Celebrating the UVM Larner College of Medicine Community

I want to extend a heartfelt welcome back to each of you. Even with current challenges, I’m confident that we will make this year one of continued growth, innovation, and impact. What makes Larner truly exceptional is the dedication and spirit of our faculty, staff, and students. This year I look forward to further enhancing the opportunities to bring together our amazing community. Your contributions to patient care, science, and education are second to none, and I’m proud of the strides we’ve made—and will continue to make—in the coming year and beyond. Thank you for being part of this remarkable college.

Richard L. Page, M.D.
Larner College of Medicine Dean and UVM Chief Medical Affairs Officer

Larner College of Medicine alumnus and Professor of Emergency Medicine Stephen Leffler, M.D.’90, president and chief operating officer of the UVM Medical Center and interim CEO of UVM Health since last fall, has been named permanent CEO of UVM Health. A 30-year veteran of the UVM Health system, Dr. Leffler says he is honored to take on the responsibility at this “pivotal moment” for health care.

Read more about Dr. Leffler’s appointment

Sylvie Doublié, Ph.D. (center), professor of microbiology and molecular genetics, was invested as the inaugural holder of the Green and Gold Professorship in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics on January 12. A medallion was presented by Larner Dean and UVM Chief Medical Affairs Officer Richard. L. Page, M.D. (left), and Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics Chair Beth Kirkpatrick, M.D. (right).

Read more about Dr. Doublié’s investiture

A new clinical trial at the University of Vermont Cancer Center led by Larner Associate Professor of Surgery Mirabelle Sajisevi, M.D., a specialist in robotic head and neck surgery at UVM Health, aims to move treatment of human papilloma virus (HPV)–related cancers like HPV+ throat cancers away from a one-size-fits-all approach—instead tailoring treatment to the tumor.

Read more about this HPV+ clinical trial

LARNER VOICES

“Find another passion in your life that tickles the similar and dissimilar parts of your medical brain and never let it go.”

— Robert McLafferty, M.D.’90, M.B.A.

ACCOLADES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Peter Hyson, M.D.’18, assistant professor of medicine, has been named Early Career Green and Gold Professor of Medicine. This Department of Medicine–funded professorship provides funds to strengthen the research programs of the most promising assistant professors during the early years of their faculty appointment and recognizes the excellent potential of the recipient’s research program.

The Arnold P. Gold Foundation and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) have announced Larner Associate Professor of Family Medicine Stephen Berns, M.D., and palliative care nurse Kacey Boyle, M.S.P.C., RN, CHPN, creators of TalkVermont at University of Vermont Health, as the 2025 recipients of the AACN-Gold Interprofessional Humanism in Healthcare Award.

The UVM Cancer Center has announced the recipients of its 2026 pilot and pre-pilot project grants—and all are Larner College of Medicine faculty. Pilot project awardees receive $50,000 to accelerate innovative studies with the potential for significant impact, while pre-pilot recipients are granted $15,000 to ignite early-stage projects and lay the foundation for future discoveries.

Larner’s Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA) and Dermatology Student Interest Groups, assisted by UVM dermatology residents and attendings, recently partnered with the Vermont Chinese School in South Burlington to host a skin-cancer awareness event for the Asian community. The groups shared educational handouts on skin cancer and gave out samples of skincare products.

Research by scientists at the Larner College of Medicine led by principal investigator Osama Harraz, Ph.D., assistant professor of pharmacology, provides novel insights into the mechanisms that regulate brain blood flow and highlights a potential therapeutic strategy for vascular dementia. Their preclinical findings were published recently in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

SAVE THE DATE

Nominations for the 2026 Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Awards, presented annually by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation to recognize the value of humanism in the delivery of care to patients and their families, are due by 8 a.m. on Monday, January 26, using this online form.

Class of 2028 Public Health Projects Poster Session & Community Celebration | Wednesday, January 28, 3:30–5:15 p.m., Hoehl Gallery, UVM Health Science Research Facility. Work from all 16 public health project groups will be displayed, with students and faculty mentors on hand to discuss their findings.

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Health Equity Lecture | Wednesday, January 28, 5:30–7 p.m., MedEd200 Sullivan Classroom. “Code Blue! Resuscitating Trust in Medicine,” by Timothy P. Lahey, M.D., M.M.Sc., Professor of Medicine in Infectious Disease, UVM Larner College of Medicine, and Director of Medical Ethics, UVM Health.

MY WHY

The “My Why” campaign invites Larner researchers to share the personal motivations driving their work. We also welcome students explaining why they want to be physicians, as well as patients or families sharing how their health outcomes have been improved by research.

By amplifying these stories, we can shine a light on the essential role of research and funding in advancing medicine, and create impactful content that celebrates our mission, our impact, and our “Why.”

LARNER IN THE NEWS

NEW YORK TIMES
Bryan Quoted in Article on Suicide Risk for Construction Workers

CANCER THERAPY ADVISOR
Larner Study Finds Rural Cancer Survivors Are More Likely Than Urban Survivors to Experience Chronic Pain

PUBLICATIONS

To view recent publications by members of the Larner College of Medicine community, visit the National Institutes of Health PubMed website.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Published by the Office of Medical Communications © 2026

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