
“Hearing all the wonderful stories from my dad about the Larner community made me very inclined to apply there and consider it a top choice for medical school. That was undoubtedly the right decision.” — Vinh Le ’24
“The education that I received at Larner truly prepared me well for the clinical and administrative roles that I manage.” — Phil Le, M.D.’90
A Dialogue Between Father and Son
Vinh: Some might say that there’s a certain pressure to live up to a parent’s legacy, especially if you’re in the same field. But that hasn’t been the case for me. My dad and I have always shared a relationship of respect and support, and I’ve sought his advice on everything from clinical practice to navigating life changes. That wisdom comes from lived experiences, and he certainly has had some compelling ones.
Phil: As a young boy, I fled Vietnam with my family at the end of the war in 1975. During my time at a refugee camp, I volunteered at a medical clinic and witnessed excellent care provided to refugees. The experience led me to pursue a career in medicine. Working as a postgraduate research assistant at the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine, I was highly impressed with the caliber of clinical and basic science research conducted at UVM. The researchers and faculty members there were also collegial and approachable. Later, as a medical student there, I found the exact same to be true.
Vinh: I’ve always been drawn to the humanities. Early in my life, I wanted to be a writer, musician, and filmmaker. But the tragic accident of a friend compelled me to go into medicine, and I quickly became aware of the integral role that the humanities and humanism play within medical practice—especially in the way that we relate to patients, solve tough problems, and refine systems of healthcare to positively transform the lives of others.
Phil: When he expressed an interest in pursuing medicine, I encouraged Vinh to consider Larner. Recognizing his interests in music and creative writing, I felt that he would be a good fit for the college, where a humanistic approach to health care is encouraged. I was ecstatic when he enrolled, and to my surprise, he studied under some of the professors that I had when I was a student there many years ago. Reconnecting with some of these professors through Vinh was a wonderful experience.
Vinh: Hearing all the wonderful stories from my dad about the Larner community made me very inclined to apply there and consider it a top choice for medical school. That was undoubtedly the right decision. My time at Larner has been a wonderful experience filled with moments and memories that I will always cherish and carry forward. I’ve had amazing classmates, faculty, staff, and mentors that I truly admire and keep in touch with. You cannot go through the journey of medicine without the people around you, and I’ve been surrounded by some of the very best.
Vinh was elected Student Body President and served on Student Council during his time in medical school. On issues ranging from medical school reaccreditation to Connecticut clinical campus advocacy to frontline COVID-19 service activities, he collaborated with fellow leaders to advocate for the student body and develop solutions in consultation with students and faculty/administration.
Vinh: Medical training has taught me that the more you learn, the more you realize how much you don’t know. Being at Larner has helped me cultivate a mindset of appreciation and comfort with that level of ambiguity and challenge, and this is one of the reasons I want to merge research with future clinical practice. Research takes the knowledge used to touch each life—as seen in medicine—and multiplies that to impact a vast number of people.
At an awards ceremony several years ago, I bumped into Dr. Mary Cushman, and we started chatting about advances in cardiovascular and brain health research at her lab. I knew right away that I wanted to begin research work with her after finishing my medical school curriculum.
Phil: It turns out that Dr. Cushman was a year ahead of me. I still remember interacting with her and her classmates in the hallways during breaks since we had our lectures in Hall A and Hall B in Given Building. Dr. Cushman was very dedicated as a student, and in the clinical rotations we shared, I was impressed by her knowledgeable responses to our attending physicians. It does not surprise me that she is now a respected member of the Larner faculty and a prolific clinical researcher.
Vinh: For me, the process of research has felt a lot like perfecting a recipe. You try something at first, and it falls flat. Then you successively try more things, each time getting closer to perfecting your approach. Dr. Cushman has helped me feel comfortable with that process all the way through to completion, and working with her has been a highlight of my medical training.
Phil: I recently reconnected with Dr. Cushman at the Viridis Montis competition and caught up on life since graduation 35 years ago. What a wonderful turn of fate for Vinh to do research with her, causing our paths to cross again! I’m thankful for all that she’s done to mentor him, and I look forward to visiting Larner and reuniting with her and old classmates again in the future.
Vinh: Seeing my dad and Dr. Cushman reunite at Viridis Montis—on the same campus where they went to medical school together—reminded me of how all our lives can intersect and positively influence future generations.
The research I presented at the competition relates to the connection between heart and brain health. Atrial fibrillation can increase risk of dementia, and we found that increased levels of three blood biomarkers were each associated with risk of developing cognitive impairment in people with atrial fibrillation. Later, at the American Heart Association’s EPI|Lifestyle 2025 conference in New Orleans, I joined Dr. Cushman and our colleagues in presenting similar work, including relevant effects from racial disparities and inflammatory mediators. The coauthors for this work (Sam Short, Katherine Wilkinson, Suzanne Judd, Elsayed Soliman, Hyacinth Hyacinth, Melissa Smith, and Nels Olson)—and the Laboratory for Clinical Biochemistry Research staff—provided much support and guidance.
Watch a video anthology of faculty and student perspectives from the EPI | Lifestyle 2025 Conference, including Vinh Le’s remarks
Phil: Following graduation from Larner, I completed my medical residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Iowa and moved to Lewiston, Maine, where I practiced for 11 years before relocating to Pennsylvania. I was appointed director of medical residency at the Coatesville VA Medical Center and now serve as Deputy Associate Chief of Staff for Research and Education there. The education that I received at Larner truly prepared me well for the clinical and administrative roles that I manage. I’m thankful that the college gave me a chance to be one of its graduates, and I’m proud to be a part of the Larner community.
Vinh: I’m so grateful for my Larner family and for the time that I’ve had with everyone here. After wrapping up research this summer, I will be starting residency at Dartmouth’s Family Medicine program at Cheshire Medical Center in New Hampshire, and while that will be bittersweet, I know I will always stay in touch with Dr. Cushman and the lab, hopefully even collaborating with them for research in the future.