News and Events

Faculty Present at International Medical Science Educator Meeting

A record 600-plus health science educators from around the world attended the 21st Annual International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE) Meeting, hosted by the Larner College of Medicine June 10-13, 2017. Larner Endowed Professor of Medical Education and professor in the Division of Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine Kathryn Huggett, Ph.D. (at right in photo, with Giulia Bonaminio, Ph.D.,), was the program chair for the meeting. Other Department of Medicine faculty members who presented at the meeting include:

• Jan Carney, M.D., M.P.H., professor in the Division of Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine, led a focus session on “Building and Sustaining Community-Academic Partnerships: Teaching Students and Improving Health.”
• Laurie LeClair, M.D., professor in the Division of Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine, gave a curriculum presentation on “Coping with a code: Providing an academic framework to help third year medical students prepare for the practical and emotional reactions to attempted resuscitation.”

Jensen, Carney to Serve in Leadership Positions for $20 Million Grant

A five-year, $20 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical and Translational Research (CTR) Network grant will fund a joint program between UVM and Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine to develop and sustain a clinical and translational research infrastructure improving rural and community health for residents of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Senior Associate Dean for Research Gordon Jensen, M.D., Ph.D., professor in the Division of Gastroenterology, and Thomas Gridley, Ph.D., interim director of the Center for Molecular Medicine at Maine Medical Center Research Institute, will serve as the grant’s program coordinators. Jan Carney, M.D., M.P.H., associate dean for public health and professor in the Division of Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine, will co-lead a program area focused on Rural Health Research and Delivery. Read more.

Pierce Receives Early Achievement Award

Kristen Pierce, M.D., associate professor in the Division of Infectious Disease, was honored with the Early Achievement Award from the UVM Medical Alumni Association on June 2, 2017. She is the program director of the Infectious Diseases Fellowship, and a principal investigator in the UVM Vaccine Testing Center on all dengue vaccine clinical trials under the VTC’s award from the National Institutes of Health. Through this work, she will also be the PI for Zika vaccine clinical trials at the UVM site for the NIH. She is a sought-after speaker both nationwide and internationally. Pierce is a 2002 graduate of the Larner College of Medicine.

Awards and Recognition

Professor and E.L. Amidon, M.D.'32, Chair of Medicine Polly E. Parsons, M.D., was awarded the 2017 Critical Care Lifetime Achievement Award from the Assembly on Critical Care of the American Thoracic Society in “appreciation of a career devoted to research and teaching of the science and practice of critical care medicine as well as outstanding service to the assembly on critical care." She was honored at the Critical Care Assembly gathering at the 2017 American Thoracic Society International Conference in Washington, D.C. in May.

Gilman Allen, M.D., professor in the Division of Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine, and Ryan Clouser, D.O., and Joshua Farkas, M.D., both assistant professors in the same division, have been awarded the UVM Health Network Better Together Award recognizing the ICU collaboration between UVM Medical Center and Central Vermont Medical Center. The Better Together Award honors employees, leaders, physicians, volunteers, patient advisors, and community partners who are part of an exemplary team committed to providing the best possible care while delivering a high quality patient and family experience.

The Larner College of Medicine Class of 2017 honored Marvin Klikunas, M.D., associate professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine/Geriatrics, with the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award. This award recognizes faculty members “who demonstrate both clinical excellence and outstanding compassion in the delivery of care and who show respect for patients, their families, and healthcare colleagues.”

Michael LaMantia, M.D., M.P.H., associate professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine/Geriatrics and section head of geriatric medicine, was among 18 leading healthcare professionals honored as elected AGS Fellows at the 2017 American Geriatrics Society (AGS) Annual Scientific Meeting. As an AGS Fellow, LaMantia joins a select group of experts recognized for their deep commitment to the AGS and to advancing high-quality, person-centered care for all individuals as they age. Read more.

