Office of Medical Communications

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.

(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.