Department of Psychiatry

(JANUARY 12, 2023) Sara Pawlowski, M.D., assistant professor of psychiatry and division chief of Primary Care Mental Health Integration, published an article on bipolar disorder screening in MDedge Pediatric News.

Psychiatrist Greta Spottswood, M.D., M.P.H., a Class of 2011 alum of the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine, directs and helped launch the Vermont Child Psychiatry Access Program to connect Vermont pediatric primary care providers with much-needed child psychiatry services.

(JANUARY 4, 2023) Psychiatrist Robert Emmons, M.D., a volunteer clinical faculty member at UVM’s Larner College of Medicine, penned an opinion piece about New Year’s resolutions and conscience in the (Killington, Vt.) Mountain Times.

(December 29, 2022) As New Year’s Eve approaches, Peter Jackson, M.D., assistant professor of psychiatry, spoke with WCAX-TV about alcohol abuse, alcohol poisoning, and more.

(DECEMBER 17, 2022) Neuropsychologist Sharon Leach, Ph.D., and child psychiatrist Feyza Basoglu, M.D., both clinical assistant professors of psychiatry, will challenge participants to diagnose psychiatric or neurological disorders as part of the 14th annual Vermont Brain Bee neuroscience competition to be held at the Larner College of Medicine on February 11, Seven Days reports.

(DECEMBER 7, 2022) Maureen Leahy, M.Ed., director of psychiatry and neurology health care services for the UVM Health Network, and Sara Pawlowski, M.D., primary care mental health integration division chief and assistant professor of psychiatry, spoke with WCAX-TV about the UVM Health Network’s launch of a new collaborative care model.

(DECEMBER 2, 2022) Clinical Professor of Psychiatry David Fassler, M.D., commented in a Washington Post article about a study showing that the stress of pandemic lockdowns prematurely aged the brains of teenagers by at least three years, and in ways similar to changes observed in children who have faced chronic stress and adversity.

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.