LCOM & Department News

  • Catching a Flight: VT Team Effort Ensures COVID-19 Specimens Get to Mayo Clinic Lab
    When commercial flight cancellations jeopardized the transport of COVID-19 specimens - and same-day test results for patients - from Burlington to Mayo Clinic Laboratories, a group of fast-acting health care administrators and business leaders sprang into action to find a solution.
  • SPACE MISSION 2020: Celebrating Match Day in the Era of Social Distancing
    The phrase “keep your distance” has taken on a whole new and deeply important meaning in the era of COVID-19 and even Match Day, the annual senior medical student rite of passage, was not “immune” to honoring this behavior. On March 20, 2020, members of the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont’s Class of 2020 went virtual to ensure social distancing while celebrating the news of where they will be spending the next three to seven years training as residents following graduation.
  • Inaugural Celebration of Gender Equity Features Kunin, Recognizes Champions
    The Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont held its first-ever event to celebrate and recognize achievements in gender equity on March 4, 2020. Governor Madeleine Kunin provided a keynote address, followed by an awards ceremony at which Ramsey Herrington, M.D., Mary Cushman, M.D., M.Sc., Debra Leonard, M.D., Ph.D., and Lauren Elizabeth Faricy, M.D., were recognized.
  • Teaching Academy Retreat Events Focus on New Members, Awards, & Assessment
    ​The Teaching Academy at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont held its annual Snow Season Education Retreat on January 15-16, 2020 in the College’s Medical Education Center and UVM Davis Center. Highlights included an Induction Ceremony for 2019 new members and advanced members, the presentation of the annual Teaching and Education Awards, and the first annual Snow Season Debate, moderated by Professor and Chair of Pediatrics Lewis First, M.D.
  • UVM Health Network Pilot Project Offers Patients Genomic DNA Testing
    The UVM Health Network is partnering with Invitae and LunaPBC on a pilot project to offer Genomic DNA Testing to patients as part of their clinical care. The pilot program is the beginning of an effort to increase the integration of genetic disease risks into routine medical care, which holds promise for providing Vermonters with valuable information to guide their health decisions.
  • Shukla Quoted in VTDigger Article on Social Services Group's Asbestos Violation
    (SEPTEMBER 9, 2019) A VTDigger article, titled "NEK social services group paid fines for asbestos, other violations," featured comments by UVM Associate Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Arti Shukla, Ph.D., regarding the link between asbestos and lung disease.
  • Fung Invested as Inaugural Korson Green & Gold Professor of Pathology ​
    Mark K. Fung, M.D., Ph.D., professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont, was invested as the inaugural Roy Korson, M.D. and Lorraine Korson, M.S. Green & Gold Professor of Pathology at a formal ceremony held in the Hoehl Gallery at the Larner College of Medicine on August 5, 2019.
  • Tracy Interviewed by WCAX on RURAL Study
    (JULY 15, 2019) Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Russell Tracy, Ph.D., was interviewed on WCAX-TV's "You Can Quote Me" program about the scope of the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont’s involvement in the National Institutes of Health’s Risk Underlying Rural Areas Longitudinal (RURAL) Study.
  • 2019 Frymoyer Scholar Recipients and Projects Announced
    Teaching Academy Director Kathryn Huggett, Ph.D., and the Frymoyer Scholars Program Review Committee have announced that five faculty projects were selected to receive 2019 Frymoyer Scholarship funding.
  • UVM Part of NIH Study of Rural South's Health & Longevity Challenges
    (May 22, 2019) In an effort to understand why some people born in rural communities in the South live shorter and less healthy lives than their counterparts elsewhere in the same counties as well as across the country, researchers from the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont at 11 other institutions will be participating in a new longitudinal cohort study aimed at combating this issue - the Risk Underlying Rural Areas Longitudinal Study (RURAL) .
