Celebrating the UVM Larner College of Medicine Community

As we enter our holiday break and approach a new year, I hope you will take time to reflect on the numerous contributions you all have provided. Because of each of you, the Larner College of Medicine continues to make an impact in our community and the world. I’m grateful for all you do and wish you the very best in the coming year.

Warm regards,
Rick

Read the full Dean’s Holiday Message

Tuning in to the season’s themes of thankfulness and family, a children’s picture book titled The Family Squeeze written by Christian Pulcini, M.D., M.P.H., M.Ed., assistant professor of emergency medicine and pediatrics, shows how the power of physical touch—to both celebrate good times and endure tough times—brings a family together and builds resilience.

Read more about “The Family Squeeze”

To ensure an even start for all families in the Burlington community, Larner medical students Jasmine Bazinet-Phillips ’25, M.S.Ed., and Ashwini Sarathy ’25, started a partnership with the Fletcher Free Library and Champlain Valley Head Start and received funding from the City Market Co-op’s Seedling Grant program in 2022. The funds supported local, research-based initiatives to help improve nutrition and literacy in young children.

Read more about the nutrition and literacy projects

What do spiders and Alzheimer’s disease have in common? Researchers from UVM’s Larner College of Medicine and Saint Michael’s College have made a groundbreaking connection between brain “waste canals” and Alzheimer’s disease—a discovery inspired by studying spider brains. The findings offer a new perspective on the development of commonly described brain pathologies observed in Alzheimer’s disease.

Read more about this Alzheimer’s research

VOICES OF THE COLLEGE

"As someone who is affected by the almost magnetic attraction of the backcountry and rural areas … the thought of being able to provide care to these communities in the future truly sparks a flame in my soul.”
—Connor Nowak, Class of 2028

ACCOLADES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Six students in Larner’s medical class of 2027 presented their research on knee trauma and osteoarthritis of the knee at the Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation Grand Rounds on November 7. Cassandra Chin, Ivan Davis, Oona Davies, Aaron Dees, Nick Jowkar, and Marie Lim showcased work they participated in last summer with Bruce Beynnon, Ph.D., professor of orthopaedics and rehabilitation.

Last week, University of Vermont graduate students took part in the Graduate Hooding Ceremony, an annual event held for UVM students who graduated in August or October or who are pending January 2025 graduates. Among the six Larner-affiliated graduate degree programs such as public health, 53 students were honored.

The Larner College of Medicine Teaching Academy has welcomed eight new members and recognized three notable level advancements in its fall 2024 cohort, selected for their dedication to medical education and their contributions to teaching excellence. The inductees will be formally recognized at the annual Teaching Academy Induction and Award Ceremony on January 17.

Last week, the Larner community took a creative break to spread holiday cheer during the Medical Student Council’s holiday card–making event. In partnership with HANDS (Helping and Nurturing Diverse Seniors), the service project will place more than 54 winter greeting cards in the hands of low-income seniors, along with a grocery gift card and food access guide sponsored by HANDS.

Nimrat Chatterjee, Ph.D., M.Sc., assistant professor of microbiology and molecular genetics, has been elected co-chair of the Membership and Professional Development Committee at the Environmental Mutagenesis and Genomics Society. The society’s mission is to understand and mitigate the impacts of environmental exposures on the genome to protect human health.

SAVE THE DATE

The Larner College of Medicine and the University of Vermont will be closed from December 24, 2024, through January 1, 2025, for the holidays and winter break.
·       Holiday Break: December 24 & 25, 2024
·       Winter Break: December 26, 27 & 30, 2024
·       New Year’s Eve: December 31, 2024
·       New Year’s Day: January 1, 2025

Current UVM students, staff, and faculty are invited to a free three-day Data + Open Science Summit January 7–9, 2025, at the Patrick Leahy Building and the Given Medical Complex, hosted by the UVM Libraries in partnership with the Vermont Research Open Source Program Office, the Graduate College, and the Office of the Provost. View details and schedule.

All members of the UVM health care community are invited to the Seventh Annual Larner StorySlamRx - Voices in Medicine on Thursday, January 23, 2025, 6–8 p.m. (doors open at 5:45) in the Hoehl Gallery at the University of Vermont. This year’s theme is “The Things We Carry,” stories about emotional or physical items that hold special meaning. View details and RSVP (as an attendee or presenter).

LARNER IN THE NEWS

WCAX-TV
Dr. First Welcomes Santa Claus to UVM Children’s Hospital for Annual ‘Flying’ Visit

VT DIGGER
Fleisher Praises Network’s Inclusive Program

PUBLISHED RESEARCH

An C, Agrawal P, Grutman A, Shah S, Chen CCG, Clifton M. Differences in Advanced Therapeutic Modalities for Overactive Bladder in the United States by Race. Urology. 2024 Dec;194:89-98. doi: 10.1016/j.urology.2024.09.051. Epub 2024 Sep 30. PMID: 39357578.