New National Service and Leadership Roles

Mary Cushman, M.D., M.Sc., professor in the Division of Hematology/Oncology, was appointed as a member of the Medical Advisory Committee for the Foundation for Women and Girls with Blood Disorders.

Kathryn Huggett, Ph.D., Larner Endowed Professor of Medical Education and professor in the Division of Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine, was named to the Academies Collaborative Steering Committee. The Academies Collaborative is a national forum for health professions teaching academies and similar organizations.

Jack Leahy, M.D., professor in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, served as the Clinical Science Chair on the steering committee for the 2017 Annual Meeting of The Endocrine Society, held April 1-4, 2017 in Orlando, Florida. With over 7,000 attendees, nearly 2,500 abstracts and over 200 other sessions, it is the leading global meeting on endocrinology research and clinical care.

Professor and E.L. Amidon, M.D.'32, Chair of Medicine Polly E. Parsons, M.D., was recently appointed to several national leadership roles:

• On July 24-27, 2017, she participated in the U.S. Army War College Annual Commandant’s National Security Program in Carlisle, Penn. As one of 70 business, government, academic and community leaders selected from across the country to take part in the academic seminar alongside students of the Army War College, she represented fellow American citizens in discussions with the next generation of senior leaders of the U.S. Armed Forces, helping them to develop a deeper understanding of perspectives across the American society they serve.
• Dr. Parsons was named the director of the Parker B. Francis Fellowship Program for the Francis Family Foundation. The program, established in 1975, has invested more than $66 million in funding for more than 850 M.D. and Ph.D. scientist pursuing careers in pulmonary research. Learn more about the fellowship.

New Teaching Academy Members

The following faculty were recently accepted into the Larner College of Medicine Teaching Academy:

• Members
  Garth Garrison, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine
  E. Rosy Hill, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine/Geriatrics
  Joel Schnure, M.D., professor in the Division of Endocrinology
• Protégé
  Emily Hadley Strout, M.D., internal medicine resident

Faculty and Staff News

Faculty Promotions

Shaden Eldakar-Hein, M.D., promoted to Associate Professor, Clinical Scholar Pathway, Division of Hospital Medicine
Patricia King, M.D., promoted to Professor, Clinical Scholar Pathway, Division of General Internal Medicine/Geriatrics
Isaura Menzies, M.D., promoted to Associate Professor, Clinical Scholar Pathway, Division of General Internal Medicine/Geriatrics
Allen Repp, M.D., promoted to Professor, Clinical Scholar Pathway, Division of Hospital Medicine
Julian Sprague, M.D., promoted to Associate Professor, Clinical Scholar Pathway, Division of Hematology/Oncology
Charlotte Teneback, M.D., promoted to Associate Professor, Clinical Scholar Pathway, Division of Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine
Michael Toth, Ph.D., promoted to Professor with Tenure, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine

Faculty Departures

The Division of Infectious Disease celebrated the many contributions of former division chief Christopher Grace, M.D., at his retirement party June 11, 2017. He was instrumental in the creation of the UVM Medical Center Infectious Disease Unit, which now includes a team of 10 ID specialists and a successful fellowship program. His rural model of HIV care served as the foundation for the HIV/AIDS Comprehensive Care Clinics, a network founded in 1987 that set new standards for caring for this patient population.

Dana Negoi, M.D., is moving to Alaska for a private practice position in Anchorage. She has been at UVM for seven years as an associate professor in the Division of Nephrology.

Alan Segal, M.D., has accepted a position with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Seattle, Wash. He was a member of the Division of Nephrology for 20 years.

New Faculty

New Staff

Suzanne DeCapua, P.A., has joined the Department of Medicine as a physician assistant in the Division of Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine.

Education News

I-TREP – a UVM-based biomedical entrepreneurship training program – sponsored an intensive summer course June 16 to 23, 2017. Blending medicine, business, and innovation using a team-based learning format, the course covered topics in ethics, planning, funding, patents, venture capital, and start-ups. Supported by a $2 million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) received by Mercedes Rincon, Ph.D., professor in the Division of Immunobiology, the I-TREP program provides entrepreneurship training for Vermont as well as five other Institutional Development Award (IDeA)-defined states, including Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Alaska, and Puerto Rico. Read more.