  • Tracy Honored as University Distinguished Professor
    (APRIL 26, 2019) Russell P. Tracy, Ph.D., professor of pathology & laboratory medicine and biochemistry at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont, is among three faculty members who were selected for recognition as a University of Vermont Distinguished Professor at the UVM Main Commencement ceremony on May 19, 2019.
  • Larner College of Medicine Faculty Inventions Recognized at Annual I2V Conference
    More than a dozen Larner College of Medicine faculty and scientists were recognized during the awards portion of the 14th annual Invention to Venture (I2V) conference April 5, 2019.
  • Class of 2021 Celebrates Teachers, Classmates at Foundations Awards Event
    The UVM Larner College of Medicine Class of 2021 participated in a Foundations Awards celebration January 24. The event, which marks the completion of the first level of the Vermont Integrated Curriculum, provides an opportunity for second-year medical students to join with faculty and staff and express their gratitude for the contributions of these Larner College of Medicine community members to their medical education journey.
  • Community Outreach
    This year our department piloted two forms of youth community outreach. On April 6th, staff members conducted a field trip to Williston Central School for lab science education. The team consisted of Tyler Sanville from Microbiology, Tim Brodsky from Phlebotomy, Eleanor Fortner-Buczala from Autopsy (now Cytopathology), Ellen Riley from Cytopathology, and Kayla O’Toole from Chemistry.
  • Department Hosts First Annual Research Day
    On September 7, 2018, the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine hosted its first Research Day under the direction of Vice Chair for Research Yvonne Janssen-Heininger, Ph.D., Assistant Professor Nels Olson, Ph.D., and Dermatopathology Fellow Tom S. Rogers, D.O. The organizing committee had three main goals: Highlight the ongoing research in the department; allow trainees and junior faculty an opportunity to publicly discuss their work; and explore areas for collaboration within the department.
  • Cushman, Page and Tracy Rank in Top 1% for Research Paper Citations in 2018
    University of Vermont biomedical scientists Mary Cushman, M.D., M.Sc., Richard Page, M.D., and Russell Tracy, Ph.D., are among the most Highly Cited Researchers in 2018, according to a recently-released report compiled by Clarivate Analytics.
  • Putting the Active in Learning – Med Students Bring First-hand Insight to Curriculum
    As the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont works toward a curriculum that is 100 percent lecture-free by 2019, faculty aren’t the only ones helping move the transition forward; medical students are playing a critical role in creating active learning curriculum as well.
  • UVM Larner College of Medicine Clinical Chairs’ Letter to the Community
    On July 18, 2018, UVM Larner College of Medicine clinical department chairs issued a letter to the community.
  • Janssen-Heininger, Anathy & Team's Study Demonstrates Potential Lung Fibrosis Therapy
    New translational research led by UVM Professor Yvonne Janssen-Heininger, Ph.D., demonstrates a novel biological therapeutic candidate for regressing pulmonary fibrosis in a difficult-to-treat preclinical model of the disease, providing much-needed hope for the roughly 150,000 Americans suffering from this devastating condition.
  • Janssen-Heininger Inducted as 2018-19 University Scholar
    Yvonne Janssen-Heininger, Ph.D., professor of pathology at the University of Vermont's Larner College of Medicine, was inducted as one of three 2018-19 University Scholars at a ceremony held April 24, 2018 in Waterman's Memorial Lounge.
  • Shukla Research Highlights How Asbestos Causes Lung Disease Mesothelioma
  • Celebrating Excellence in Research at the College – 2017 Achievements
