University of Vermont College of Medicine Dean Frederick C. Morin III, M.D., and University of Vermont Medical Group President and CEO Claude Deschamps, M.D., have announced the appointment of Mazen A. Maktabi, M.B.B.Ch., as chair of the Department of Anesthesiology and health care service chief of anesthesiology, effective August 1, 2016.

Maria Mercedes Avila, M.Ed., Ph.D., program co-director of Vermont Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (VT LEND) and assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Vermont, received the 2016 Local Hero Award from the Child Mind Institute. The awards event took place May 10 in New York City.

At the Girls’ Science Discovery Day at the University of Vermont College of Medicine on May 14, brains were a particularly big hit. Hosted by the College’s chapter of the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA), the annual event drew about 110 seventh- and eighth-grade girls from middle schools across Vermont to the College of Medicine, where they learned about such topics as blood-clotting, neuroanatomy, and how to perform physical exams from medical student and faculty volunteers.

Only days away from Commencement and their medical degrees, students in the University of Vermont College of Medicine’s Class of 2016 took a moment to be acknowledged for their accomplishments over the past four years at Honors Night on Tuesday, May 17.

Like its state, Vermont’s only medical school tends to attract a unique, determined and community service-oriented set of individuals who want to make a positive change. Some have overcome significant struggles, enjoyed notable achievements, explored new therapeutics, and cared for people across the globe, and all are ready to move on to residencies with their newly-minted medical degrees in tow.