Department of Psychiatry

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 7, 2022) Stacey Sigmon, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and director of the Center on Rural Addiction, was quoted in VTDigger discussing the increasing use of the animal sedative xylazine as a sought-after dilutant for opioids due to its effect of prolonging the “high” from using opioids.

A study by UVM researchers of nearly 2,000 children found that those who reported playing video games for three hours per day or more performed better on cognitive skills tests involving impulse control and working memory compared to children who had never played video games.

(OCTOBER 18, 2022) Julie Dumas, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry, joined Gayle Guyardo, the host of the nationally syndicated health and wellness show "Bloom," to discuss the impact menopause has on the brain and its connection to Alzheimer’s disease.

(OCTOBER 12, 2022) Richard Rawson, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and research professor at the Vermont Center for Behavior and Health, spoke with Seven Days for an article on increased meth use around Burlington.

(SEPTEMBER 27, 2022) Psychiatrist Kelley-Anne Klein, M.D., joined UVM associate professor of education Justin Garwood, Ph.D., and wellness expert Ryan Grey on Vermont Edition for a live call-in discussion on burnout.

On September 8, 2022, the University of Vermont held a formal ceremony at the Larner College of Medicine to invest Professor of Psychiatry Judith Lewis, M.D., as the Robert A. Pierattini, M.D. Green & Gold Professor of Psychiatry.

(SEPTEMBER 7, 2022) Stephen Higgins, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry, explained in an Associated Press story that the same dopamine reward system that’s the basis for addictions can be used to promote healthy behavior change.

(AUGUST 18, 2022) “Cigarette smoking — that’s the largest killer in terms of tobacco products,” Stephen Higgins, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and psychological science and director of UVM’s Vermont Center on Behavior and Health (VCBH), told WCAX-TV Channel 3.

(AUGUST 5, 2022) A new survey by UVM’s Center on Rural Addiction — which is headed by Stacey Sigmon, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry — working with the University of Southern Maine’s Cutler Institute highlights challenges in access to medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorders in Maine’s rural areas.

University of Vermont Associate Professor of Psychiatry Robert Althoff, M.D., Ph.D., has been appointed chair of the Department of Psychiatry and health care service leader for psychiatry, effective August 1, 2022.

(JULY 14, 2022) A new study by Matthew Albaugh, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry, and colleagues has found that smoking marijuana as a teen likely affects the still-developing brain, Our Time Press reports.

(JULY 14, 2022) As part of its Community Rounds Workshop series, UVM's Center on Rural Addiction (CORA), led by Stacey Sigmon, Ph.D., held a webinar on July 13 about the importance of distributing naloxone in rural communities, according to the Deerfield Valley News.

(JUNE 17, 2022) A study published in JAMA Psychiatry and authored by Matthew Albaugh, Ph.D., University of Vermont assistant professor of psychiatry, and colleagues, was featured in a HealthDay article, titled "Pot Use May Change the Teenage Brain, MRIs Show."

A new study, led by University of Vermont Center on Behavior and Health researchers and colleagues and published in JAMA Network Open, found that using a smartphone app that monitored smoking and delivered incentives to participants’ debit cards showed promise in achieving similar results to traditional best practices with financial incentives.

On May 13, the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont held Honors Night for graduating medical students in the Class of 2022. Accolades presented included the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society faculty, housestaff, and community physician awards; the Arnold P. Gold Foundation's Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine faculty and student awards; Area Health Education Center Scholars; department awards to students; and awards from the Class of 2022.

UVM Pediatric Primary Care is removing barriers to mental health care with an evidence-based Primary Care Mental Health Integration program, piloted with support from the UVM Health Network.

(FEBRUARY 8, 2022) A contingency management program developed by psychologist Stephen Higgins, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry, to treat patients with addictions was mentioned in The Guardian.

Researchers at the University of Vermont recently received a $5.5 million, five-year grant to participate in the Phase II portion of the HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study, an initiative focused on gathering data on brain development from birth through early childhood.

Tis the season for coats – white coats that is! On Friday, October 15, the University of Vermont Neuroscience Graduate Program (NGP) hosted its annual White Coat Ceremony in the Livak Ballroom of the UVM Davis Center. While often associated with medical education, the White Coat Ceremony for new graduate degree students has its own history, dating back to 1989, according to Haley Olszewski, NGP program administrator. The ceremony is a rite of passage for many graduate students, she says, both “marking the transition of graduate students, particularly in the sciences, from the early, largely course-based phase of their education to the more research intense phase of their training.” The event also serves to “emphasize the relationship between the student and their mentor,” she adds.