Department of Family Medicine

Class of 2026 Larner College of Medicine students researched Vermont’s most timely public health and social needs, revealing important findings that will help shape direction for social service agencies. The students shared their findings at community celebration in on May 31.

(MAY 25, 2023) In an opinion piece published in The Other Paper, chronic pain sufferer John R. Killacky lauded the UVM Medical Center Comprehensive Pain Program, whose medical director is Jon Porter, M.D., assistant professor of family medicine and director of UVM’s Osher Center for Integrative Health.

The Larner College of Medicine medical Class of 2023 Honors Night on May 15 featured recognition and awards for graduating medical students, faculty, and staff.

(MAY 14, 2023) Megan Malgeri, M.D.’12, assistant professor of family medicine, says climate change is extending the growing season, bringing allergies earlier and creating more severe symptoms for Vermonters, WCAX-TV reported.

(MAY 10, 2023) Natasha Withers, D.O., clinical assistant professor of family medicine, will soon start treating depression with a mind-altering drug that’s shown promise in helping people who don’t respond to traditional medicine — despite lingering questions about the drug’s long-term safety and effectiveness — Seven Days reported.

(MAY 3, 2023) Vermont has become one of the only states in the nation to grant out-of-staters the right to exercise medical aid-in-dying. Palliative medicine specialist Diana Barnard, M.D., associate professor of family medicine — the Middlebury doctor who’s credited with helping to change the law — says it’s a victory for equal access to health care, WCAX-TV reported. (Click on headline for more.)

(MARCH 29, 2023) Palliative medicine specialist Diana Barnard, M.D., associate professor of family medicine, commented in a New York Times article about a terminally ill Connecticut woman’s desire to take advantage of a Vermont law that allows certain in-state residents to seek and self-administer a lethal dose of medication to hasten their death.

(MARCH 23, 2023) The Partners Aligned in Transformative Healing (PATH) program at UVM Medical Center’s Comprehensive Pain Program has been awarded the 2023 Blue Cross Provider Innovation Award, according to the Rutland Herald.

(DECEMBER 10, 2022) Keith Collins, M.D., clinical assistant professor of family medicine, was interviewed by the Lockport Union-Sun & Journal about rising virus numbers locally.

(DECEMBER 6, 2022) In an opinion piece in VT Digger, John Dunn, M.D., assistant professor of family medicine and a doctor at the UVM Urgent Care Center, focused on the need for more primary care doctors in Vermont—and what needs to change before that can happen.

(SEPTEMBER 9, 2022) MarketWatch featured Robert Gramling, M.D., professor of family medicine, and Diane Button, an instructor in the College’s online end-of-life doula professional certificate program, in a story about so-called death doulas who provide nonmedical care and support for people who are dying and their loved ones.

(AUGUST 24, 2022) Center for Health & Wellbeing medical director Michelle Paavola, M.D., clinical assistant professor of family medicine, and infectious disease specialist Keith Collins, M.D., clinical assistant professor of family medicine, told WPTZ-TV NBC5 that while it’s not a threat to the public right now, UVM does have a plan in place should monkeypox come to campus.

(JULY 31, 2022) In response to statistics showing that lung cancer kills more Vermonters than breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers combined, family medicine professor John King, M.D., and colleagues at the UVM and Dartmouth Cancer Centers are spearheading a new community education program called Vermonters Taking Action Against Cancer, the (Nashua, N.H.) Telegraph reported.

(JULY 12, 2022) John King, M.D., M.P.H., professor of family medicine, who practices in Milton, urges all high-risk patients to get screened for lung cancer, according to the Milton Independent. The Dartmouth and the University of Vermont Cancer Centers have named Milton an area of focus to promote early detection of lung cancer.

On May 13, the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont held Honors Night for graduating medical students in the Class of 2022. Accolades presented included the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society faculty, housestaff, and community physician awards; the Arnold P. Gold Foundation's Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine faculty and student awards; Area Health Education Center Scholars; department awards to students; and awards from the Class of 2022.

University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine faculty, leaders, and colleagues gathered virtually for the Teaching Academy’s 2022 Snow Season Education Retreat January 20-21. Highlights of the two-day event included a plenary session by representatives of the Kern National Network for Caring and Character in Medicine, the Induction and Award Ceremony, and an in-person poster session.

UVM Larner College of Medicine alum Melissa Houser, M.D.'12 founded and partnered with the Vermont Department of Health, Vermont Family Network, Waterbury EMS, and a group of volunteers to create All Brains Belong VT—a nonprofit neuroinclusive primary care and community center offering patient-centered healthcare and inclusively-designed community events. The organization hosted its first sensory-friendly COVID-19 community vaccination clinic in December 2021.

Bob Gramling, M.D., D.Sc., has witnessed grief in its many forms. As the inaugural Holly and Bob Miller Chair in Palliative Medicine and a professor of family medicine, he counsels seriously ill patients and their families while they navigate the challenging terrain between life and death.

Understanding what happens during important conversations between seriously ill people, their families and palliative care specialists – and how they vary by cultural, clinical, and situational contexts – is essential to guide healthcare communication improvement efforts. A new computer model developed by a team of UVM researchers offers an automated and valid tool for conducting large-scale scientific analyses of these conversations.

(JUNE 24, 2021) The UVM End-of-Life Doula Professional Certificate program, as well as comments from Francesca Arnoldy, program director, are featured in a New York Times article, titled "‘Death Doulas’ Provide Aid at the End of Life."