Bayne H, Vuong RQ, Bal S, West J, Laibangyang A, Doo D. Obturator nerve schwannoma: a case report and review of the robotic literature. J Surg Case Rep. 2024 Nov 26;2024(11):rjae694. doi: 10.1093/jscr/rjae694. PMID: 39606048; PMCID: PMC11602191.

Calvert A, Timbers W, Gmora F, Lentz S. Refractory hypoxemia? Is positive end expiratory pressure always the answer? AAEM Common Sense. 2024 Nov/Dec; 31(6):30-31.

Chen F, O’Brien CL, Blanco MA, Huggett KN, Jeffe DB, Pusic MV, Brenner JM. Recommendations to address and research systemic bias in assessment: perspectives from directors of research in medical education. Medical Education Online. 2024 Dec 31;29(1):2396166.

Cochran-Caggiano N, Tse W, Swinburne C, Lang N, Till S, Donovan S, Woodson MCC, Dailey MW. Children and Restraints Study in Emergency Ambulance Transport- Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CARSEAT-CPR): An Observational Cohort Study of a Simulated Pediatric Cardiac Arrest. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2024 Dec 9. doi: 10.1097/PEC.0000000000003316. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39642211.

Felske D, Gabbay J, Boles B, Gilbert MP. Arginine Vasopressin Deficiency Heralding Rosai-Dorfman Disease With Neurological Manifestations. JCEM Case Rep. 2024 Nov 7;2(12):luae206. doi: 10.1210/jcemcr/luae206. PMID: 39526030; PMCID: PMC11540857.

Howard G, Muntner P, Lackland DT, Plante TB, Cushman M, Stamm B, Judd SE, Howard VJ. Association of Duration of Recognized Hypertension and Stroke Risk: The REGARDS Study. Stroke. 2024 Dec 9. doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.124.048385. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39648907.

Kalsi S, Galenkamp AL, Singh R, Khosla AA, McGranaghan P, Cintolo-Gonzalez J. Talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) and Emerging Intralesional Immunotherapies for Metastatic Melanoma: A Review. Curr Oncol Rep. 2024 Nov 27. doi: 10.1007/s11912-024-01611-9. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39602056.

Leung J, Tao B, Binda DD, Baker MB, Jhaveri A, Norris MC. Residency Wellness: A Historical Narrative Review. J Surg Educ. 2024 Dec;81(12):103294. doi: 10.1016/j.jsurg.2024.09.013. Epub 2024 Oct 7. PMID: 39378673.

Pilcher F, Shubkin CD, Marcolini E, Coleman M, Lahey T. Ethical responses to violence toward health care workers. J Hosp Med. 2024 Dec;19(12):1177-1180. doi: 10.1002/jhm.13355. Epub 2024 Apr 2. PMID: 38566345; PMCID: PMC11613656.

Ricci A, Minearo I, Hielscher A. Focused anatomy workshops for clerkships and the USMLE Step 1 examination. Anat Sci Educ. 2024 Nov 22. doi: 10.1002/ase.2536. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39578709.

Shahib AK, Rastegar M, van Wijnen AJ, Davie JR. Neurodevelopmental functions and activities of the KAT3 class of lysine acetyltransferases. Biochem Cell Biol. 2024 Dec 1;102(6):430-447. doi: 10.1139/bcb-2024-0156. Epub 2024 Sep 18. PMID: 39293094.

Shitole SG, Heckbert SR, Marcus GM, Shah SJ, Sotoodehnia N, Walston JD, Reiner AP, Tracy RP, Psaty BM, Kizer JR. Assessment of Inflammatory Biomarkers and Incident Atrial Fibrillation in Older Adults. J Am Heart Assoc. 2024 Dec 6:e035710. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.124.035710. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39644101.

Waheed W, Holmes GL. Do Vaccines Cause Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome? Review of Cases in the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. Pediatr Neurol. 2024 Dec;161:229-236. doi: 10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2024.09.025. Epub 2024 Sep 27. PMID: 39447442.

Wood M, Kennedy AG, Khan S, Hitt JR, Davis K, Reddy SS, Gilbert MP. Impact of GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Use in Patients With Steatotic Liver Disease and Type 2 Diabetes: A Retrospective Cohort Study. J Pharm Pract. 2024 Dec;37(6):1297-1302. doi: 10.1177/08971900241253661. Epub 2024 May 8. PMID: 38720191.

Zambrano Espinoza MD, Madsen TE. Nonadherence to Preventive Medications After Ischemic Stroke: Opportunities to Target Interventions by Sex, Race, and Ethnicity. J Am Heart Assoc. 2024 Dec 4:e039127. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.124.039127. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39629833.

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Published by the Office of Medical Communications © 2024