Let's Talk

In honor of Natonal Nurse's Week, May 6-12, we're paying tribute to the dedication, compassion, and impact of nurses everywhere who show up each day to care, advocate, and make a difference in people's lives.

We're excited to welcome 2 incredible guests to the program; Karen Cote and Amy Visser-Lynch, both Nursing Professional Development Specialists from Mount Ascutney Hospital and Health Center in Windsor, Vermont. Together they will be talking about their experiences in nursing, what National Nurses Week means to them, and the evolving role nurses play in today's healthcare landscape.

For three decades the Vermont AHEC Network has worked to strengthen the state's healthcare workforce by connecting students, educators, and communities especially in rural and underresourced areas. We are joined by two leaders, Dr. Mimi Reardon, Emerita Clinical Professor, and former Associate Dean of Primary Care and AHEC Office (1993-2006), at the Robert Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont, and Dr. Anne Morris, the current Associate Dean of Primary Care and AHEC also from the Robert Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont. As part of the National AHEC Week Celebration (March 23-27, 2026), they will reflect on how the Vermont AHEC network began, explore how it supports the healthcare workforce pipeline today, and talk about what the future might hold for training the next generation of healthcare professionals in Vermont.

To commemorate National Children's Dental Health Month, Heather Blair, MPH, RDH, FADHA, Dental Hygiene Program Co-Coordinator/Associate Professor, with the Department of Oral Health Science at Vermont State University, Williston Campus, talks about the growing need for oral health professionals in Vermont, and how recruiting and supporting future hygienists directly impacts children, families, and communities statewide.

National Rural Health Day is November 20, 2025. Andy Lowe, Executive Director and Ann Marie Day, Chief Operating Officer, with the New England Rural Health Association (NERHA) talk candidly about the challenges and opportunities facing rural health today and NERHA's recent $1.6 million dollar HRSA Rural Communities Opioid Response Program Grant.

In celebration of Vermont Health Careers Awareness Month during October, Molly Hurd, 4th year student at the Robert Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont shares her journey into the field of medicine and her hopes of becoming a rural family physician.

Alysia Straw, Director of Health Careers Exploration with Southern Vermont Area Health Education Center (AHED) and a former HR Recruiter, and Darcy Bixby, Director of Windham Center Psychiatric Hospital (part of Springfield, Vermont Hospital), share a page from the their playbooks on strategies recent college graduates can use to successfully apply for jobs in the Healthcare sector. Lots of great inside information on what employers are looking for and making that right first impression.

Dr. Caitlin Stover, Dean of Nursing and Health Sciences at Vermont State University and Katelynn Brown, Registered Nurse, Labor and Delivery Unit, with Rutland Regional Medical Center, pull back the curtain on the nursing profession. They both share their unique insights and compelling stories, into the multiple pathways and huge rewards in this incredible profession.

In our latest episode we are diving into the vital role AHECs play both nationally and regionally as we gear up to celebrate National AHEC Week (March 24-28, 2025). We'll be exploring how AHEC's have been crucial to improving the quality, supply, distribution, and retention of health professionals especially in rural and underserved communities for over 50 years! I am joined by Dwain Harris, CEO of the National AHEC Organization and Nicole LaPointe, Executive Director of Northern Vermont Area Health Education Center (AHEC).

In our latest "Let's Talk" Podcast, we dive into critical conversation around equity in higher education. Join Michael Reeves, Director of the Social Work Program, and Margaret Miles, Assistant Professor of Social Work at Vermont State University-Castleton, as they explore how colleges are weaving the principles of equity into their curricula. Tune in for a thought-provoking discussion on how higher education institutions can foster inclusivity and equal opportunities for all students.

The guests in our newest Let's Talk Podcast are Andy Lowe, Executive Director of New England Rural Health Association (NEHRA) and Ann Marie Day, Chief Operating Officer, New England Rural Health Association -NEHRA discussing Health Equity with a focus on social determinants of health.