Dermatology Division Chief Glenn Goldman, M.D., performed a site visit in Bucharest, Romania for a new international fellowship program in dermatologic surgery sponsored by the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery. As part of the visit he was also invited to lecture at the Romanian Society for Plastic Surgery International Meeting.

Isaura Menzies, M.D., associate professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine/Geriatrics, completed the TEACH Certificate Program from the Society for General Internal Medicine (SGIM). Developed by SGIM’s Education Committee, the TEACH certificate program was designed to address the needs of junior clinician educators. The program focuses on teaching skills and offers quality instruction and assessment with tangible outcomes.

2017 Frymoyer Scholars

The John W. and Nan P. Frymoyer Fund for Medical Education is an investment in outstanding medical education, promoting teaching that emphasizes the art of patient care. The following Department of Medicine faculty received 2017 Frymoyer Awards:

• Dennis Beatty, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine/Geriatrics, for “Developing and applying a longitudinal clinical reasoning curriculum across all four years of training at the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine”
• Halle Sobel, M.D., associate professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine/Geriatrics, for “Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Integration into a Primary Care Internal Medicine Residency: A Novel Interprofessional Addiction Treatment Curriculum”
• David Rand, D.O., and Shaden Eldakar-Hein, M.D., both associate professors in the Division of Hospital Medicine, for “Conversation About End of Life Wishes: Teaching Trainees to Facilitate Code Status Discussions”

Representing UVM around the Nation

Department of Medicine faculty continue to represent UVM at national and international conferences in a variety of specialties and interest areas, including the following:

A group of faculty recently attended the Society of General Internal Medicine Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. in April. The theme was “Resilience and Grit: Pursuing Organizational Change and Preventing Burnout in GIM.” Attendees included (L to R): Sarah Roberts, M.D., Alison Landrey, M.D., Halle Sobel, M.D., Isaura Menzies, M.D., Charles MacLean, M.D., and Benjamin Littenberg, M.D.

• Mary Cushman, M.D., M.Sc., professor in the Division of Hematology/Oncology, attended the Wiley Executive Seminar in Washington D.C., an annual symposium of Wiley Publishing for scientific society members involved in scientific publishing. The theme was “Research Communication in a Post-Truth World.
• Anne Dixon, MBBS, chief of the Division Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine, was the co-chair of the Gender Equity Forum at the American Thoracic Society International Conference in Washington D.C. in May of 2017.

Notable Vermont Events

This summer, Department of Medicine faculty helped to make Vermont a center for advocacy and research through their leadership of several important events:

Faculty turned out to support the annual LUNG FORCE walk in Burlington on June 22 (above left), sponsored by the American Lung Association. With attendees wearing the signature turquoise color for the cause, the goal is to raise awareness and funds to fight against lung cancer and for lung health. Attendees include (Back Row, L to R): John Carney, Bridget Carney, Charlie Irvin, Ph.D., Judith Wahler, Garth Garrison, M.D., Anne Dixon, MBBS, David Kaminsky, M.D., Ubong Peters Ph.D., Ryan Garrow, Erika Gonyaw. (Front Row, L to R): Dog Bell, Liza Carney, Tracy McGuinness, Olivia Johnson, Kathleen Dwinell, Jessica Badlam, M.D., Ayodelle Lebruin, M.D.

UVM hosted the biennial Stem Cells, Cell Therapies, and Bioengineering in Lung Biology and Diseases Conference July 24-27, drawing top researchers from around the world to this invitation-only event (above right). Several department faculty hosted sessions, including Daniel Weiss, M.D., Ph.D., who led a discussion about setting research priorities with the NIH and other organizations; and Jason Bates, Ph.D., who moderated at discussion on bioengineering next generation devices for lung disease.

