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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Transportation Options for Mad River Patients

Jake Bleau
Short-term Project
UVM is closing the Mad River family medicine clinic in May of 2025. Many patients at this clinic, particularly elderly patients who live alone, already struggle with transportation to their medical appointments due to distance from the clinic and inability to drive themselves. This project was to create a flyer that the clinic may distribute to their patients that highlights two of the most widely used options for transportation to medical appointments. This flyer will be handed out to patients from now, January 2025, until the closure of the clinic.
Updated Guidelines for Pre-Op Exams by the PCP

William Clark
Short-term Project
This project involved developing and distributing educational materials on the 2024 Guideline for Perioperative Cardiovascular Management for Noncardiac Surgery. By providing key updates to staff, the initiative aimed to enhance provider awareness and support evidence-based perioperative decision-making.
Quality Improvements for Closing the Loop in Diabetic Eye Care Management

Caroline R. Duksta
Short-term Project
There is an opportunity to improve closed loop communication of care plans across organizations and specialists. The concept of this project is to foster patient engagement through healthcare education and leverage that engagement to address areas of identified weaknesses in collaboration. If successful, this could improve communication and coordination of care plans.
HTN in Hinesburg: Improving Patient Management of Hypertension

Jacquelyn Ferguson
Short-term Project
One in four Vermont adults have been told they have hypertension. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, increases risk for heart disease and stroke, which are leading causes of death in the U.S. and in Vermont. Lifestyle changes that can improve hypertension may include changing eating habits. This project focused on improving patient management of blood pressure through education and outreach efforts in Hinesburg, VT.
Prevention Through Education: Advancing Women’s Health Through Screening Awareness

Emma Fleming
Short-term Project
Preventive healthcare is essential in improving women’s health outcomes, yet adherence to screening guidelines remains inconsistent, partly due to rapidly evolving recommendations. To address this challenge, this patient-friendly handout was created outlining essential screening guidelines, their purpose, and the appropriate timing based on age and risk factors. This resource was designed to empower individuals to participate actively in their preventive care, highlighting the importance of accessible health information and the role of patient education in bridging gaps in healthcare delivery.
Bridging the Gap in Mental Health Training of First Responders

Tyler Hastings
Short-term Project
Recent studies have identified a mismatch in the amount of training first responders receive regarding the evaluation, treatment, and transport of patients with psychiatric conditions.

Therein lies the need institute a training system of first responders to include topics of mental illness.
Addressing the Language Barrier

Steven M. Hepp
Short-term Project
There is never enough time for patient education during office visits, this is especially true when using a translator service. Digital resources in many languages could now help improve patient education and outcomes.
Xylazine Test Strips: Harm Reduction in Chittenden County

Ruja Kambli
Short-term Project
Most opioid use disorder resources in Vermont are concentrated in Burlington. This project focused on harm reduction pertaining to the increase of xylazine-related fatalities in recent years. An educational brochure containing local test strip locations was created for the TCHC community and test strips were given to the office to raise awareness surrounding the opioid epidemic and the dangers of xylazine.
Assessing Patient Comfort when Discussing Mental Health Topics with Primary Care Providers

Kristin Karpowicz
Short-term Project
Mental health concerns, including anxiety and depression, remain critical public health issues. However, the extent to which individuals feel comfortable discussing these topics with their primary care providers (PCPs) varies by community. This study assesses the comfort levels of New Canaan, Connecticut, residents in discussing mental health issues with their PCPs and explores their awareness and use of third-party online platforms for obtaining prescriptions. A short electronic survey was distributed in a primary care clinic, with a subsequent paper survey to increase participation. Findings indicate that most respondents (75%) prefer in-person appointments for mental health discussions, and half have spoken to their PCP about anxiety or depression. Comfort levels were influenced by age, gender, and income, with older individuals and females reporting greater ease in discussing mental health concerns. Awareness of online prescription services was low, with only 14.3% of respondents having used such platforms. The study highlights the need for PCPs to initiate conversations about mental health and adapt their approach to patient preferences. Despite limitations such as a small sample size (n=20) and recruitment challenges, the findings offer valuable insights for improving mental health care accessibility in primary care settings. Future research should explore broader population samples and alternative recruitment strategies.
Maintaining Muscle Mass on GLP-1s

Sarah Krumholz
Short-term Project
Many patients using GLP-1 receptor agonists for weight loss or diabetes management experience a reduction in both fat and muscle mass. While weight loss can have significant metabolic benefits, the accompanying loss of muscle mass can lead to decreased strength, functional impairment, and long-term health risks. This project aims to address this gap by providing accessible, evidence-based resources to help patients maintain muscle mass through targeted nutrition and resistance exercise strategies.
Understanding Antibiotic Stewardship in the Outpatient Setting in Burlington, VT

Anna Landis
Short-term Project
There are more than 230 million antibiotic prescriptions sent annually to pharmacies in the United States, and more than 28% of outpatient prescriptions are not necessary. This leads to antibiotic resistance and increased healthcare cost. To mitigate this risk, antibiotic stewardship aims to correct provider and patient behavior to ensure that the right drug, at the right dose, for the right duration and the right indication are prescribed. This project focused on community perspectives on this issue as well as provided resources to a local community health center for patients and providers on information regarding common infections and when antibiotics should be utilized.
Generating Language for an Electronic Medical Record Patient Deliverable on Lifestyle Approaches to Migraine Prevention

