Office of Medical Communications

(SEPTEMBER 8, 2022) Following an extensive nationwide search, the University of Vermont Health Network has named Sunil “Sunny” Eappen, M.D., M.B.A., as its next president and CEO effective November 28, 2022, according to NBC Channel 5. He will also serve as a clinical professor of anesthesiology at the Larner College of Medicine.

The University of Vermont Health Network has named Sunil “Sunny” Eappen, M.D., M.B.A., as the health system’s next president and chief executive officer, following an extensive national search.

VCBH Director Stephen Higgins was interviewed by CBS affiliate WCAX about the center's current research examining "how lowering nicotine levels in cigarettes and e-cigarettes affect people’s need to smoke."

(SEPTEMBER 7, 2022) Stephen Higgins, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry, explained in an Associated Press story that the same dopamine reward system that’s the basis for addictions can be used to promote healthy behavior change.

The Larner College of Medicine had an impressive year of research growth, with over $117 million of research awards, funding projects that address the ever-evolving healthcare challenges of Vermont and beyond.

The Jim Ray Memorial Heart Ride embarks on its 22nd annual ride while continuing to support the CVRI research and education and honoring family members impacted by heart disease and stroke.

(AUGUST 29, 2022) Tim Lahey, M.D., M.M.Sc., professor of infectious disease, spoke with Alexandra Montgomery of WCAX-TV Channel 3 about the new bivalent vaccines designed to target more than one strain of COVID-19.

(AUGUST 26, 2022) NBC5 covered a roundtable discussion hosted by Vt. Sen. Bernie Sanders focusing on the lack of nurses in the state. Among the participants was Noma Anderson, Ph.D., professor of communication sciences and disorders and dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences.

There is a critical outcome of the pandemic that doesn’t get its equal share of the spotlight: health and food security. To address this, Dr. Meredith T. Niles of the Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences & Food Systems Program in the College of Agriculture & Life Science, University of Vermont has focused her research in this area. "My most recent research focuses on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food access, food security and health outcomes, especially in rural regions." - Dr. Meredith Niles. Her work began in Vermont in March 2020, but then integrated multiple institutions to grow in to NFACT - The National Food Access and COVID Research Team, which currently involves 18 study sites across 15 states in the U.S. She currently serves as Director of NFACT.

(AUGUST 24, 2022) Center for Health & Wellbeing medical director Michelle Paavola, M.D., clinical assistant professor of family medicine, and infectious disease specialist Keith Collins, M.D., clinical assistant professor of family medicine, told WPTZ-TV NBC5 that while it’s not a threat to the public right now, UVM does have a plan in place should monkeypox come to campus.

(AUGUST 19, 2022) State Health Commissioner Mark Levine, M.D., professor of medicine, was quoted in a True North Reports article covering Gov. Phil Scott’s press conference, which focused on drug abuse and addiction.

(AUGUST 18, 2022) “Cigarette smoking — that’s the largest killer in terms of tobacco products,” Stephen Higgins, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and psychological science and director of UVM’s Vermont Center on Behavior and Health (VCBH), told WCAX-TV Channel 3.

(AUGUST 17, 2022) Ob-Gyn professor Elizabeth McGee, M.D., told Forbes that while tracking basal body temperature can be a helpful tool for charting ovulation phases, this shouldn’t be the only method used to prevent pregnancy or to get pregnant.

Beginning in the fall, acupuncture will be provided at no cost to inpatient hematology and oncology patients at the University of Vermont (UVM) Medical Center, thanks to a new grant to the UVM Cancer Center from the Victoria Buffum Fund.

(AUGUST 12, 2022) In response to the news that polio virus has been detected in New York City wastewater, infectious disease specialist Tim Lahey, M.D., M.M.Sc., professor of medicine, told WVNY-TV ABC22 that vaccination is the best protection.

(AUGUST 12, 2022) Infectious disease specialist Tim Lahey, M.D., M.M.Sc., professor of medicine, spoke to WCAX-TV about what actions people — and public health officials — can take to help keep COVID case rates down in Vermont and Northern New York despite the increased transmissibility of the BA-5 variant.

Class of 2026 medical students start their journeys toward becoming physicians during Orientation.

(AUGUST 11, 2022) A $20 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to the New England Clinical and Translational Research Network (NNE-CTR) will allow NNE-CTR members from UVM, MaineHealth Institute for Research, and the University of Southern Maine to address chronic and life-threatening diseases in northern New England, VermontBiz reports.