Celebrating the UVM Larner College of Medicine Community

As we move into the summer months, I want to express my gratitude to the entire Larner community—students, faculty, and staff—for all you have done this academic year. We graduated our medical and graduate students last month, and this month we welcome a new class of interns. Soon our newest medical and graduate students will arrive on campus. I am so proud of our missions, our people, and our impact on our community and beyond. Please enjoy the summer months as we prepare for the exciting year ahead. 

Warm regards,
Rick

Read Dean Page’s full message

On May 28, Dean Richard L. Page, M.D., announced the establishment of the new Office of Research and Engagement (ORE) within the Larner College of Medicine. Led by Kate Tracy, Ph.D., and Rebecca Wilcox, M.D., with co-directors Michael Toth, Ph.D., and Renee Stapleton, M.D., ORE is a collaboration by research and faculty offices designed to enhance research activity and competitiveness.

Read more about the new Office of Research and Engagement

People living with cystic fibrosis (CF) can now take a once-daily drug that will help them breathe easier all day long, thanks to a study by Larner pulmonary science researchers and colleagues at 200 sites in more than 20 countries. Thomas Lahiri, M.D. (pictured at left, left), at the UVM Children’s Hospital and Charlotte Teneback, M.D. (pictured at left, right), at the UVM Medical Center served as site principal investigators.

Read more about the CF clinical trial at UVM

College students interested in health care careers gathered at UVM this spring for Understanding Pathways to Pediatrics, a glimpse of medical school and the job of a pediatrician. Hosted by Larner medical students and funded by the pediatrics department, this annual program aims to support students in applying to medical school and inspire them to specialize in pediatrics.

Read more about Understanding Pathways to Pediatrics

VOICES OF THE COLLEGE

“My father made me the physician I am today. From my early experience as his house call companion, I gained a curiosity about people and a willingness to be transformed by learning that I’ve
never lost.”

— Lisa Belisle, M.D.’96, M.P.H., M.B.A., Ph.D. 

ACCOLADES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Larner faculty and students—including (pictured at left, left to right) Danielle Callard ’28, Patrick Barrett ’28, and Connor Nowak ’28—volunteered in the medical tent at the Vermont City Marathon in Burlington on May 25. Overseen by Katie Dolbec, M.D.’10, who served as medical director, the volunteers were prepared to provide advanced care in the event of nausea, wounds, fractures, bleeds, arrhythmias, hyponatremia, exertional heat stroke, and more.

On May 18, UVM and Larner College of Medicine alum James M. Betts ’69, M.D.’73, a pediatric surgeon, former Olympic team physician, and volunteer firefighter, delivered the commencement address after receiving an honorary doctor of science degree at UVM’s 224th Commencement Ceremony. Now a pediatric surgeon and urologist in Oakland, California, Betts has built a distinguished career in the Bay Area.

Larner medical student Joseph Du ’27 (pictured at left, right) presented a study on pediatric non-fatal firearm injury and post-injury health care at the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine annual meeting, held May 13–16 in Philadelphia. Du participated in this research with Christian D. Pulcini, M.D., M.P.H., M.Ed. (pictured at left, left), assistant professor of emergency medicine and pediatrics.

Infectious disease specialist Benjamin Lee, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics, spoke with the University of Vermont’s Across the Fence program about efforts to develop a Lyme disease vaccine. Anyone who spends time outdoors is at risk for Lyme disease. With more ticks expanding their territory into northern New England, Lyme disease is an increasing concern across Vermont.

Debra Leonard, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chair of pathology and laboratory medicine at the Larner College of Medicine, UVM Medical Center, and UVM Health Network, has announced her retirement, effective January 6, 2026. She joined the Larner College of Medicine and the UVM Health Network in 2013; her career has focused on molecular pathology and genomic medicine.

 

SAVE THE DATE

MedEd 100 | Larner’s Third Annual Blood Drive, Friday, June 13. Schedule your appointment between 10 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. Join Dean Page as we partner with the Red Cross to replenish Vermont’s critical blood supply. Your gift can save a life!

Davis Center | UVM RISE (Research, Innovation, Sustainability, and Entrepreneurship) Summit, “Research as a Public Good,” Tuesday, June 17, 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m., Davis Center Grand Maple Ballroom. Panels and workshops on how collaborative research can provide critical tools to solve problems in rural places.

UVM Campus | All UVM offices closed on Thursday, June 19, for Juneteenth, commemorating the day in 1865 when the news of the Emancipation Proclamation ending slavery in the United States reached Texas, announcing the official end of the Civil War.

LARNER IN THE NEWS

NEW YORK TIMES
Madsen Comments on Major Consequences of Ministrokes

WCAX-TV
Ades States Clinical Trials Are Critical in Finding Future Treatments

JOIN LARNER ON BLUE SKY

Please join the Larner College of Medicine in our newest social media community, Bluesky @uvmlarnermed.bsky.social. With over 34 million registered users and growing, Bluesky is a free, open social network similar to X/Twitter where everyone can highlight our incredible research to #MedSky, share news celebrating our medical community, and stay in the know. You can also connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and X. 

PUBLISHED RESEARCH

Ament Z, Patki A, Bhave VM, Kijpaisalratana N, Jones AC, Couch CA, Stanton RJ, Rist PM, Cushman M, Judd SE, Long DL, Irvin MR, Kimberly WT. Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Risk of Ischemic Stroke in REGARDS. Transl Stroke Res. 2025 Jun;16(3):747-756. doi: 10.1007/s12975-024-01256-7. Epub 2024 Apr 27. PMID: 38676880; PMCID: PMC12102781.

Bounds R, Priester J, Lewis, B, King R, Lentz, S. Descriptive Analysis of Resources Used to Learn About Residency Programs Since Transition to Virtual Interviews. WestJEM. 2025; 26(3).

