Office of Medical Communications

Using a novel therapy discovered in the Cunniff Lab at the University of Vermont Cancer Center, RS Oncology, a privately held biopharmaceutical company focusing on novel treatments for rare and aggressive cancers, presented positive results from its Phase 1 study in patients with Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (MPM) with Malignant Pleural Effusion (MPE) or MPE associated with other solid tumors at the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting.

Undernourished children are more vulnerable to pathogens and more likely to die from vaccine-preventable infectious disease, even when vaccinated. Research by Benjamin Lee, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics, points to gut health as a contributing factor.

A Gold Foundation fellowship project by Lindsay Aldrich ’25 and Richard Vuong ’25 has led to an innovative new health care delivery vehicle and a novel technology agreement between UVM’s biomedical engineering design hub and the UVM Health Network. The project aims to bring the doctor’s office to people living in Vermont’s rural regions.

(JUNE 25, 2024) Christopher Hebert, M.D.’02, clinical instructor of medicine, ran the entire length of the 93-mile Lamoille Valley Rail Trail in honor of late wife, Lisa, who died this past February after a four-year battle with ovarian cancer, WCAX-TV reported.

(JUNE 25, 2024) Rebecca Aslakson, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chair of anesthesiology, and Kristen Pierce, M.D., professor of medicine, have been selected as fellows in the 2024–25 Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine Program, according to the Rutland Herald.

Medical students Molly Hurd and Sarah Krumholz, and Alyssa Tenney, Aassistant Professor of Family Medicine Whitney Calkins, M.D., and chef educator Christina Vollbrecht were selected as 2024 Frymoyer Scholars. The scholarship supports development of a culinary medicine course that provides future doctors with skills and confidence to discuss nutrition and food access in patient care settings.

Larner College of Medicine professors Rebecca Aslakson, M.D., Ph.D., and Kristen Pierce, M.D., have been selected to participate in a prestigious fellowship that prepares senior women faculty at schools of medicine for institutional leadership positions. They join a class of 98 fellows in the 2024–25 Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine® fellowship.

Danielle Ehret, M.D., M.P.H., associate professor of pediatrics, has been selected as a member of the 2024–25 class of fellows in the Executive Leadership in Health Care (ELH) program. The prestigious fellowship provides funding, sponsorship, and protected time to support the fellow’s advancement and opportunities for increased responsibility to bring their full potential to health care organizations. Candidates aspire to lead at the executive level, such as a chief officer. Ehret serves chief medical officer for the Vermont Oxford Network.

Scientists at Larner College of Medicine exploring the intricate heart-brain connection showcased their findings at the Vermont Center for Cardiovascular and Brain Health (VCCBH) symposium at UVM’s Davis Center.

(JUNE 18, 2024) James Gerson, M.D., assistant professor of medicine, spoke with WCAX-TV about a new treatment for blood cancer launched last year that appears to be saving lives.

(JUNE 18, 2024) With this week’s—and this summer’s—hot weather, David Rand, D.O., assistant professor of medicine, shares tips for cooling off without AC.

(JUNE 17, 2024) Ben Smith, M.D., clinical assistant professor of emergency medicine and medical director of the Central Vermont Medical Center Emergency Department, commented to WCAX-TV about new security procedures at the Berlin hospital.

Kathryn Huggett, Ph.D., assistant dean for medical student education and director of the Teaching Academy, and Cate Nicholas, Ed.D., M.S., PA, associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences and the retiring director of education and operations for UVM’s Clinical Simulation Lab, received NEGEA Distinguished Educator Awards at the annual Northeast Group on Educational Affairs conference May 29–31.

(JUNE 7, 2024) In an editorial in the journal Pediatrics, Andrea Green, M.D.C.M., professor of pediatrics at the Larner College of Medicine, and Elizabeth Dawson-Hahn, M.D., M.P.H., of the University of Washington, commented on findings that many immigrant communities are at risk for outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases because of low and declining vaccination coverage.

(JUNE 6, 2024) Craig Sullivan, M.D., and his son, Larner alum Matt Sullivan, M.D., both clinical assistant professors of family medicine, and Anne Morris, M.D., associate professor of family medicine, were interviewed for a Vermont Public story on the shortage of primary care providers in Vermont.

(May 31, 2024) Stephen Leffler, M.D., president and COO of the UVM Medical Center, Vermont Health Commissioner Mark Levine, M.D., and other top state health leaders joined U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders for a roundtable discussion on why health care is becoming increasingly unaffordable, VTDigger reports.