Office of Medical Communications

(OCTOBER 15, 2019) Several news outlets recently covered a research study on flavored e-cigarettes and asthma published in Nature Scientific Reports by Larner faculty and trainees, including senior author and Professor of Medicine Charles Irvin, Ph.D. The study was funded through UVM's Tobacco Center on Regulatory Science (TCORS) grant.

(OCTOBER 7, 2019) A story about the University of Vermont’s Conversation Lab, “which uses machine learning to develop algorithms designed to optimize clinician-patient discussions of serious illness, palliative care and end-of-life care," led by Robert Gramling, M.D., associate professor of family medicine and Miller Chair in Palliative Medicinewas featured in Hospice News.

(OCTOBER 7, 2019) Coverage of recommendations from an Endocrine Society-convened panel of diabetes experts published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society and led by Professor of Medicine and Director of Endocinology, Diabetes & Metabolism John Leahy, M.D., received coverage in several media outlets.

The first week of October saw milestones for both the newest students at the UVM Larner College of Medicine, and graduates stretching back eight decades. The College's Class of 2023 celebrated their White Coat Ceremony on Friday, October 4; and from Friday morning through the weekend, Larner graduates from as far back as the Class of 1944 returned to the campus where their medical careers began for Reunion 2019.

Award-winning, mixed heritage, Asian American, transgender writer, public health consultant, and cultural competency trainer Willy Wilkinson, M.P.H., presented the 2019 Vito Imbasciani, Ph.D., M.D.'85 and George DiSalvo LGBTQ Health Equity Lecture, titled “Advancing Trans-Affirming Care in a Changing Healthcare Landscape,” on October 3.

Neil Zakai, M.D., associate professor in the Division of Hematology/Oncology, is principal investigator for an R01 grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute for “Thrombosis and Bleeding Risk Assessment in Medical Inpatients.” Mary Cushman, M.D., M.Sc., professor in the Division of Hematology/Oncology, is co-investigator.

The Larner College of Medicine Gender Equity Initiative in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion held the first event in the Gender Equity Education Series - "Town Hall: Gender Equity at the Larner College of Medicine" - on September 25, 2019.

The Larner College of Medicine Global Health Program hosted three events during the week of September 23 that focused on the topic of migrant healthcare. Presenters included Jonathan Melk, M.D., CEO and chief medical officer for the Chiricauhua Community Health Centers in Douglas, Ariz., Darlene Melk, M.D., medical director of the Southern Arizona Children's Health Project and director of community pediatrics, and Naomi Wolcott-Maccausland, migrant health coordinator of Bridges to Health in UVM Extension.

(SEPTEMBER 9, 2019) LGBTQ community members and allies filled Burlington's Church Street and downtown area with smiles, rainbow flags, and bright colors on Sunday, September 8, at the 2019 Vermont Pride Parade and Festival. The Larner College of Medicine was one of more than 90 organizations that participated in the event, which coincided with the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots and had the largest attendance to date.

The University of Vermont's Larner College of Medicine and UVM Medical Center kicked off the fall 2019 series of Community Medical School with a presentation on September 10 by Assistant Professor of Psychiatry Pamela Swift, Ph.D., on "Solving the Mystery of Sleep: Patterns, Habits, & Tools."

(SEPTEMBER 9, 2019) A VTDigger article, titled "NEK social services group paid fines for asbestos, other violations," featured comments by UVM Associate Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Arti Shukla, Ph.D., regarding the link between asbestos and lung disease.

On Wednesday, September 11, Leo Anthony Celi, M.D., M.S., M.P.H., presented the Annual Stetson Lecture in Technological Advances in Medicine.

UVM’s Faculty Activity Network, or FAN, presents a unique opportunity to find collaborators in different disciplines. The program comes with a perk: a lunch in Waterman Manor after the lab session with Richard Galbraith, M.D., Ph.D., whose only cost for participants is to weather the friendly interrogation the research vice president launches at his lunch companions.

(AUGUST 27, 2019) A long feature story published in Mosaic and The Atlantic focuses on research led by Bob Gramling, M.D., D.Sc., Miller Chair in Palliative Medicine, and colleagues about conversations between clinicians and dying patients.

Led by Vermont Center on Behavior and Health researcher and Associate Professor of Psychiatry Stacey Sigmon, Ph.D., the UVM Center on Rural Addiction will serve as a resource for scientific and technical assistance, and will provide information and training to clinicians, programs, and policymakers seeking guidance on how to address substance use disorder challenges in their rural communities. During its initial three years, the center will focus on disseminating evidence-based practices to rural counties in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, relying on partnerships with collaborators throughout New England.

(AUGUST 21, 2019) An article in Burlington, Vt. weekly Seven Days, titled "How Far Along? How Vermont Delivers Help for Pregnant Women With Opioid-Use Disorder," features comments from Marjorie Meyer, M.D., associate professor and vice chair of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences, and Abigail Crocker, Ph.D., biostatistician and assistant professor of mathematics & statistics.

(AUGUST 19, 2019) Assistant Interim Dean for Students Shaden Eldakar-Hein, M.D., M.S., associate professor of medicine, and first-year medical student Akua Frimpong were featured in an NBC 5 segment on Larner's newest class of medical students, who arrived on campus last Monday.