Research and Grants

Renee Stapleton, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor in the Division of Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine, is principal investigator for an NIH/NHLBI R01 grant with direct funding totaling $2.88 million, titled “Nutrition and Exercise in Critical Illness (The NEXIS Trial): A Randomized Trial of Combined Cycle Ergometry and Amino Acids in the ICU.” The multi-site clinical trial aims to improve outcomes for intensive care unit patients using a combination of early nutritional supplementation and exercise. The Nutrition and Exercise in Critical Illness (NEXIS) trial will take place in four ICUs across the United States and run through March 2022. Stapleton is working with investigators from Queen’s University and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine on the study. Read more.

Two Department of Medicine faculty members have been awarded inaugural UVM Biomedical Engineering Program Pilot Research Program grants. Sean Diehl, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Division of Immunobiology, with co-investigators Sam Scarpino, Ph.D., former assistant professor of mathematics and statistics, Donna Rizzo, Ph.D., professor of engineering, and John Hanley, Ph.D., a postdoctoral associate in engineering, received an award for their project, titled “Integrating omics and clinical data to study dengue infection.” A second project, led by Michael Toth, Ph.D., professor of medicine, and Chris Skalka, Ph.D., associate professor of computer science, and titled "Cyber-physical system innovations to monitor and improve compliance with at-home neuromuscular rehabilitation,” also received funding. The program is co-directed by Jason Bates, Ph.D., professor in the Division of Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine, and Jeffrey Frolik, Ph.D., professor and chair of electrical and biomedical engineering. Read more.

Jason Botten, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Division of Immunobiology, received a 2017 SPARK-VT grant for his work on the first therapeutic for preventing and treating a life-threatening disease caused by hantaviruses. Botten has assembled an international multidisciplinary team of virologists, clinicians, immunologists and industry partners to develop an effective therapeutic against cardiopulmonary syndrome caused by hantaviruses (HCPS), for which there are no FDA-approved treatment options or vaccines. Founded by the Department of Medicine in 2012 before expanding across the University in 2014, SPARK-VT is designed to help bridge the divide between research and the marketplace by bringing promising researchers together with business innovators and biotech leaders. The $50,000 seed funding comes from UVM’s Office of the Vice President for Research and Office of the Provost. Read more.

Mary Cushman, M.D., M.Sc., professor in the Division of Hematology/Oncology, is subcontract principal investigator for a grant titled “Longitudinal Investigation of Thromboembolism Etiology” that has received competitive renewal through March of 2020, with annual direct cost for UVM totaling $155,100. This study, originally funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in 1998, has resulted in nearly 100 papers. In collaboration with an investigator at the University of Minnesota, the goal is to extend follow up to continue to characterize the epidemiology and risk factors for venous thromboembolism (VTE). The grant focuses on evaluation of racial disparities in VTE risk and on novel biomarkers of VTE risk.

Anne Dixon, MBBS, professor and chief of the Division of Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine, has received several grants:

• A grant from the NIH/NHLBI for “Trial of Roflumilast in Asthma Management (TRIM)” will fund pilot testing of the feasibility of a trial of roflumilast for the treatment of obese patients with poorly controlled asthma within the American Lung Association-Airways Clinical Research Centers. Total Costs: $596,834
• A NIH/NHLBI grant for “Pilot of Lifestyle in Asthma Intervention (PLAN)” will fund pilot testing of an internet-based weight loss intervention in obese people with poorly controlled asthma within the American Lung Association-Airways Clinical Research Centers Network (ALA-ACRC). The goal is to develop a definitive multi-center trial within the ALA-ACRC to determine if an internet-based weight loss intervention will improve asthma control. Total costs: $731,103

Alison Landrey, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine/Geriatrics, received a University Health Center grant for “Implementing a Modern Approach to Prostate Cancer Screening in General Internal Medicine and Family Medicine at UVM Medical Center.”

