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

(APRIL 2, 2024) Elias Klemperer, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry and psychological science, was interviewed by WVNY-TV about his research looking to help update the FDA’s regulation on nicotine levels.

(APRIL 2, 2024) Primary care physician Michael Latreille, M.D., assistant professor of medicine, discussed the impact of the climate crisis on our health in a VT Digger commentary urging support for a renewable energy bill.

(MARCH 28, 2024) Cardiologist Prospero Gogo, M.D., professor of medicine, supports a recently passed bill that bans the sale of flavored products containing nicotine, according to an op-ed in the Barre-Montpelier Times Argus.

(MARCH 26, 2024) A representative of the Larner College of Medicine, appointed by the school’s dean, will be part of a Psychedelic Therapy Advisory Working Group to study whether and how to allow therapeutic access to psychedelics, if the bill is enacted, Marijuana Moment reported.

(MARCH 26, 2024) Julie Dumas, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry, spoke with WCAX-TV about a new $3.3 million grant from the National Institute on Aging that will enable researchers to explore the impact that fatty acids we eat have on brain health in seniors.

(MARCH 26, 2024) Certified Nurse Midwife Martha Churchill, M.S.N., clinical instructor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, was quoted in a VT Digger article, advocating support for expanding and funding doula care, which she said is “largely mental health care.”

(March 19, 2024) President and UVMMC Chief Operating Officer Stephen Leffler, M.D., professor of emergency medicine, was interviewed by WCAX-TV about the worsening long-term care bottleneck that continues to stress hospital capacity.

(MARCH 18, 2024) Seven Days reported the passing of John Hughes, M.D., professor emeritus of psychiatry and psychological science, who earned an international reputation for his research on nicotine and tobacco control and garnered numerous awards for his scholarly contributions.

(MARCH 18, 2024) Jan Carney, M.D., M.P.H., associate dean for public health and health policy, professor of medicine, and chief of the division of public health, was featured in WalletHub’s recent article about Best & Worst States for Doctors 2024.

(MARCH 12, 2024) Russell Tracy, Ph.D., director of the Laboratory for Clinical Biochemistry Research, and Mary Cushman, M.D., M.Sc., co-director of the Vermont Center for Cardiovascular and Brain Health, commented to the Burlington Free Press about a study of COVID-19 vaccine efficacy.

(MARCH 6, 2024) UVMHN CEO and President Sunil Eappen, M.D., M.B.A., associate professor of radiology, spoke with Vermont Edition about some of the challenges of running a not-for-profit health care provider that includes six operating hospitals that serve more than a million patients across Vermont and northern New York.

(MARCH 6, 2024) Ophthalmologist Jessica McNally, M.D., assistant professor of surgery, emphasized to NBC5 the importance of using the correct protective eyewear when viewing the April 8 solar eclipse.

(MARCH 6, 2024) Assistant Professor of Psychiatry Elias Klemperer, Ph.D., spoke with WCAX-TV about his recent grant to study nicotine-limiting standards across the Northeast; in particular, what works to get smokers to switch to products that use less nicotine.

(MARCH 2, 2024) Infectious disease specialist Tim Lahey, M.D., M.M.Sc., professor of medicine, spoke to WCAX-TV about norovirus, a common virus that comes in waves—especially in the cold, winter months.

(February 29, 2024) Orthopedic surgeon Sara Graves, M.D., M.S., clinical assistant professor of surgery, spoke with WCAX-TV about a new robotic surgery system at the Central Vermont Medical Center.

(FEBRUARY 27, 2024) Newsweek recently reported on a 2020 study building on previous research conducted at the Larner College of Medicine that found that even small amounts of music education could lead to major benefits to children’s development.

(FEBRUARY 23, 2024) Tim Lahey, M.D., M.M.Sc., the medical ethics director at the UVM Medical Center, commented to Vermont Public about a new law in Alabama that states frozen embryos are now considered children.

(FEBRUARY 22, 2024) In a VT Digger opinion piece, Christine Werneke, M.S., and Stephen Leffler, M.D., discussed the effects of Vermont’s severe lack of capacity for patients who need long-term care outside of the hospital.

(FEBRUARY 21, 2024) Brian Cunniff, Ph.D., assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, spoke with WCAX-TV about a promising new treatment for mesothelioma that is being tested at the UVM Cancer Center.

(FEBRUARY 21, 2024) UVMMC President and COO Stephen Leffler, M.D., commented to Vermont Public for a story about health care officials’ statement to lawmakers that a shortage of nursing home beds has forced hospitals to become residential care providers for patients who have nowhere else to go.