Division of Dermatology

Department of Medicine

(DECEMBER 2, 2022) Research by Professor of Medicine Neil A. Zakai, M.D., and colleagues shows that increased coronary heart disease risk in White but not Black adults is associated with lower levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, according to HealthDay News.

(NOVEMBER 29, 2022) Assistant Professor of Medicine Timothy Plante, M.D., is a co-author of a new study comparing the effects of three different eating patterns on cardiovascular disease, according to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) News.

(NOVEMBER 22, 2022) A study by Professor of Medicine Neil A. Zakai, M.D., Professor of Medicine Mary Cushman, M.D., and colleagues found that lower levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) are associated with increased coronary heart disease (CHD) risk in White but not Black adults, and higher levels of HDL-C are not protective for either group, HealthDay News reported.

The University of Vermont Cancer Center recently announced the names of the inaugural Juckett Scholars. The award program is part of the new Clinician Investigator Development Initiative and is supported by the Juckett Foundation.

(NOVEMBER 18, 2022) WVNY-TV interviewed Vermont Health Commissioner Mark Levine, M.D., professor of medicine and associate dean for graduate medical education, and Rebecca Bell, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics, about a "triple threat" of serious viruses that could impact the upcoming holiday season, as the flu, Covid-19, and the respiratory virus RSV can spread easily in close contact. (Click on headline for more.)

Located in a rural state with a population among the oldest in the nation, the Larner College of Medicine has long been committed to finding innovative ways to provide and improve access to health care for not only the elderly, but also all residents, regardless of location or socioeconomic status. Several research initiatives at the college focus on new approaches to help patients in these regions.

(NOVEMBER 17, 2022) Infectious disease specialist Louis Polish, M.D., associate professor of medicine, and Pamela Gibson, M.D., professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, were among the co-authors of a letter in the New England Journal of Medicine describing two human cases in Vermont of a rare parasitic disease, according to a HealthDay News story.

(NOVEMBER 16, 2022) Professor of Medicine David Kaminsky, M.D., was interviewed by WCAX-TV for a story about a Vermont family’s search for answers following the death of 27-year-old Charles Vallee, who suffered from so-called Long Covid. (Click on headline for more.)

J. Kathleen (Kate) Tracy, Ph.D., has been appointed as senior associate dean for research and professor of medicine at the Larner College of Medicine and director of research at the UVM Health Network. She will begin her new role in February 2023.

(NOVEMBER 15, 2022) In a USA Today article on a new study suggesting that smoking marijuana may do more damage to lungs than cigarettes, pulmonary and critical care physician David Kaminsky, M.D., professor of medicine (who is unaffiliated with the study), commented, “It’s no surprise to me. A burning leaf is a burning leaf ... the lung doesn’t know the difference if it’s tobacco or marijuana.”

(NOVEMBER 8, 2022) Medical oncologist Kim Dittus, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of medicine and director of the UVM Cancer Center’s Steps to Wellness exercise program for cancer survivors, was interviewed for a story about the Cancer Center being named Health.com’s Innovative Hospital Award Winner for 2022. Also interviewed was cancer survivor Evelyn Sikorski, manager of UVMMC’s employee health and wellness and employee assistance programs.

(NOVEMBER 3, 2022) David Kaminsky, M.D., professor of medicine, spoke to The Other Paper’s Corey McDonald about so-called long COVID, following the death in May of a childhood friend of his own son who, after four months of increasingly debilitating symptoms that forced him to obtain a medical leave from his job, took his own life.

(NOVEMBER 3, 2022) Health Commissioner and Professor of Medicine Mark Levine, M.D., was quoted in the Herald Chronicle speaking about a new partnership between the Vermont Department of Health and health care informatics company VisualDx -- whose CEO is Larner College of Medicine alumnus Art Papier, M.D.’88 -- to create a new “Clinician Support Initiative.”

(NOVEMBER 3, 2022) Professor of Medicine Jan Carney, M.D., M.P.H., associate dean of public health and health policy, was quoted in US Today News commenting on a recent study by a medical informatics expert at the University of Illinois and colleagues on the possibility that Smartphones could one day collect data from a person’s daily cardio activity and predict risk of death, thus potentially providing an incentive to improve fitness.

(NOVEMBER 2022) Researchers led by pulmonologist and critical care physician Renee Stapleton, M.D., Ph.D., professor of medicine, concluded that “informed assent” for CPR is a “feasible and reasonable” approach for some hospitalized patients, according to Medical Ethics Advisor.

On October 27, 2022, the UVM Larner College of Medicine held a grand opening and dedication of the newest addition to the medical campus: the Firestone Medical Research Building.

A national cancer research event called Convergence brought experts from around the country and the world to the University of Vermont October 24-27 to discuss interdisciplinary techniques to advance cancer treatment. The experts, along with UVM Cancer Center faculty, presented information about their cutting-edge cancer research.

(OCTOBER 24, 2022) A study co-authored by Benjamin Lee, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics; Beth Kirkpatrick, M.D., professor and chair of microbiology and molecular genetics and professor of medicine; and Mary Cushman, M.D., M.Sc., professor of medicine, along with researchers from Columbia University and Boston University, concluded that post-vaccination symptoms are a good sign, CNN reported.

(OCTOBER 20, 2022) Abby Beerman, M.P.H., education instructor in medicine and UVMMC injury prevention coordinator, commented in an article by The Other Paper on a national firearm access and safety movement.

(OCTOBER 19, 2022) A Seven Days article about CoreMap, co-founded by cardiologist and Professor of Medicine Peter Spector, M.D., discusses the medical technology startup’s search for a breakthrough in detecting the source of atrial fibrillation, and solving the long-standing challenge of providing individualized treatment.