Class Note 2000. Dr. Lorissa Segal recently left the high-volume Mt. Ascutney (Vermont) Hospital System to set up a smaller practice focused on local women’s health, preventive services, and multigenerational care.
As rural healthcare in America has entered ever-deepening levels of crisis, especially for women, Dr. Segal was kind enough to answer questions about her path to medicine and how she’s working to improve care for her community.
Unlike some of our classmates who took a more circuitous route, Dr. Segal, growing up in Portland, Oregon, knew where she wanted to focus, even before college. “I came in already planning to pursue a career in medicine, and my experience at Dartmouth confirmed that choice. My professors were incredibly supportive and helped solidify that medicine was the right place to bring together my interest in science, creative side, and desire to care for people in a direct way.”
That support also came from unexpected vectors.
“One of the most important influences was professor Louise Hamlin, then chair of the studio art department. Even though she was not part of the traditional premed track, she took a deep interest in my goals and wrote my medical school recommendation letter. Her support showed that my identity as a future physician could include both my creative and scientific interests. I am still in touch with her, and the artwork hanging in my clinic is hers. Having her work on the walls is a daily reminder of how Dartmouth helped shape not only my career in medicine but also the way I think about creating a welcoming, humane environment for my patients.”
After graduation, Dr. Segal moved back to Portland for medical school and did her residency in Utah. After marrying a Vermont native, she found herself back in the Upper Valley.
“We knew we wanted to raise our family in a small town. Practicing medicine in Vermont has given me exactly that: the chance to care for patients in a close-knit community that feels like home. From where I sit, Vermont is dealing with many of the same primary care pressures affecting rural communities across the country. There are real shortages, longer wait times, and growing pressure on both patients and providers. In Vermont specifically, we know that 16 percent of primary care physicians were planning to retire or reduce their hours within the next 12 months, which gives a sense of how serious the challenge is.”
Although the job and situations surrounding it are challenging, she finds solace in patient care. “What keeps me grounded is focusing on the individual in front of me and my role within the community. When medicine feels overwhelming, I come back to the idea that I cannot control the entire healthcare system, but I can control how I show up for each patient in my exam room. It is about taking good care of the whole person and, through that, also taking care of the community.”
Outside of medicine, “most of my life revolves around my family and being outdoors. We have children ages 11, 13, and 15 who attend school in Woodstock, so we are very rooted in this community. As a family, we love cross-country ski racing, biking, and running. Those are activities I embraced during my time at Dartmouth, and they have become a big part of our family life now.”
As for keeping in touch with other alumni, “both classmates and others who were part of that community, those relationships have followed me through different stages of training and moves around the country, and it has been meaningful to see how our lives and careers have evolved in parallel.”
—Ben Patch, 56 Ridge Road, Bristol, RI 02809; dartmouth2000secretary@gmail.com