Division of General Internal Medicine Research

Department of Medicine

(JANUARY 18, 2024) Nephrologist Marios Prikis, M.D., associate professor of medicine, and transplant surgeon Jaime Pineda, M.D., assistant professor of surgery, commented to WCAX for a story on living donors for kidney transplants.

(JANUARY 12, 2024) Pediatric pulmonologist L. E. Faricy, M.D., and Vermont State Health Commissioner Mark Levine, M.D., commented on a bill currently making its way throughout the statehouse that would ban all forms of flavored tobacco products, WPTZ-TV reported.

(JANUARY 5, 2024) Infectious disease specialist Timothy Lahey, M.D., M.M.Sc., professor of medicine, commented to WCAX-TV about an influx in cases of flu, RSV, and COVID in Vermont following the holidays.

(DECEMBER 18, 2023) Cardiologist Sherrie Khadanga, M.D., assistant professor of medicine, commented to Knowridge for an article on increased risk of heart attack in cold weather.

This semester, 28 first-year Larner College of Medicine students are learning about culinary medicine, which pairs nutritional science with preventative health care. Medical class of 2026 students Sarah Krumholz and Molly Hurd developed an extracurricular course that teaches classmates about lifestyle interventions for chronic disease.

Debora Kamin Mukaz, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, was recognized by the United Negro College Fund Ernest E. Just Life Sciences Society at at an event held September 17 at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., for her work with Black in Cardio.

The University of Vermont's Student National Medical Association chapter held its first conference ever this November, bringing more than 100 medical and pre-medical students from throughout New England to the campus of the Larner College of Medicine to share their enthusiasm for ensuring that people from populations underrepresented in medical professions feel empowered to pursue medical careers.

Autoimmune disease is frequent in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes, but studies have been inconclusive about how the preexistence of autoimmunity affects survival in these patients. A new study by UVM Cancer Center member Diego Adrianzen Herrera, M.D. uses an epidemiologic analysis to clarify that issue.

(NOVEMBER 17, 2023) In an opinion piece published in VT Digger, infectious disease specialist Lindsay Smith, M.D., and infectious disease pharmacist John Ahern, Pharm.D., warned that antimicrobial resistance is a growing problem everywhere.

A new collaboration between Vermont Medicaid and UVM Medical Center’s Comprehensive Pain Program allows Medicaid members with chronic pain to participate in complementary therapies including health coaching, massage, yoga, nutrition, acupuncture, and meditation. This pilot is an important step toward eliminating disparities in access to effective, integrative care for pain.

(NOVEMBER 7, 2023) Timothy Plante, M.D., M.H.S., assistant professor of medicine, is a co-author of a study offering critical insights into the assessment of orthostatic hypotension among older adults, according to News Medical.

(NOVEMBER 7, 2023) A study by rheumatologist Brendan Thoms, M.B.B.S., assistant professor of medicine, and colleagues shows that key details of patients’ inflammatory arthritis were often missing from rheumatology referral letters, and that only a minority of these patients were seen within the target of six weeks, Healio reports.

There are currently no approved vaccines available to prevent Lyme disease in humans, but one may be on the way. UVM’s Vaccine Testing Center recently launched a clinical study to investigate the efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity of a Lyme disease vaccine.

(OCTOBER 2, 2023) Randall Holcombe, M.D., M.B.A., director of the UVM Cancer Center, commented to WCAX about the annual Women’s Health and Cancer Conference held at UVM on September 29.

Katharine Cheung, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine, assumed the role of Interim Director of the Center on Aging, effective September 1. A geriatric and palliative nephrologist, Cheung served on the center’s advisory board from 2017-2023. As interim director, Cheung's top priorities include relaunching pilot grants for faculty who are interested in pursuing research focused on gerontology or geriatric issues.

(SEPTEMBER 14, 2023) Results of a recent study on medicinal cannabis use are consistent with previous findings by Larner researchers Nicole Wershoven, Amanda Kennedy, Pharm.D., and Charles MacLean, M.D., that patients are reluctant to discuss their use of medical marijuana with their doctors, according to Cannabis News World.

Each summer, many rising second-year medical students engage in clinical, basic science or health policy-related research projects under the guidance of expert faculty. The students choose their topics based on personal passions and immerse themselves in projects tackling medical puzzles and unmet health needs. Engaging in research can be among the most valuable experiences during a medical education.

(SEPTEMBER 10, 2023) Infectious disease specialist Kristen Pierce, M.D., professor of medicine, is principal investigator for a clinical study at the Vaccine Testing Center and the UVM Medical Center of a Pfizer vaccine to protect against Lyme disease, VT Digger reports.