Office of Medical Communications

(FEBRUARY 25, 2023) Angela Shook, an end-of-life doula who graduated from and now teaches in UVM’s End-of-Life Doula Professional Certificate Program, was interviewed by News Finale for an article on forgiveness at the end of life.

(FEBRUARY 23, 2023) Stephen Leffler, M.D., M.H.C.D.S., professor of emergency medicine and president and CEO of the UVM Medical Center, and Sunil Eappen, M.D., M.B.A., president and CEO of the UVM Health Network, spoke to The Other Paper about UVMMC’s request for state approval to build a new surgery facility at its current Tilley Drive complex in South Burlington.

The University of Vermont’s Center on Rural Addiction has launched a new free program called Clinician Office Hours to help providers access specialists in prevention and treatment of substance abuse disorders. The program is available virtually to any health care provider in the U.S. located in an area designated as rural by the Health Resources & Services Administration.

The University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine features some of the world’s foremost cardiovascular researchers, experts in cardiovascular disease risk factors, thrombosis, atherosclerosis, stroke, and heart failure. the science shared by early-career investigators at the Cardiovascular Research Institute of Vermont’s fourth annual Viridis Montis Challenge, it was apparent that the institution’s reputation and legacy in the field of cardiovascular research will continue to have a global impact.

The University of Vermont Cancer Center now offers a novel, highly effective form of cancer treatment called CAR T-cell therapy, and recently began treating patients. The Cancer Center is the only health care institution in Vermont and northern New York to provide the treatment.

A new study published in JAMA Cardiology by UVM cardiovascular medicine fellow Margaret Infeld, M.D., M.S., and colleagues found evidence that by implementing a tailored acceleration of heart rates, they could reduce congestion and improve the circulation of blood in heart failure patients with "stiff" hearts.

Vermont Center on Behavior and Health members Stacey Sigmon, Ph.D., and Sherrie Khadanga, M.D., will be recognized at the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine's Celebration of Gender Equity in Medicine and Science. Dr. Sigmon is the 2023 recipient of the Gender Equity Outstanding Achievement in Medicine and Science Award, and Dr. Khadanga is the winner of the 2023 Rising Star Emerging Professional Award.

Randall F. Holcombe, M.D., M.B.A., director of the UVM Cancer Center and chief of the Division of Hematology and Oncology in the Department of Medicine, has been appointed as associate dean for cancer programs at the UVM Larner College of Medicine.

(FEBRUARY 19, 2023) Alexandra Bannach, M.D., Haley McGowan, D.O., and Greta Spottswood, M.D.’11, M.P.H., spoke to VTDigger about the Vermont Child Psychiatry Access Program, a grant-funded program conceived of by Spottswood that offers a free telephone hotline for primary care providers who see children and youth with mild to moderate mental health challenges.

(FEBRUARY 17, 2023) Diego Adrianzen Herrera, M.D., assistant professor of medicine, commented to Medscape on a study of postremission therapy in patients with intermediate-risk acute myeloid leukemia (AML) that was published online in JAMA Oncology.

(FEBRUARY 16, 2023) Ellen McGinnis, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry and one of the creators - with Ryan McGinnis, Ph.D., associate professor of electrical and biomedical engineering - of PanicMechanic, an app that coaches individuals through panic attacks, spoke with WCAX-TV about a new study that aims to help prepare for, intervene with, and even prevent panic attacks.

(FEBRUARY 15, 2023) Pediatric psychiatrist Sarah Guth, M.D., associate professor of psychiatry, was interviewed on WCAX-TV for a story on postpartum depression (which medical professionals now call “perinatal mood and anxiety disorder”).

(FEBRUARY 15, 2023) Christian Pulcini, M.D., M.Ed., M.P.H., assistant professor of emergency medicine, and Rebecca Bell, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics, commented to NBC5 in response to news that thousands of free gun locks will soon be available to the public across the state.

(FEBRUARY 14, 2023) Andrea Grayson, Ed.D., M.A., assistant professor of public health at the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, was quoted in an article in Country Folks offering farmers practical strategies for de-escalating stressful situations.

(FEBRUARY 14, 2023) In an opinion piece published in VTDigger, psychiatry resident Nat Mulkey, M.D., clinical instructor of psychiatry, discusses his feelings of sadness, defensiveness, and discomfort at the negative portrayals of the local health care system in the news and elsewhere.

Sherrie Khadanga, M.D., M.S., assistant professor of medicine at UVM's Larner College of Medicine and assistant director of cardiac rehabilitation at the UVM Medical Center, was recently featured in a UVM Health Network HealthSource blog post titled "Women Find Strength with Cardiac Rehab" that focused on how High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) exercise can help women's recovery after a cardiac event.

(FEBRUARY 11, 2023) UVM’s Center on Rural Addiction is donating “NaloxBoxes” containing doses of the opioid reversal drug naloxone throughout the Upper Valley region of New Hampshire, according to New Hampshire Public Radio.

(FEBRUARY 11, 2023) Mary Cushman, M.D., M.Sc., professor of medicine and director of the thrombosis and hemostasis program at the UVM Medical Center, recently spoke with The American Journal of Managed Care about racial trends in pulmonary embolism treatment and potential improvements compared with pre-pandemic trends.

(FEBRUARY 10, 2023) Eric Ross, M.D., assistant professor of psychiatry, shared “oddities” in two studies of antidepressant therapies by a team of researchers in Egypt with the journals that had published the studies. Now, almost a year later, one paper has been pulled and the other is still under review.

(FEBRUARY 9, 2023) Jeremiah Dickerson, M.D., assistant professor of psychiatry, spoke to ABC22 about how stressful situations like school threats and lockdowns can impact emotional, behavioral, and even physical health.