Graduate and Postdoctoral Training

Like many inventions, the LOST-Wheel was born out of necessity and, jokes Bivona, out of spite. In his final years as a Cellular, Molecular, and Biomedical Sciences graduate student, Bivona worked on a grant-funded project in the laboratory of UVM Larner College of Medicine Professor of Medicine Matthew Poynter, Ph.D. The project, says Poynter, aims to determine the contribution of skeletal muscle contractile muscle cells (myocytes) to local and systemic inflammation and the potential benefits of exercise to diminish overexuberant or protracted inflammation. The work relies heavily on the study of mouse models after they exercise either on rodent treadmills (yes, they make treadmills for rodents) or on small circular machines commonly called mouse wheels.

University of Vermont graduate students Dorcas Lohese, Sean Lenahan, Joseph Owuor, and Matt Mullen are the newest representatives for the UVM Larner College of Medicine Graduate Student Council. Hannah Despres, who served on the council for the 2020-2021 term, has been re-elected for another year.

(MARCH 3, 2022) David Kaminsky, M.D., professor of medicine, who is leading a study investigating so-called long-haul COVID, was quoted in a story broadcast on WOWT-TV and elsewhere.

Hear about the latest trends in translational research technologies from our very own Translational Research Technology Core leads and facility directors.

Learn about the many different RADx projects dedicated to discovering innovative solutions to COVID-19 testing happening in our region.

Hear about telehealth and its impacts on primary care delivery.

Learn about vaccination hesitancy and the communication strategies that may help us overcome those hurdles.

Learn how America’s farmers, ranchers and foresters have fared compared to those in other countries because of Extension worker effort to address the needs of local communities of service. How did changes brought on by the pandemic impact Extensions, and how will they be integrated into our new normal?

Learn from regional experts in pediatrics on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on child health care accessibility, delivery, and best practices.

Learn about your state’s cancer plan, core priorities, and target populations, their approach for facilitating cancer prevention and control actions, examples of collaborative activities, and plans for recovering, sustaining and accelerating the momentum in cancer prevention.

Opioid use disorder (OUD) has been declared a public health crisis in the northern New England states for years, and one population requires particular care: pregnant patients. In 2018, only about half of pregnant persons were receiving consistent treatment, while another quarter had inconsistent treatment. Increasing these numbers would be essential to supporting pregnant patients with OUD, and Drs. Katherine Ahrens of USM and Marjorie Meyer of UVM aim to do just that.

In 2018, telemedicine was not at the forefront in medicine for many, but some knew that for our rural communities, it could make a world of difference. Drs. Susan Miesfeldt of Maine Medical Center/MaineHealth and Nan Solomons of the University of New England assessed whether cancer genetic services were equally effective via telehealth consults as in-person appointments from the patient’s point of view. Their study highlighted both the need and benefits of telemedicine for remote patients far before the pandemic came into play.

The Larner College of Medicine Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion hosted the third annual Celebration of Gender Equity in Medicine and Science on March 3, 2022.

Undergraduate students strive to understand COVID-19 vaccines in a UVM lab under Larner College of Medicine surgery professor Dr. Dev Majumdar. Students of each graduating class work in the lab. Split into two components, half of the researchers work on mRNA vaccine development and half learn as much as they can about how COVID-19 works, Majumdar said.

In recent years, total neoadjuvant treatment—a potent new therapy for advanced colorectal cancer—has emerged as the standard of care. But the treatment can be harsh, impacting quality of life for many patients. A new study published in Clinical Colorectal Cancer by a team of researchers affiliated with the University of Vermont Cancer Center highlights a variety of new colorectal cancer treatments that take into account both a patient’s likely health outcome and quality of life factors.

(FEBRUARY 24, 2022) Vermont Chief Medical Examiner Elizabeth Bundock, M.D., Ph.D., clinical assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, spoke about the importance of accuracy in death certificate records in a news story in the Providence Journal.

A heart attack struck 44-year-old Sara Rutledge during her daily run. Thanks to the competence and care of a team of clinicians at Central Vermont Medical Center and UVM Medical Center, she received a diagnosis for spontaneous coronary artery dissection - or SCAD - has had a successful recovery, and is back to doing her favorite activities.

(FEBRUARY 22, 2022) Pulmonologists David Kaminsky, M.D., professor of medicine, and Katherine Menson, D.O., assistant professor of medicine, spoke with Mike Dougherty of VTDigger for a story titled “Vermonters with ‘Long Covid’ Still Face Barriers to Care.”

(FEBRUARY 18, 2022) Associate Professor of Radiology Christopher Anker, M.D., a radiation oncologist at UVM Medical Center, discussed his and colleague's study in the journal Clinical Colorectal Cancer on local CBS affiliate WCAX-TV.