Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology

Department of Medicine

(JULY 13, 2022) As Vermonters contemplate the future of COVID-19, infectious disease expert Timothy Lahey, M.D., M.M.Sc., professor of medicine, said in an interview with WCAX-TV that there are going to be peaks and valleys during the pandemic.

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.

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.

On May 13, the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont held Honors Night for graduating medical students in the Class of 2022. Accolades presented included the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society faculty, housestaff, and community physician awards; the Arnold P. Gold Foundation's Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine faculty and student awards; Area Health Education Center Scholars; department awards to students; and awards from the Class of 2022.

Polly Parsons, M.D., E.L. Amidon Chair and Professor of Medicine, has been named the next president and CEO of the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine.

(MAY 2, 2022) Professor of Medicine Tim Lahey, M.D., M.M.Sc., spoke with WCAX-TV Channel 3’s Christina Guessferd about another wave of COVID infections and hospitalizations in Vermont.

Anne Dixon, M.A., BM BCh, professor of medicine, has been named one of four 2022-2023 University Scholars.

In celebration of its standing as a top 100 public research university, the University of Vermont held its first “Research Week” April 18 to 22 to showcase the work of faculty, student and trainee investigators. A number of Larner College of Medicine faculty and trainees received recognition and delivered presentations during the week's events.

UVM Pediatric Primary Care is removing barriers to mental health care with an evidence-based Primary Care Mental Health Integration program, piloted with support from the UVM Health Network.

University of Vermont Chair of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics Beth Kirkpatrick, M.D., will present her 2021-22 University Scholar lecture on "Combatting Global Infectious Diseases: Vaccines and Human Models," on Monday, April 4, 2022.

In recent years, total neoadjuvant treatment—a potent new therapy for advanced colorectal cancer—has emerged as the standard of care. But the treatment can be harsh, impacting quality of life for many patients. A new study published in Clinical Colorectal Cancer by a team of researchers affiliated with the University of Vermont Cancer Center highlights a variety of new colorectal cancer treatments that take into account both a patient’s likely health outcome and quality of life factors.

A heart attack struck 44-year-old Sara Rutledge during her daily run. Thanks to the competence and care of a team of clinicians at Central Vermont Medical Center and UVM Medical Center, she received a diagnosis for spontaneous coronary artery dissection - or SCAD - has had a successful recovery, and is back to doing her favorite activities.

(FEBRUARY 22, 2022) Pulmonologists David Kaminsky, M.D., professor of medicine, and Katherine Menson, D.O., assistant professor of medicine, spoke with Mike Dougherty of VTDigger for a story titled “Vermonters with ‘Long Covid’ Still Face Barriers to Care.”

University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine faculty, leaders, and colleagues gathered virtually for the Teaching Academy’s 2022 Snow Season Education Retreat January 20-21. Highlights of the two-day event included a plenary session by representatives of the Kern National Network for Caring and Character in Medicine, the Induction and Award Ceremony, and an in-person poster session.

Cardiac remodeling, chronic kidney disease, brain cell energy generation, hypertension and stroke risk, and socioeconomic status and cardiac rehabilitation outcomes, were the topics presented at the Cardiovascular Research Institute of Vermont’s annual Viridis Montis Early Career Investigator Challenge on February 2, 2022.

In a ceremony held January 12, 2021, an outstanding early career physician-scientist in the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, Diego Adrianzen Herrera, M.D., was invested as the inaugural holder of the Early Career Green and Gold Professor of Medicine.

(NOVEMBER 24, 2021) Jan Carney, M.D., M.P.H., associate dean for public health and health policy, and Mark Levine, M.D., Vermont Commissioner of Health and professor of medicine, are both quoted in an article in The Atlantic, titled "America’s Pandemic Star Loses Some Luster," regarding the surge in COVID-19 cases in Vermont.

New research from U.S. Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium (BCSC) members, including several University of Vermont researchers, found that from March to September 2020, breast biopsies and detected cancers at U.S. BCSC facilities dropped sharply, compared with the same span a year earlier.

With $3 million in support from a longtime major supporter of the University of Vermont Cancer Center, Randall F. Holcombe, M.D., M.B.A., was invested as the inaugural J. Walter Juckett Chair in Cancer Research in the Larner College of Medicine on November 3.

The University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine held a successful Dean's Excellence in Research Celebration October 25-27, shining a light on the hard work and achievements of students, faculty, staff, and alumni.