Nuvance Health and University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine Annual Report 2022

Stephen Winter, MD
Robyn Scatena, MD
Executive Director of PT Teaching Academy and Director of Nuvance
Health Global Health Program at Norwalk Hospital
Three years ago we settled into the realization that there would be no
quick ending to the pandemic. Our ability to execute one of the main
functions of a Global Health program, to directly expose students,
trainees and junior faculty to systems of care and cultures around
the world, would be shut down completely for an undefined time,
probably measured in years. We discussed plans to hibernate the
program without closing it down, a process we feared could become
permanent. To my surprise and delight, what followed on our website
and journal, was a vibrant international exchange of challenges and
successes during the pandemic, revealing the resiliency and emotional
and intellectual depth of our global partnership. This culminated
with the United Nations sponsored symposium centered around the
modern expressions of colonization and the need for those of us in the
global north to confront this issue and develop interventions around
decolonization. The frank, open and at times, painful call to arms was
at a level of honesty that could only occur between trusting friends. It
was a powerful shout out for change.
As I prepare to return to Vietnam to help support the de-hibernation
of our student and global scholars program, I hope that we remember
the challenges raised during the pandemic and the urgency to act.
The Nuvance Global Health Program is poised for very important
growth in the next year. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the many
international relationships established allowed for international
exchange of ideas and clinical practice. During the pandemic, our visits
were put on hold but our conversations continued and flourished. As
we resume international visits, we have the opportunity to build on
these foundations. We will leverage our existing relationships and
capabilities to support continued scholarly collaboration across
nations. An opportunity I am particularly excited about is connecting
the Nuvance Health Patricia A. Tietjen, MD Teaching Academy with
clinical educators at partner institutions. Our existing relationship
with ChoRay Hospital and our developing relationship with the
University of Medicine and Pharmacy’s Medical Center, both in Ho
Chi Minh City, Vietnam, provide fertile grounds for this collaboration.
Together with our global partners, we will engage in challenging work
to advance both practice and scholarship around clinical education,
generating new ideas and enhanced practices to benefit Nuvance
and partner institutions.
14 ANNUAL REPORT 2022
NUVANCE HEALTH AND THE UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT LARNER COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
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