Chan BK, Stanley GL, Kortright KE,et al. Personalized inhaled bacteriophage therapy for treatment of multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa in cystic fibrosis. Nat Med 31, 1494–1501 (2025).

Chmait HR, Patel D, Roy G, Ziino C. Gardner-Wells Tongs Are a Safe Alternative for Intraoperative Positioning and Spine Surgery. Orthopedics. 2025 May-Jun;48(3):153-158. doi: 10.3928/01477447-20250410-01. Epub 2025 Apr 23. PMID: 40272027.

Dallas A, Williams F, Gómez E, Lakhaney D, Friedman S, Dayan PS, Pulcini CD. Setting Up for Success: Caregiver Perspectives on Emergency Care Plans for Children With Medical Complexity. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2025 Jun 2. doi: 10.1097/PEC.0000000000003371. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40452296.

Horton S, Wilson ML, Cheung ANY, DeStigter K, Kohli M, Sayed S, Schroeder LF, Sullivan R, Tan BS, Alooh M, Dahn B, Donoso-Bach L, Garcia PJ, Hussain S, Kao K, Looi LM, Pai M, Plebani M, Tebeje YK, Umutesi G, Walia K, Fleming KA. Moving the dial on diagnostics: an update from the Lancet Commission on diagnostics. Lancet. 2025 May 20:S0140-6736(25)00804-9. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(25)00804-9. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40409332.

Kallen AN, Whirledge S, Goldman KN, Johnson J. Undermining Women's Health Research - Gambling with the Public's Health. N Engl J Med. 2025 May 28. doi: 10.1056/NEJMp2503576. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40435490.

Klemperer EM, Feinstein MJP, Marsh K, Villanti AC, Carpenter MJ, Skelly JM, DeSarno MJ, Higgins ST. A factorial randomized clinical trial of nicotine replacement therapy and treatment recommendations to quit vs continue e-cigarettes when quitting smoking in young adult dual users. Nicotine Tob Res. 2025 May 31:ntaf119. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntaf119. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40448340.

Lamberson M, King R, Waters CT, Jackson P, Brooklyn J, Riser E, Wolfson D. Rapid Titration of Methadone for Opioid Use Disorder in the Emergency Department: A Case Report. Clin Pract Cases Emerg Med. 2025 May;9(2):188-192. doi: 10.5811/cpcem.39968. PMID: 40402058; PMCID: PMC12097257.

Lester-Coll NH, Dal Pra A, Murthy V, Kamran SC. Advancements in Prostate Cancer Radiation Therapy: The Role of Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen Positron Emission Tomography Imaging. Pract Radiat Oncol. 2025 Apr 15:S1879-8500(25)00073-6. doi: 10.1016/j.prro.2025.03.008. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40246072.

Metcalf RA, Nahirniak S, Guyatt G, Bathla A, White SK, Al-Riyami AZ, Jug RC, La Rocca U, Callum JL, Cohn CS, DeAnda A, DeSimone RA, Dubon A, Estcourt LJ, Filipescu DC, Fung MK, Goel R, Hess AS, Hume HA, Kaufman RM, Kranke P, Louw VJ, Møller MH, Murphy MF, Muszynski JA, O'Kelly CJ, Pagano MB, Patidar GK, Pavenski K, Poston JN, Saifee NH, Stolla M, Szczepiorkowski ZM, Tobian AAR, Uberoi R, Waters J, Williams B, Wood EM, Zantek ND, Zeller MP, Grossman BJ, Stanworth SJ. Platelet Transfusion: 2025 AABB and ICTMG International Clinical Practice Guidelines. JAMA. 2025 May 29. doi: 10.1001/jama.2025.7529. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40440268.

Pahl A, Hu Z, Young LW, Wong Ramsey K, Whalen B, Akshatha A, Benninger K, Fung C, Howell MP, Markee SM, Das A, Crawford M, Trochinski L, Greenberg R, Smith PB, Ounpraseuth ST, Merhar S, Devlin LA, MacMillan KDDL. Maternal Area of Residence and Outcomes for Mother-Infant Dyads with Perinatal Opioid Exposure. Am J Perinatol. 2025 May 28. doi: 10.1055/a-2622-3839. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40436395.

Rogowski JA, Greenberg L, Edwards EM, Ehret DEY, Buzas JS, Horbar JD. Outcomes for Very Preterm Infants Across Health Systems. JAMA Netw Open. 2025 Jun 2;8(6):e2513274. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.13274. PMID: 40455446.

Svoboda J, Landsburg DJ, Gerson J, Nasta SD, Barta SK, Chong EA, Cook M, Frey NV, Shea J, Cervini A, Marshall A, Four M, Davis MM, Jadlowsky JK, Chew A, Pequignot E, Gonzalez V, Noll JH, Paruzzo L, Rojas-Levine J, Plesa G, Scholler J, Siegel DL, Levine BL, Porter DL, Ghassemi S, Ruella M, Rech A, Leskowitz RM, Fraietta JA, Hwang WT, Hexner E, Schuster SJ, June CH. Enhanced CAR T-Cell Therapy for Lymphoma after Previous Failure. N Engl J Med. 2025 May 8;392(18):1824-1835. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2408771. PMID: 40334157.

Woolpert KM, Ahern TP, Baurley JW, Maliniak ML, Damkier P, Kjærsgaard A, Collin LJ, Hamilton-Dutoit S, Tramm T, Ejlertsen B, Sørensen HT, Lash TL, Cronin-Fenton DP. Genetic variants in tamoxifen metabolism and early treatment discontinuation among premenopausal breast cancer patients. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2025 May 14. doi: 10.1007/s10549-025-07719-1. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40369345.

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