    Vermont is among the top ten states in per capita research funding in the U.S., according to a State of Research at the College presentation delivered by Larner College of Medicine Senior Associate Dean for Research Gordon Jensen, M.D., Ph.D., at the Dean’s Excellence in Research Awards event held November 13, 2017. The last of three 2017 Celebrating Excellence in Research events held at the College on November 10 and 13, 2017, the awards ceremony recognized the accomplishments of faculty, residents, medical students, graduate students and postdoctoral trainees.
  • UVM Hosts NIH NERIC Conference & Leahy Visit
    The Vermont Genetics Network (VGN) and Vermont Center for Immunology and Infectious Diseases (VCIID) at the University of Vermont hosted more than 300 National Institutes of Health-funded biomedical researchers from across Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island and Delaware for the North East Regional IDeA Conference (NERIC) August 16 to 18, 2017 at the Sheraton Burlington Hotel. U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy delivered remarks at the conference on August 17.
  • All in the Genes: How Dr. Debra Leonard is Leading the Charge Nationally in Genomic Medicine
    As they have for eons, most doctor’s visits begin with measurements that are stored in patient records: weight, height, pulse, blood pressure, temperature. Those numbers don’t give a complete medical picture, says Debra Leonard, M.D., Ph.D., but are still measured and recorded.
  • Teaching Academy Inducts New Members at Snow Season Education Retreat
    The newest members of the Teaching Academy at The Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine at The University of Vermont were inducted during a ceremony and dinner held January 5, 2017 that kicked off the Snow Season Education Retreat at the Sheraton Burlington Hotel and Conference Center.
  • Tracy to Play Role in NIH Study of Molecular Changes during Physical Activity
    The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Common Fund has announced the first awards for its Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity in Humans Program, which will allow researchers to develop a comprehensive map of the molecular changes that occur in response to physical activity and uncover findings that could lead to people engaging in more targeted and optimized types of activity.
  • Leonard Discusses Genomic Medicine in VT at Community Medical School
    Targeted cancer treatments can be more effective in treating cancer cells, often in conjunction with traditional therapies, and the University of Vermont Medical Center is working toward using individual patient's complete genetic information to inform their health and care.
  • Impact on the Community: Class of '19 Launches Public Health Projects
    When University of Vermont Class of 2019 medical student Jacob Reibel and the six other classmates in his group selected their public health project earlier this year, they wanted to get out of the classroom and into the field – literally – to talk to Vermonters about their health concerns.
  • Wassel & Williams' Summer Academy Offers Career Exploration for Pre-Med Track High School Students
    For the high school student who loves biology or chemistry and has a penchant for helping people, the pre-med path is not the only option available. Exposing future undergraduates to a variety of specialties, roles, and vocations in medicine is the primary goal of the new summer Health & Medicine Academy at the University of Vermont, a three-college-credit course taught by UVM College of Medicine faculty members that will take place in July.
  • Heintz Discusses Dysregulation of Redox Signaling in Cancer Cells on PLoS Science Wednesday
    Nicholas Heintz, Ph.D., UVM professor of pathology, and colleagues were featured in a PLoS Science Wednesday live “Ask Me Anything” chat on redditscience, discussing a recently published study focusing on dysregulation of redox signaling in cancer cells, and how the enhanced production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in tumor cell mitochondria can be exploited for therapeutic purposes in aggressive human malignancies like mesothelioma. Read the full transcript of the chat here.

