Meekah Hance, Green Mountain Union High School Class of 2020 graduate, is the tenth recipient of the Dr. E. Sherburne Lovell Health Career Award.  This award contributes $1000 annually toward a student’s academic pursuit of a career in health care.  It is funded by the proceeds of the Apple Blossom Cotillion, a project of the Development Office of Springfield Hospital.

Dr. Lovell was a longtime physician at Springfield Hospital.  His daughters, Melissa Post and Elizabeth David, said, “While he was a man who never sought recognition for his service in the medical field or in the community, we know he would be honored to have this award named in his memory.  We hope recipients of the award will share the same sense of wonder and fascination with the world of medicine that he did.”

Hance will be a Pre-Medicine student at Pensacola Christian College in Pensacola, Florida in the fall.  She plans to continue her education to become a Physician Assistant.  She comes from a family of healthcare professionals and knew as a young child that she wanted to have a career in healthcare.  She attended the Southern Vermont Area Health Education Center (AHEC) MedQuest program in 2019 and will attend the Virtual Advanced MedQuest program this summer.  After MedQuest last summer, Hance joined the Chester Ambulance Service as a Junior EMT.  She has since completed the training to become a certified EMT and will be taking her national exam this month.

To be eligible for the award, students must live in one of the towns served by Springfield Medical Care System and attend AHEC’s MedQuest program.  Information on this program is available by contacting Southern Vermont AHEC at (802) 885-2126 or emailing ethomas@svtahec.org.

Photo: L to R: Sandy Peplau, Marketing and Development for Springfield Medical Care Systems; Meekah Hance, 2020 Lovell Health Career Award Winner