Chris Holmes, M.D., Ph.D.
The University of Vermont (UVM) Cancer Center and the UVM Health Network is pleased to announce the appointment of Chris Holmes, M.D., Ph.D. as Medical Director for Cancer Clinical Programs. Dr. Holmes, a Professor of Medicine at the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, is currently Deputy Division Chief for Hematology/Oncology at the University of Vermont Cancer Center.
In her new role as Medical Director, Dr. Holmes will work closely with Kevin Vest, M.B.A. Network Vice President Cancer Clinical Programs, UVM Cancer Center Director, Randall Holcombe, M.D., M.B.A. as well as providers and leaders across multiple departments and divisions to coordinate cancer care across the network and ensure the highest quality of cancer care for patients. Dr. Holmes succeeds H. James Wallace, M.D. who stepped down from this role on July 1.
“Dr. Holmes’ will be instrumental in enabling the University of Vermont Cancer Center to achieve its goals of exceptional clinical oncology care across all network sites,” said Dr. Holcombe. “Dr Holmes’ clinical and research experience make her uniquely situated for this leadership role. I look forward to working with her to further integrate our cancer clinical services to benefit patients and caregivers.”
During her 24 years at UVM, Dr. Holmes has held many leadership positions. She is currently Deputy Division Chief for Hematology/Oncology, leader of the Hematologic Malignancies Transdisciplinary Team, and Medical Director of the Vermont Regional Hemophilia Treatment Center which serves the UVM Health Network, the state of Vermont, and Northern New York. Dr. Holmes previously served in multiple roles for the UVM Cancer Center including interim co-director, deputy director, and associate director for clinical and translational research.
“This is an exciting time of opportunity for cancer care in our health network,” said Dr. Holmes. “I am looking forward to continuing to work collaboratively across our sites to achieve our shared goal of compassionately delivering world class cancer care close to home for our patients in Vermont and northern New York.”
Dr. Holmes received her Ph.D. and M.D. degrees from the University of Virginia and completed a residency in Internal Medicine and fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at the University of Vermont. She was appointed as a faculty member in 2004.
Dr. Holmes’ research program is focused on developing evidence-based, clinical interventions to reduce venous thrombosis and bleeding complications and improve mortality in patients with cancer. Her work has led to numerous high-impact publications and has been supported by funding from several sources, most recently an R21 grant from the National Institutes of Health.
Dr. Holmes brings extensive leadership experience in collaborative clinical and research initiatives to her new role, which she began on July 1, 2024.