LOOK at LARNER is a program at the Larner College of Medicine (LCOM) at the University of Vermont specifically recruiting from underrepresented backgrounds who have a strong interest in attending medical school. This program is facilitated by medical students who currently attend LCOM with the purpose of providing an inside look to the student perspective at the Larner College of Medicine. The programming provides an opportunity for participants to shadow a medical student, tour the facilities and attend an admissions forum and varying medical specialties presentations. Participants will also attend a med school mixer, a med student Q&A panel and explore the local Burlington area with a student host.
Applications are due August 2 and the program will be held September 10-11. Applicants are responsible for travel fees to Burlington but will be housed with a medical student host and meals throughout the programming schedule will be funded.
Program Goals
Increase interest shown by underrepresented students in the medical profession
Increase the number of underrepresented student applicant at Larner College of Medicine
Increase matriculation of underrepresented students to Larner College of Medicine
The Health Professions and STEM team of Mary Lothrop and Hannah Benz do not hold regularly scheduled office hours during the summer months but are available to meet with students. Please reach out directly to Mary or Hannah to set up a meeting. Have a great summer!!
The Health Professions/STEM Team wants to feature YOUR experiences and internships on the CCI blog. If interested, please contact nermer@middlebury.edu for more details!
LOOK at LARNER is a program at the Larner College of Medicine (LCOM) at the University of Vermont specifically recruiting from underrepresented backgrounds who have a strong interest in attending medical school. This program is facilitated by medical students who currently attend LCOM with the purpose of providing an inside look to the student perspective at the Larner College of Medicine. The programming provides an opportunity for participants to shadow a medical student, tour the facilities and attend an admissions forum and varying medical specialties presentations. Participants will also attend a med school mixer, a med student Q&A panel and explore the local Burlington area with a student host.
Applications are due August 2 and the program will be held September 10-11. Applicants are responsible for travel fees to Burlington but will be housed with a medical student host and meals throughout the programming schedule will be funded.
Program Goals
Increase interest shown by underrepresented students in the medical profession
Increase the number of underrepresented student applicant at Larner College of Medicine
Increase matriculation of underrepresented students to Larner College of Medicine
Sarah Karow, a clinical research coordinator at Ohio State University, demonstrated a prototype breathalyzer, under F.D.A. review, that is designed to detect Covid-19.
In May, musicians from dozens of countries descended on Rotterdam, the Netherlands, for the Eurovision Song Contest. Over the course of the competition, the performers — clad in sequined dresses, ornate crowns or, in one case, an enormous pair of angel wings — belted and battled it out for their chance at the title.
But before they were even allowed on stage, they had to pass another test: a breath test.
When they arrived at the venue, the musicians were asked to exhale into a water-bottle-sized device called the SpiroNose, which analyzed the chemical compounds in their breath to detect signatures of coronavirus infection. If the results came back negative, the performers were cleared to compete.
The SpiroNose, made by the Dutch company Breathomix, is just one of many breath-based Covid-19 tests under development across the world. In May, Singapore’s health agency granted provisional authorization to two such tests, made by the domestic companies Breathonix and Silver Factory Technology. And researchers at Ohio State University say they have applied to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for an emergency authorization of their Covid-19 breathalyzer.
“It’s clear now, I think, that you can detect this disease with a breath test,” said Paul Thomas, a chemist at Loughborough University in England. “This isn’t science fiction.”
Scientists have long been interested in creating portable devices that can quickly and painlessly screen a person for disease simply by taking a whiff of their breath. But delivering on this dream has proved to be a challenge. Different diseases may cause similar breath changes. Diet can affect the chemicals someone exhales, as can smoking and alcohol consumption, potentially complicating disease detection.
Still, scientists say, advances in sensor technology and machine learning, combined with new research and investment spurred by the pandemic, mean that the moment for disease-detecting breathalyzers may have finally arrived.
“I’ve been working in the area of breath research for almost 20 years now,” said Cristina Davis, an engineer at the University of California, Davis. “And during that time, we’ve seen it progress from a nascent stage to really being something that I think is close to being deployed.”
The Health Professions and STEM team of Mary Lothrop and Hannah Benz do not hold regularly scheduled office hours during the summer months but are available to meet with students. Please reach out directly to Mary or Hannah to set up a meeting. Have a great summer!!
The Health Professions Team wants to feature students and their summer work on the HP blog. If you’re interested, please contact nermer@middlebury.edu for more details!