Jonah Levine
Short-term Project
This project aimed to generate language on evidence based lifestyle modifications for migraine prophylaxis to be integrated into the Cerner EMR system at Central Maine Medical Center Family Medicine Residency such that it is made available for clinicians to deliver to migraine patients during an office visit.
Patient Education of Non-operative Management of Hip and Knee Osteoarthritis

Christopher Lin
Short-term Project
Arthritis is a group of diseases that causes joint pain and requires long-term management. 22.5 million adults in the U.S meet criteria for osteoarthritis. 92% of these patients see their primary care physician for OA. Yet, only 6-25% receive care from a specialist. As a result, there is significant patient confusion regarding diagnosis, prognosis, management, and prevention, as well as a lack of understanding of treatment options. Patients have consistently indicated the desire for more information delivered clearly from multiple sources of health information. More effective communication strategies and visual aids are required
Encouraging STI Testing in Clinton County

Jasmine Liu
Short-term Project
Anxiety Screening in a Rural Primary Care Setting

Erzsie Nagy
Short-term Project
Anxiety disorders are one of the most commonly occurring mental health condition. It is recommended to screen for anxiety in adults under the age of 65, but there is insufficient research to make this recommendation for older adults. Caledonia County in northeastern Vermont is a rural area with a large proportion of older adults, and this unique population could benefit from anxiety screening.
Management of Low Back Pain in the Outpatient Setting

Casey Norton
Short-term Project
Addressing Resource Gaps for Autistic Adolescents and Adults

Christopher Pham
Short-term Project
Autistic patients of all ages often experience greater difficulty accessing healthcare and worse health outcomes compared to neurotypical peers. Additionally, patients who are older when they are diagnosed as autistic (e.g. later adolescence, adulthood) frequently report increased comorbid medical problems and problems with mental and emotional health. Healthcare providers often feel they have inadequate knowledge and skills to confidently treat autistic patients, and are also often unaware of what resources are available to support patients. This project describes efforts to better equip primary care providers in Hardwick, VT with resources to support autistic patients, and discusses anticipated outcomes of similar interventions.
GLP-1 Receptor Agonists & Dietary Recommendations...What We Know So Far

Olivia Richardson
Short-term Project
GLP-1 receptor agonists have been increasingly prescribed to both diabetic patients as well as overweight/obese patients. However, there is ambiguity on dietary recommendations that should be made to these patients to avoid nutritional deficiencies/muscle wasting. This project includes a literature view on what current recommendations are for these patients.
Improving Obstructive Sleep Apnea Support in Rural Primary Care: Enhancing Patient Resources and Provider Tools

John L. Rustad
Short-term Project
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a prevalent but underdiagnosed condition, particularly in rural populations with limited access to specialist care. This project aims to enhance OSA identification and management in a rural Vermont clinic by implementing an integrated patient education and screening initiative. Key interventions include a patient information pamphlet, a standardized screening tool, and a referral pathway to streamline diagnosis and treatment. Provider feedback highlighted the benefits of these resources in improving patient awareness, screening accuracy, and referral efficiency.
Gender Affirming Care within Primary Care in Northern New York

Julie Scholes
Short-term Project
Gender affirming care is an integral part of healthcare, but is often difficult to identify or access. Primary care providers have the skillset to provide gender affirming care but identify education and resources as barriers to start prescribing gender affirming hormone therapy. This project aimed to assess existing access to gender affirming care and identify areas for improvement and support to enhance accessibility to care in northern New York
New food for thought: Promoting updated concussion management guidelines

Ian A. Strohbehn
Short-term Project
Many in the general public are only aware of outdated concussion management strategies which emphasize strict rest. These strategies may delay healing and increase incidence of post-concussion syndrome. Current guidelines recommend early return to light physical activity which can shorten time to recovery.
Guiding Steps for Accessing Mental Health Care Resources in Danbury CT

Alex Tran
Short-term Project
My work aims to offer easy to access resources for accessing mental health care in Danbury and Newtown, CT. It is aimed at newcomers to therapy, but is especially targeted as elderly patients who find navigating the system unfamiliar. By providing a rack card with basic information and scannable QR code with detailed steps, we hope to make this process less intimidating for patients in the area. Information was gathered from local therapists in the region and patient interview on what steps that found challenging or vague.
Gun Safety in Lewiston Maine FMR Clinic

Ryan Trus
Short-term Project
Community project to help improve safe gun storage in Lewiston Maine
Addressing Mental Health and Intentional Self-Harm in Afghan Patients

Muhammad H. Zeb
Short-term Project
Refugee and immigrant populations in the United States are at an elevated risk for a variety of mental health challenges. Post-traumatic stress, social isolation, experiencing racism, and elevated unemployment are among the correlates of increased mental health risks, including self-harming and suicidal behaviors. Among other factors, recent Afghan refugees or immigrants may encounter these issues due to the limited experience and resources available for healthcare providers working with them. To support healthcare providers in delivering care that is evidence-based and culturally appropriate, an educational resource was developed for identifying and then providing initial care for the mental health needs of the Afghan population. Following a literature review, multiple experts in working with Afghan patients (psychiatrists, other mental health providers, and primary care physicians) were interviewed about providing assessment and treatment services for this population. This information was consolidated to create an educational resource that can be delivered as a self-directed E-Learning module to be broadly distributed. The expectation is that these materials will support healthcare and other providers in their efforts to deliver high-quality, culturally informed mental health care for the Afghan refugee population.
Elder Care Resources – Chittenden County

Julie Adelman
Short-term Project