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

A historic announcement on September 23 about the estate commitment of $66 million from UVM dual-degree alumnus Robert Larner ’39, M.D.’42, and his wife, Helen, and the naming of the College of Medicine to The Larner College of Medicine at The University of Vermont received wide coverage, both regionally and nationally.

Larner College of Medicine faculty members Alexandra Potter, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry, and Matthew Albaugh, Ph.D., postdoctoral associate in psychiatry, were guests on Vermont Public Radio’s live interview program Vermont Edition, with host Nina Keck.

In conjunction with Pain Awareness Month during the month of September, local CBS affiliate WCAX-TV invited Professor of Psychiatry Magdalena Naylor, M.D., Ph.D., to be a guest on its live interview program “The :30.”

Judith Lewis, M.D., associate professor of psychiatry and director of the psychiatry residency program at the UVM Medical Center, and Brett Rusch, M.D., from the White River Junction (Vt.) Veteran’s Administration Medical Center, discussed providing care for veterans in Vermont and a new psychiatry residency partnership between UVM and the VA during a live interview on WCAX-TV Channel 3’s “The :30” program.

Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital in Plattsburgh, N.Y. celebrated its first Family Medicine residency residents at a special ceremony held June 29, 2016. University of Vermont College of Medicine Class of 2016 graduate Therese Ray, M.D., was among those residents and was featured in a related article in the Plattsburgh Press-Republican.

University of Vermont Chair of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Debra Leonard, M.D., Ph.D., is in the midst of developing a genomic medicine program at UVM. As part of that effort, she launched the UVM Medical Center's first genomic test and more recently, organized an opportunity for 72 UVM and UVM Medical Center faculty and staff members to have their genomes sequenced through the Illumina "Understanding Your Genome" program.

An event celebrating the investiture of Robert Gramling, M.D., D.Sc., as the inaugural Holly and Bob Miller Chair of Palliative Medicine attracted wide coverage in local and regional media outlets. The position was made possible through a $3 million gift to the College of Medicine from the Millers, who for decades have supported palliative care and clinical services in Vermont.

UVM Davignon Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine C. Lawrence Kien, M.D., Ph.D., was a guest on Vermont Public Radio's Vermont Edition recently, discussing metabolism and how the body behaves after extreme and rapid weight loss.

Mercedes Avila, Ph.D., program co-director of Vermont Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities and assistant professor of pediatrics, was interviewed live on the WCAX-TV Channel 3 morning news in regards to her receipt of the Child Mind Institute Local Hero Change Maker Award in New York City on May 10.

David Rettew, M.D., associate professor of psychiatry and pediatrics, was featured on WCAX-TV Channel 3’s “The :30” program, discussing brains and gender identity in conjunction with his recent blog post for Psychology Today.

The University of Vermont Department of Pharmacology’s Spring 2016 Medical Cannabis course recently appeared Seven Days. Reporter Ken Picard interviewed course co-directors Wolfgang Dostmann, Ph.D., and Karen Lounsbury, Ph.D., for the story, and attended two classes – a plant biology-focused session taught by course co-director Monique McHenry, Ph.D., and an economic development class taught by guest presenter William Cats-Baril, Ph.D., of the Grossman School of Business.

A recent update was posted regarding THINKmd’s MEDSINC app, which is a mobile platform for unskilled users in developing countries. THINKmd was co-founded by UVM Professors of Pediatrics Barry Finette, M.D., Ph.D., and Barry Heath, M.D. You can read the article, titled “App Made in Vermont for Developing Countries May Soon Benefit American Kids,” here.

WCAX-TV Channel 3’s morning news spoke with UVM and Western Connecticut Health Network Global Health Program partner and guest Robert Kalyesubula, M.D., who discussed ACCESS Uganda, the focus of his April 5 Community Medical School presentation.

The Vaccine Testing Center’s recently published work on a dengue vaccine was featured on WPTZ-TV Newschannel 5 and New England Cable News (NECN). Reporter Jack Thurston interviewed Beth Kirkpatrick, M.D., professor of medicine and director of the Vaccine Testing Center, as well as Sean Diehl, Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine, for the segment.

ABC22/Fox44 aired a news segment promoting the M.S. Society of New England’s Sat., April 2 Vermont WALK M.S. Reporter Staci DaSilva interviewed multiple sclerosis researcher Dimitry Krementsov, Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine, for the story. View a video clip of the interview here.

Robert Williams, M.D., UVM professor of anesthesiology and pediatric anesthesiologist at the UVM Children's Hospital, discusses the use of spinal anesthesia for surgery on babies amid growing concerns general anesthesia might adversely affect young brain development for an article in Burlington Free Press.

In an article about researchers debating the role of EHR use in the efforts of healthcare organizations and providers working to integrate primary care and behavioral health, UVM Research Associate Professor of Family Medicine Rodger Kessler, Ph.D., is quoted. Read the full article from EHR Intelligence.

The Cryptosporidum study team at the UVM Vaccine Testing Center (VTC), which includes Beth Kirkpatrick, M.D., VTC director and UVM professor of medicine; Caroline Lyon, M.D., M.P.H., UVM associate professor of medicine; Christopher Huston, M.D., UVM associate professor of medicine; Catherine Larsson; and Mary Claire Walsh, PA-C, recently received a $3.3 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to test new therapeutic agents against Cryptosporidium. Read the announcement in Vermont Business Magazine.

Commentary authored by Jan Carney, M.D., M.P.H., UVM professor of medicine and associate dean for public health, discussing the myths and facts about e-cigarettes is featured in on VT Digger.

During its 2016 annual meeting, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons announced that David Halsey, M.D., UVM associate professor of orthopaedics and rehabilitation and director of the UVM Medical Center’s adult reconstruction service, who currently holds the title of second vice president, will assume the role of president in 2018. Read the full announcement in Orthopedic Design & Technology.