 

Past Department Highlights

Mark_FungCongratulations to Dr. Mark Fung, M.D., PhD., Professor Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, on receiving the 2023 College of American Pathologists (CAP) Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr. Fung is a nationally recognized expert in transfusion medicine. (10/2023) 

Congratulations to Jessica Crothers, M.D., Assistant Professor Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, on achieving the Notice of Special Interest Team Science award from NIAID for: "Effects of the gut microbiota on oral vaccine response in adults and children." (10/2023)

Nicole BouffardCongratulations to Nicole Bouffard on being awarded the "Scientific Research Staff Award" for 2023. This was presented to Nicole at the September 21, 2023, LCOM Research Excellence Award Ceremony. This is a great honor for Nicole and the Department of Pathology and recognizes her contributions and importance to the department and MIC. (10/2023)

Congratulations to Brian Cunniff, Ph.D., Assistant Professor Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, on being awarded a $1.6 million R01 grant by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences to study the role of mitochondrial trafficking in regulating cell migration, a key feature of metastatic tumors. (9/2023)

Congratulations to Yvonne Janssen-Heininger, Ph.D., Professor Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, on becoming a University of Vermont Cancer Center Program Co-Leader, Cancer Cell. (9/2023)

Congratulations to the following pathology members on receiving research support funds in April 2023. Recipients were: John Kennedy, M.D., $6520 for morphologic and immunohistochemical re-evaluation of renal cell carcinomas exhibiting papillary architecture, with emphasis on tumors demonstrating "type 2" morphology. Yvonne Janssen-Heininger, Ph.D., $15,000 for a joint initiative between RBP, UVM Cancer Center, and faculty in the Department of Chemistry. Megan Tarte $745 for Stem Cells, Cell Therapies, and Bioengineering in Lung Biology and Disease Conference. Albert van der Vliet, Ph.D., $14,400 for Redox processes in macrophage activation in IPF. (9/2023)

Congratulations to the following faculty members on their promotions: Vikas Anathy, Ph.D., to Professor with tenure, Bronwyn Bryant, M.D., to Associate Professor, John DeWitt, M.D., Ph.D., to Associate Professor, Sarah Nowak Ph.D., to Associate Professor, and Christi Wojewoda, M.D., to Professor. (6/2023)

Bei Zhang, M.D., M.S., Ph.D., MLS(ASCP), associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, did an educational scholarship session titled "Activate Students Learning Outside Classroom." at the 8th International meeting of the Association of Biochemistry Educators. Dr. Zhang also conducted two additional workshops with other ABE members titled "Linking Clinical Presentations to Their Biochemistry: A novel ABE Clinical-Biochemistry Curricular Treat Mapping Educational Tool.", and "Getting to Clerkship and Beyond: Crafting Biochemistry Learning Objectives that Connect and Integrate Basic Science Concepts with Clinical Application." (5/2023)

Congratulations to Dr. Maureen Harmon, M.D., associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, and Dr. Amer Abu Alfa, M.D., assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine for being recognized by medical students for their professionalism. Dr. Harmon was recognized for social responsibility and Dr. Abu Alfa was recognized for compassion. (5/2023)

Congratulations to Mary Cushman, Ph.D., M.Sc., professor of medicine and pathology and laboratory medicine, on being named a University Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Hematology/Oncology Division, and Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. (5/2023)

View the story Mammograms of a study by Sarah Nowak, Ph.D., assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, and researchers at the UVM Cancer Center showing data that fewer women being screened for breast cancer. (4/2023)

vandervliet-habibovic420x280A new study by Albert van der Vliet, Ph.D., professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, and a team of University of Vermont (UVM) researchers is honing in on why people with asthma often have worse symptoms if they are obese. This new research demonstrates that the gene DUOX1 likely contributes to the connection between obesity and asthma.  The research was published ahead of print in the American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology and was highlighted as an APSselect article for March 2023. Albert van der Vliet, Ph.D., was the senior author on the paper, along with department of pathology and laboratory medicine coauthors Aida Habibovic, lab research technician;Litiele Cruz, Ph.D., visiting scholar; Vikas Anathy, Ph.D., associate professor; University Distinguished Professor Yvonne Janssen-Heininger, Ph.D.; and additional team members and authors from UVM. Read the full LCOM News story LCOM News (4/2023)

Congratulations to Bronwyn Bryant, M.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, for having your proposal, Consequential Validity of Entrustable Professional Activities in Pathology Residency Training selected to receive a Frymoyer Scholars Program project of $48,000 to be funded July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2025. (4/2023)

Congratulations to Martin Chang, M.D., Ph.D., on accepting the new role as Vice Chair for Faculty Affairs. (4/2023)

Congratulations to Joanna Conant, M.D., on becoming the new Pathology Student Fellowship Director starting July 1, 2023. (4/2023)

Congratulations to The Cunniff Lab, on receiving funding to support research focused on malignant mesothelioma. The funding was from The Butler Family Foundation Fund for Cancer Research at the University of Vermont Cancer Center. The Butler Fund was established by the Butler family in memory of two loved ones lost to mesothelioma. (03/2023)

