, especially with gender nonconforming and transgender patients. Taking time to discuss sexual health and function can lead to prompt identification of sexual problems, risk-taking behaviors, and infection prevention. Using appropriate language to communicate with all patients can lead to better doctor-patient relationship.
Cyanobacteria Blooms: Raising Awareness in a Primary Care Setting

Eliza A. Bradley
Short-term Project
Pamphlet to Promote Patient Education on Hypertension and Diabetes

John J. Braidt
Short-term Project
Diabetes and hypertension are prevalent in the United States, and are among the most common reasons for office visits. Control rates for hypertension have dropped in the past 5 years owing, in part, to medication non-compliance, perceptions of poor locus of control and self-efficacy, limited health care literacy and knowledge. Concerns regarding adverse effects of medications are also prevalent. This project seeks to improve patient knowledge of hypertension and present an argument for medication compliance.
Pamphlet to Promote Patient Education on HTN

John J. Braidt and Matthew Lippel
Short-term Project
Ambulance Service Coverage in Rural Coventry, Vermont

Katelynn Briere
Short-term Project
Ambulance service coverage is made difficult by the rural landscape of many Vermont towns. Discrepancies in quality and cost of ambulance service providers can make it difficult for town administrators to decide which service would be best for their town. This decision is even more important in towns like Coventry, Vermont where there is no in-town ambulance service. Providing town administrators with informative documents is one way to assist them in the decision making process.
Patient Rights to Prescription Glasses

Louis Briones
Short-term Project
Uncorrected Refractive Error (URE) accounts for vision loss in millions of Americans. Eyeglasses are the simplest and safest way to correct refractive errors. Prescription eyewear coverage is not universally covered across most health insurance policies. This project details Medicare and Vermont Medicaid coverage for Prescription Glasses. Also included is information outlining where to buy affordable frames and organizations in Vermont that can help acquire prescriptions not covered by insurance.
A Template for Gender-Affirming Care Referrals with Consideration for Patient Safety and Privacy

Seth Brownmiller
Short-term Project
Family Medicine - South Burlington provides quality care to gender diverse individuals, yet no standard referral process for patients to receive gender-affirming care at the practice exists. Furthermore, whenever a provider is referring a patient for gender care, there are important considerations for what information should be included in the referral. This project sought to create a referral template for gender care that incorporated questions regarding patient privacy and safety.
Increasing Tickborne Disease Awareness Through Local Community Organizations and Businesses

John S. Burke
Short-term Project
Tickborne illnesses are on the rise and continue to present a public health challenge to the Rutland Community. Classically, education on tickborne disease has been provided by healthcare providers, specifically through primary care. However, many individuals still lack access to primary care providers and therefore are not being provided important information on these potentially debilitating illnesses. This project's goal is to provide information on tickborne illnesses to local businesses and outdoor organizations so that those who lack access to primary care are still getting the education they need.