09/19/2025
Building life-long relationships is one of the best things about participating in Dartmouth Healthcare Foundations’s programs. We have just heard from Liesbeth Verheijen, a member of the Dartmouth class of 2024, who joined us in 2023 as a DHF Society for Medical Humanities member and completed the Eichler Fellowship in 2024. It seems that some things she learned with us are sticking and having a positive impact on how she approaches her work in medicine.
“My experience as an Eichler ‘57 Fellow opened my eyes to the importance of the intersections of medicine and the humanities in healthcare. These lessons inspire how I interact with the healthcare field now and throughout my gap year. I was lucky enough to spend the past year working as a Clinical Support Aide at Family Health Center of Worcester, MA, a federally qualified community health center. There, I worked alongside patients and their families to address their unique medical and social needs. To do this, I translated the concepts of collaborative patient interactions, comprehensive health care, and cultural humility that were introduced to me as a Fellow into action by listening to patients, forming connections, learning their stories, and working together toward solutions. These experiences helped solidify the idea that caring for a person humanistically and holistically is equally important as treating the illness at hand. I am eager to continue building upon these experiences as a first-year student at Washington University School of Medicine and beyond, as I pursue a career as a future physician!”
is lucky to have you, Liesbeth—congratulations!