Congratulations to the following recipients that received pathology research support funding. Nathaniel Shannon in Brian Cunniff's, Ph.D., lab was awarded $1800 towards the cost of travel to the 2022 Annual Meeting of the Society for Redox Biology and Medicine (SfRBM). Litiele Cruz, Ph.D., and faculty mentor Albert van der Vliet, PhD., were awarded $2622 for her project "Characterization of Laminin Oxidative Modifications by Peroxidasin in Pulmonary Fibrosis". Nels Olson, PhD., MPH., $14,582 for the purchase of an Agilent BioTek 405 TS Touch Microplate Washer, Model 405 TSRS. Ashley Volaric M.D., Joanna Conant M.D., and David Seward, M.D, Ph.D., were awarded $13,680 for their project, "The Effect of Epstein Barr Virus Latency on Cellular DNA Methylation Profile of Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma". (3/2023)

A number of faculty and students from the pathology and laboratory medicine department presented research at the American Heart Associations Epidemiology, Prevention, Lifestyle, and Cardiometabolic Health (EPI/Lifestyle) Scientific Sessions 2023 in Boston February 28 - March 3. Students presenting were Maggie King, a master in science pathology degree student who was mentored by faculty scientist J. Peter Durda, Ph.D. pathology and laboratory medicine.  Maggie presented on "Complete Blood Count Analysis in the Risk Underlying Rural Areas Longitudinal (RURAL) Cohort Study with a Point of Care Instrument." Her study is supported by NHLBI. And second-year medical student and 2022 Cardiovascular Research Institute Summer Research Fellow Megan Zhou, mentored by pathology and laboratory medicine associate professor Nels Olson, Ph.D. Megan presented on  "Coagulation Factor IX and Incident Diabetes Risk: The Reasons for Geographic and Race Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Study." Also, pathology and laboratory faculty members that were coauthors of presentations given, assistant professor Margaret Doyle, Ph.D., and University Distinguished Professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, Russell Tracy, Ph.D. (3/2023)

Congratulations to Dr. Bei Zhang, M.D., Ph.D., MLS(ASCP), associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, for being selected for a Distinguished Scholar Award by the Association of Biochemistry Educators for her submission entitled "Activate Students' Learning Outside Classroom". Dr. Zhang will be presenting this submission at the 2023 Association of Biochemistry Education Conference. (3/2023)

Congratulations to our 2023 Gender Equity Award Nominees. Gender Equity Champion Award nominee, Debra Leonard, M.D., Ph.D., Chair and Professor Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. Our departmental nominees for The Polaris Award for Outstanding Mentorship- an award for informal or formal mentorship for women or gender diverse college community members, Rebecca Wilcox, M.D., Pam Gibson, M.D., Yvonne Janssen-Heininger, Ph.D., and Christi Wojewoda, M.D. (2/2023)  

Congratulations to Dr. Scott Anderson, M.D., on being selected to receive the Association of Pathology Chairs 2023 Margaret Grimes Distinguished Achievement Award in Graduate Medical Education. This award was made in recognition of Dr. Anderson's outstanding contributions to graduate medical education and his stature as a nationally recognized leader in pathology education. (2/2023)

Congratulations to Dr. Yvonne Janssen-Heininger, Ph.D., Dr. Kelly Butnor, M.D., Dr. David "Bebo" Seward, M.D., Ph.D., and Dr. Sharon Mount, M.D., on their news story in The Charlotte News, on their "giant steps in cancer research." Read the full article here:   Humble Superstar (1/2023)

Congratulations to Dr. Elizabeth Bundock, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Examiner of Vermont and clinical assistant professor of pathology, for her appointment by the American Board of Pathology, to the Test Development and Advisory Committee for Forensic Pathology 2023. (1/2023)

Dr. Beri Zhang, M.D., Ph.D., MLS(ASCP), associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, presented a panel, at the Snow Season Education Retreat, titled "The Pearls and Pitfalls of Publishing in Medical Education", with three clinicians Dr. Hale, Dr. Halle, and Dr. Rideout. (1/2023)

Congratulations to Dr. Bronwyn Bryant, M.D., assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine on her Awards for  Teaching and Educational Excellence, Learner Assessment, conferred at the Teaching Academy Induction and Award Ceremony on January 11, 2023. (1/2023)