Chi Chi Lau, M.D., and Sheldon Cooper, M.D., associate professor and professor in the Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology respectively, and S. Maria Sayeed, M.D., a fellow in the division, collaborated on “The Effect of Liver Enzyme Monitoring on Methotrexate Therapy in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients.” The abstract will be submitted at the national American College of Rheumatology meeting. It was also presented as a poster at the recent UVM Medical Center Fellows’ Research Day.

Emeritus Professor of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology Edward Leib, M.D., served as mentor to Anna Lidofsky ’20, on a summer preceptorship grant from American College of Rheumatology. Lidofsky compared bone density and trabecular bone score in women with breast cancer and taking aromatase inhibitors to control group. Kim Dittus, M.D., Ph.D., is the principal investigator for the study, and oncology fellow Bhargavi Pullari, M.D., is co-investigator.

Bonita Libman, M.D., professor in the Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, collaborated with Amanda Kennedy, PharmD, Carl Possidente, PharmD, Siobhan Farley, R.N., and Melinda Edwards, R.N., on a project focused on “Nurse Telephone Education for Promoting a Treat-to-Target Approach in Recently Diagnosed Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients.” The abstract was recently submitted to the National American College of Rheumatology meeting.

Steven Lidofsky, M.D., professor in the Division of Gastroenterology, is principal investigator for a multicenter Phase II trial of emricisan in cirrhosis secondary to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease with severe portal hypertension.

Prema Menon, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine, has received a $75,000 Larner College of Medicine Health Services Research Pilot Grant for "Utilizing a novel communication device to improve communication with mechanically ventilated patients." 

The Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, led by Division Chief Joel Schnure, M.D., is participating in a six-month pilot study of the Insulia® Diabetes Management Companion, a prescription-only medical device that provides patients with insulin dose recommendations and educational coaching messages in response to blood glucose values and other diabetes-related data. Health care providers will be trained to use Insulia and patients will be trained on Insulia using either their personal smartphone or the web portal.

Lindsay Smith, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of Infectious Disease, has been awarded a new Vermont Department of Health grant for antibiotic stewardship. She has also accepted the position of director of antibiotic stewardship at UVM Medical Center.

House Staff News

A new global health rotation is available through the Infectious Disease Fellowship Training Program. Porntip Kiatsimkul, M.D., is the first participant in this new Global Health Rotation in Uganda. J. Jacob Enser, M.D., will be participating in a similar learning experience this summer.

A paper co-authored by hematology/oncology fellow John Winters, M.D., has been recognized with an Editor’s Choice Award at the Society of Vascular Medicine Meeting. Titled “A multidisciplinary quality improvement program increases inferior vena cava filter retrieval rates,” the paper was published in Vascular Medicine.

New Residents

Categorical

Primary Care

Preliminary

Preliminary Anesthesia shared with Surgery

Chief Medical Residents

Dermatology Residents

New Fellows

In the Media

Comments from Jan Carney, M.D., M.P.H., associate dean for public health and professor in the Division of Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine, were included in a Medpage Today “Friday Feedback” piece on pre-existing conditions and healthcare reform published on May 13, 2017. Read the article.

Glenn Goldman, M.D., professor and chief of the Division of Dermatology, was recently interviewed by WCAX-TV for a segment on which sunscreens best protect your skin.

Caroline Lyon, M.D., M.P.H., associate professor in the Division of Hospital Medicine, was a guest on WCAX-TV’s live interview program “The :30” on May 23, 2017. She discussed the Vaccine Testing Center’s new adenovirus vaccine clinical trial.

Who Knew?

The Green Mountain Mahler Festival, directed by Daniel Weiss, M.D., Ph.D., held a benefit concert June 17 with a performance of the Brahms requiem (above left). The concert, in conjunction with the Bread and Puppet Theater, raised $3,000 for famine relief in Somalia.

This summer, two new faculty members, Andy Hale, M.D., and Jean Dejace, M.D., (above right), got a head start on working together in the Division of Infectious Disease. They met up after their fellowship graduation to do some rock climbing at Franconia Notch in New Hampshire.