Office of Primary Care and Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Program

(SEPTEMBER 14, 2023) Results of a recent study on medicinal cannabis use are consistent with previous findings by Larner researchers Nicole Wershoven, Amanda Kennedy, Pharm.D., and Charles MacLean, M.D., that patients are reluctant to discuss their use of medical marijuana with their doctors, according to Cannabis News World.

(SEPTEMBER 14, 2023) Richard Wasserman, M.D., professor emeritus of pediatrics, is a co-author of a study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health that found that training primary care physicians to talk to young adults about safe social media use helped make a difference in those youths' online behavior six months later, according to UIC Today.

(SEPTEMBER 14, 2023) Pediatricians in the UVM Health Network spoke with the News & Citizen about telemedicine equipment that allows doctors at rural critical access hospitals to consult in real time with specialists at the UVM Medical Center about newborns with life-threatening conditions.

(SEPTEMBER 13, 2023) Geneticist Julie Dragon, Ph.D., associate professor of microbiology and molecular genetics, is helping scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey and Vermont Fish and Wildlife try to figure out why many brown bullhead fish in Lake Memphremagog have melanoma, according to Vermont Public.

(SEPTEMBER 11, 2023) Benjamin Lee, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics, was interviewed by WVNY-TV about the UVM Medical Center and the Larner College of Medicine’s Vaccine Testing Center being chosen to advance research on a new Lyme Disease vaccine by operating a worldwide study on the vaccine candidate.

(SEPTEMBER 11, 2023) Bravo’s The Daily Dish spoke with Amanda Kallen, M.D., associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences, about an egg-freezing vs. embryo-freezing debate between two women on the reality TV show Real Housewives of New York City.

(SEPTEMBER 10, 2023) Infectious disease specialist Kristen Pierce, M.D., professor of medicine, is principal investigator for a clinical study at the Vaccine Testing Center and the UVM Medical Center of a Pfizer vaccine to protect against Lyme disease, VT Digger reports.

(SEPTEMBER 9, 2023) Lewis First, M.D., M.S., professor and chair of pediatrics at the Larner College of Medicine and division chief of pediatrics at the UVM Children’s Hospital, wrote about ADHD facts and myths in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise.

(SEPTEMBER 8, 2023) Keith Collins, M.D., clinical assistant professor of family medicine, was interviewed by Mountain Lake PBS about tick-borne illnesses, which are on the increase.

(SEPTEMBER 6, 2023) Jennifer Kelly, D.O., professor of medicine and director of the metabolic bone program at the University of Vermont Medical Center, commented to Medscape for a story on fractures in older patients.

(SEPTEMBER 6, 2023) Lauren MacAfee, M.D., associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences, and other Larner faculty spoke with Newsweek for an article about changes in residency applications in the wake of the Dobbs decision overturning the federal abortion protection of Roe v. Wade in June 2022.

The Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont is pleased to announce that their Translational Global Infectious Disease Research Center (TGIR), Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) has received Phase II funding from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), National Institutes of Health (NIH).

(SEPTEMBER 5, 2023) Professor of Medicine Jan Carney, M.D., M.P.H., associate dean of public health and health policy, was featured on Dr. Bill Dorfman’s Meet the Mentor podcast series in an episode titled “Dr. Jan K. Carney’s Fight for Expanded Healthcare Access for Children.”

(SEPTEMBER 5, 2023) Raj Chawla, M.P.H., faculty technology liaison at Larner College of Medicine, commented to VTDigger for an article on a virtual code cart, a/k/a crash cart, created by a Rutland startup to train medical personnel in emergency response. “I’m thrilled to see a Vermont company developing in the extended reality field,” Chawla said.

(SEPTEMBER 1, 2023) Gail Rose, Ph.D., of the UVM Center on Rural Addiction, and Vermont Health Commissioner Mark Levine, M.D., were quoted in an NBC5 story about the state’s latest step in ending overdose deaths.

(SEPTEMBER 1, 2023) A poster presentation by Daniel Weiss, M.D., Ph.D., professor of medicine, was awarded third place at the 2023 Military Health System Research Symposium in Florida on August 17, the Defense Health Agency reported.

(SEPTEMBER 1, 2023) Alexandra Potter, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry, spoke to WCAX about UVM neuroscientists’ efforts to recruit expecting families who want to help with a major childhood development research project called the HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study.

(AUGUST 31, 2023) Peter Jackson, M.D., assistant professor of psychiatry and medical director of the UVM Medical Center’s new Addiction Treatment Center (ATC), spoke with the Williston Observer about the ATC’s newly integrated and expanded addiction services.

(AUGUST 30, 2023) Lewis First, M.D., M.S., professor and chair of pediatrics, spoke to NBC5 about gearing up for a potential rise in COVID-19 cases as the school year begins.

(AUGUST 30, 2023) With a small uptick in new cases recently, epidemiologist Timothy Plante, M.D., assistant professor of medicine, spoke with Vermont Public about COVID-19 in Vermont this fall: its current state, a new vaccine expected in about six weeks, prevention tips, and information about testing.