Office of Medical Communications

On July 11, E.L. Amidon Chair and Professor of Medicine Polly Parsons, M.D., began the transition to her new role as President and CEO of the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine (AAIM). We sat down with Dr. Parsons to reflect on her 16 years at the helm of the department, review her accomplishments and consider the department’s growth, struggles and triumphs.

(JULY 12, 2022) John King, M.D., M.P.H., professor of family medicine, who practices in Milton, urges all high-risk patients to get screened for lung cancer, according to the Milton Independent. The Dartmouth and the University of Vermont Cancer Centers have named Milton an area of focus to promote early detection of lung cancer.

(JULY 11, 2022) Beth Zigmund, M.D., associate professor of radiology and director of lung cancer screening for UVMMC, explained the benefits of early detection and treatment as part of the UVM and Dartmouth cancer centers’ newly launched partnership with the state’s cancer coalition, NBC5 reported.

Stanford University School of Medicine anesthesiologist and expert in palliative care Rebecca Aslakson, M.D., Ph.D., has been appointed as the next chair of the Department of Anesthesiology at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont, effective September 1, 2022, following a national search.

In a Journal of American Medical Association study, researchers - including UVM Professor and UVM Cancer Center member Brian Sprague, Ph.D. - found that 3D screening with digital breast tomosynthesis had certain benefits compared to breast cancer screening with conventional 2D digital mammography.

(JULY 6, 2022) Associate Professor of Pediatrics Rebecca Bell, M.D., spoke with Alexandra Montgomery of WCAX-TV Channel 3 for a story about updated guidance on safe sleep for babies issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine Dean Richard L. Page, M.D., and UVM Health Network Medical Group President and Larner Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs Jason Sanders, M.D., M.B.A., have announced the appointment of Ramsey Herrington, M.D., as the inaugural chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine, effective July 1, 2022.

In a formal ceremony held at the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine on June 28, 2022, Associate Professor of Surgery William Brundage, M.D., was invested as the inaugural Green and Gold Professor in the Division of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery.

More than 100 in-person and dozens of virtual participants attended the second annual Vermont Center for Cardiovascular and Brain Health (VCCBH) Symposium, held at the University of Vermont’s Davis Center June 2 to 3, 2022. The VCCBH, one of three National Institutes of Health Center of Biomedical Research Excellence-funded programs at UVM, is co-directed by Mary Cushman, M.D., M.Sc., professor and vice chair for emerging researchers in the Department of Medicine, and Mark Nelson, Ph.D., University Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacology.

Rebecca Wilcox, M.D., professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and associate dean for faculty affairs at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont, has been selected as a member of the 2022-2023 class of fellows participating in the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine® (ELAM) Program at Drexel University College of Medicine.

BCSC study finds that with 3D mammography technique, advanced cancer is reduced in women with most dense breasts and highest risk

Question: Is digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) associated with lower risk of interval invasive and advanced breast cancer (prognostic pathologic stage II or higher) compared with digital mammography among women with dense breasts?

A $5.5 million gift to establish the Osher Center for Integrative Health at UVM will expand access to complementary therapies for UVM Cancer Center patients.

(JUNE 23, 2022) Physicians who have never encountered monkeypox may fail to recognize it, said Christina Wojewoda, M.D., associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, in an article in the "Philadelphia Inquirer."

(JUNE 22, 2022) Lauren MacAfee, M.D., associate professor of OB/GYN, spoke with WCAX-TV’s Christina Guessferd for a story about abortion in Vermont.

(JUNE 17, 2022) A study published in JAMA Psychiatry and authored by Matthew Albaugh, Ph.D., University of Vermont assistant professor of psychiatry, and colleagues, was featured in a HealthDay article, titled "Pot Use May Change the Teenage Brain, MRIs Show."

Kiana Heredia, a medical student in the Larner College of Medicine Class of 2024, helped Larner Assistant Professor of Pediatrics L.E. Faricy, M.D., create the URiM Pathway to Pediatrics program to assist others who may encounter the doubts she experienced during her undergraduate years. The program originated from a grant proposal Faricy and Heredia developed with help from Nicole Obongo ’24, Annaliese Lapides ‘24 and Mialovena Exume ’24, for American Academy of Pediatrics funding to support events aimed at increasing workforce diversity and supporting students historically underrepresented in medicine.

The Vermont Center for Cardiovascular and Brain Health's annual symposium was featured in a news story on ABC22 and Fox44. on June 1.