Office of Medical Communications

In the past several months, cases of polio have been reported in New York, the United Kingdom, and Israel, underscoring the need for safer and more effective vaccines. Over the past nearly two years, University of Vermont Vaccine Testing Center researchers have been conducting trials on two experimental polio vaccines poised to help accomplish global eradication.

(OCTOBER 11, 2022) Michael McMahon, M.D., stroke medical director of Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital, was quoted in a Press-Republican article highlighting the hospital’s Gold quality achievement award for treating stroke.

(OCTOBER 10, 2022) Brace yourself for what could be a bad flu season, warned Christina Wojewoda, M.D., professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, in an interview with WGNO-TV in New Orleans during the College of American Pathologists Convention.

(OCTOBER 4, 2022) Thomas Delaney, Ph.D., associate professor of pediatrics, comments on the rising suicide rates in Vermont in an article in VTDigger about the launch of a new website and education campaign geared toward helping the public understand how to intervene before a suicide attempt.

(OCTOBER 4, 2022) Emily Bruce, Ph.D., assistant professor of microbiology and molecular genetics, was quoted in an Associated Press story responding to false claims that COVID-19 vaccines are editing humans’ DNA.

(OCTOBER 3, 2022) James Boyd, M.D., professor of neurological sciences, commented for an NHPR Morning Edition story on the benefits of vigorous exercise for people with Parkinson’s disease.

(September 28, 2022) Infectious disease expert Tim Lahey, M.D., M.M.Sc., professor of medicine, commented to WCAX-TV for a story on vaccines and boosters.

(SEPTEMBER 27, 2022) Psychiatrist Kelley-Anne Klein, M.D., joined UVM associate professor of education Justin Garwood, Ph.D., and wellness expert Ryan Grey on Vermont Edition for a live call-in discussion on burnout.

In 2021, the College of Medicine’s inaugural “Look at Larner” outreach program attracted aspiring medical students from across the country. For the 2022 Look at Larner, Class of 2025 members Jasmine Bazinet-Phillips and Karena Nguyen served as co-leaders and welcomed 27 individuals to the second iteration of the program.

The Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont celebrated Reunion 2022 October 13-16. Highlights included the Distinguished Graduate Alumni Award Lecture, Class of 1972 50th Reunion Medallion Ceremony, tours of the College and new Firestone Medical Research Building, Larner College of Medicine Alumni Association Awards Ceremony, Alumni Town Hall and Reunion Class Dinners.

(SEPTEMBER 22, 2022) Vermont Health Commissioner Mark Levine, M.D., professor of medicine and associate dean for graduate medical education, told WVNY-TV he doesn’t expect to see a big change in COVID-19 levels this winter.

(SEPTEMBER 15, 2022) Randall Holcombe, M.D., M.B.A., director of the UVM Cancer Center, spoke with WCAX-TV’s Darren Perron about President Biden’s “cancer moonshot” initiative, which aims to cut cancer fatalities by 50 percent in the next 50 years and direct federal resources to eventually find a cure.

(SEPTEMBER 14, 2022) Monique McHenry, Ph.D.’12, M.S., assistant professor of pharmacology, was a guest on the Cannabis Cultivation and Science Podcast discussing plant stress and cannabinoid relationships. (Click headline for more.)

(SEPTEMBER 14, 2022) NBC5 aired a story on the Area Health Education Center’s “Clinical Rotation Home Stay Housing Program,” which matches medical students from the Larner College of Medicine with host families across the state when they’re on their clinical rotations. The program is seeking more housing hosts in southern Vermont.

Cancer researchers, clinicians, survivors, and caregivers gathered September 30 for the 25th annual Women’s Health and Cancer Conference. Hosted by the University of Vermont Cancer Center, the event took place in the Dudley H. Davis Center at the University of Vermont.

On September 8, 2022, the University of Vermont held a formal ceremony at the Larner College of Medicine to invest Professor of Psychiatry Judith Lewis, M.D., as the Robert A. Pierattini, M.D. Green & Gold Professor of Psychiatry.

(SEPTEMBER 9, 2022) MarketWatch featured Robert Gramling, M.D., professor of family medicine, and Diane Button, an instructor in the College’s online end-of-life doula professional certificate program, in a story about so-called death doulas who provide nonmedical care and support for people who are dying and their loved ones.

On September 7, 2022, AP News published "Candy, cash, gifts: How rewards help recovery from addiction," an inside look at how contingency management (CM), an evidence-based therapy rooted in behavioral economics that provides incentives or rewards for a desired behavior, is gaining support across the country and with the federal government. VCBH Director Stephen Higgins contributed to the story.

(SEPTEMBER 8, 2022) Stephen Leffler, M.D.’90, M.H.C.D.S., FACEP, professor of emergency medicine and president and chief operating officer of the University of Vermont Medical Center, wrote a commentary in VT Digger about the value of academic medicine.