Office of Medical Communications

On Tuesday, October 24 at 4:00 pm, a group of seven first-year UVM medical students donned their white coats for the first time professionally and followed their Professionalism, Communication and Reflection (PCR) course preceptor, Shaden Eldakar-Hein, M.D., through the halls of the UVM Medical Center (UVMMC) and up the stairs to Baird 4.

On Monday, October 23, after a full day of classes, a group of 17 medical students from the UVM Larner College of Medicine attended a Slit Lamp Exam clinic hosted by the Ophthalmology Student Interest Group (SIG) and the Ophthalmology Department at the UVM Medical Center.

On October 18, more than 65 UVM medical students filtered into the Sullivan Classroom to attend the Student Mental Health Panel hosted by the Larner College of Medicine Wellness Committee. Held once per semester, the fall panel was comprised of seven UVM medical students, including three fourth-years, one third-year, two second-years, and one first-year.

Gary S. Stein, Ph.D., director of the University of Vermont Cancer Center, professor and chair of biochemistry and professor of surgery at the UVM Larner College of Medicine, was invested in a formal ceremony on October 27, 2017 as the inaugural Arthur Jason Perelman, M.D.’52 Professor in Cancer Research.

A new pilot program for the clerkship year offers students the opportunity to follow a panel of patients over time, deepening their understanding of patient advocacy, community health promotion, and care coordination across different health systems.

University of Vermont President Tom Sullivan and Provost and Senior Vice President David Rosowksy recently announced the names of the members of the search committee for the new Dean of the Larner College of Medicine. Current Dean Frederick Morin, M.D., announced on August 30, 2017 that he will step down from his role as dean in fall 2018, after a successor has been named.

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) presented James Hudziak, M.D., professor of psychiatry, pediatrics and medicine at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont, with the 2017 Irving Philips Award for Prevention at the organization’s 64th Annual Meeting on October 25, 2017 in Washington, D.C.

Weight loss can be challenging for anyone, but in particular, for cancer patients whose treatments can make the task even more daunting. But second-year medical students Lauren Donnelly and Kirsten Martin are having huge – and unexpected – success helping one group of women cancer survivors achieve their weight loss and activity goals, thanks to a 12-week weight management program they have been delivering to Steps to Wellness patients as their 2017-18 Schweitzer Fellowship project.

#MEDSCHOOLADVICE is a monthly column that highlights questions from first- and second-year UVM medical students and advice from third- and fourth-years. This month, Eric Schmidt, Class of 2018 reflects on his first year, what he would have done differently, and what he's learned in the past four years - outside of the classroom.

On October 16, 2017, UVM Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics David Rettew, M.D. was highlighted in the VT Digger article, "Vermont physicians propose go-slow approach on pot legalization," regarding two proposed resolutions to Vermont's medical marijuana program

Since August 7, when the Larner College of Medicine’s Class of 2021 started their medical education journey, the country has endured multiple, unthinkable tragedies – hurricanes, a mass shooting, wildfires – the kind that give rise to a greater respect and need for human connection. On Friday, October 13, 2017, these students participated in a rite of passage that emphasizes the importance of humanism in medicine – the White Coat Ceremony.

On October 12, 2017, VPR’s Vermont Edition hosted Carlos Pino, M.D., UVM professor of anesthesiology, to discuss how physicians are managing pain in patients during the opioid crisis.

New interdisciplinary research conducted by University of Vermont researcher Jane Nathan, Ph.D., and colleagues, has found that the Benson Henry Institute’s (BHI) evidence-based Stress Management and Resiliency Training (SMART) is a valuable model to use with health professionals to enhance their well-being.

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont hosted Henry Ng, M.D., M.P.H., past president of GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBT Equality, at the fourth annual Vito Imbasciani, Ph.D., M.D.’85 and George DiSalvo LGBTQ Health Equity Lecture on Wednesday, October 4, 2017 in the Livak Ballroom in the Dudley Davis Center at UVM. Ng will discuss “Incorporating Transgender Care into Everyday Primary Care.”

University of Vermont Medical Center President Eileen Whalen, M.H.A., R.N., announced today that Isabelle Desjardins, M.D., has accepted the position of Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for The University of Vermont Medical Center, effective October 1.

John P. and Kathryn H. Tampas Green and Gold Professor of Radiology Kristen DeStigter, M.D., was appointed chair of radiology following a national search in spring 2017 after having served as interim chair of radiology since 2014 and vice chair of radiology from 2004 to 2014. An alumnus of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, she completed a residency in diagnostic radiology and a body imaging fellowship at University Hospitals of Cleveland, Ohio prior to joining UVM in 2001. She is co-founder and president of Imaging the World, a nonprofit organization that developed and uses a new sustainable model for ultrasound imaging, making basic life-saving diagnosis accessible in the poorest regions of the world, is a fellow in the American College of Radiology (ACR), and serves on the ACR International Outreach Committee and as chair of the International Radiology Education Committee of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). She specializes in unique applications of ultrasonography in rural medicine, provision of integrated medical imaging in underserved communities, and medical education in diagnostic radiology. The Larner College of Medicine communications staff sat down with DeStigter recently for an interview.

On September 26, 2017 Vermont Business Magazine highlighted the appointment of Adam Atherly, Ph.D., as the first Director of Health Services Research at the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine.

Robert Langer, Sc.D., David H. Koch Institute Professor at MIT, presented the 2nd Annual Stetson Lecture at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont on Monday, September 25, 2017.

The Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont has announced the appointment of Adam Atherly, Ph.D., as the College’s first director of the health services research center and professor of medicine, effective February 1, 2018.

Syed “Samin” Shehab, M.D.’17 (SS) is currently a first-year internal medicine resident at Boston University Medical Center. He recently published a blog post, titled “403,” on In-Training that addresses the issue of caring for patients with vastly different beliefs. The Larner College of Medicine (LCoM) recently conducted a Q&A with Shehab.