Osama Harraz, Ph.D., M.Sc., the Bloomfield Early Career Professor in Cardiovascular Research and an assistant professor of pharmacology, and his colleague from the University of Maryland, Thomas Longden, Ph.D., are recipients of a prestigious Collaborative Pairs Pilot Project Award from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative’s (CZI) Neurodegeneration Challenge Network (NDCN). Harraz and Longden’s project will focus on the reprogramming of blood flow to satisfy changing needs in different brain regions, a process the team refers to as vascular signaling plasticity.

Read the full story about this research

On February 17, 2024, Gary Mawe, Ph.D., a respected faculty member at the Larner College of Medicine and the University of Vermont, passed away at the age of 67. His life was marked by achievement and dedication, leaving a lasting impact on our community, both here at Larner and at UVM.

Read more about Dr. Gary Mawe

In a commitment to community wellness, a ribbon-cutting ceremony led by Dean Page opened the new Plante Student Lounge in Given on February 5. Dozens of students, faculty, and staff gathered to celebrate. The two-year planning process involved design input with the Larner Medical Student Council and the Larner Wellness Committee.

Read more about the lounge opening

From pioneering the development of non-opioid pain management alternatives to delving into the socioeconomic factors underlying addiction, faculty and researchers at UVM and the Larner College of Medicine have steadfastly dedicated themselves to enhancing access to treatment and prevention services amidst the ongoing opioid crisis.

Read more about Vermont’s opioid crisis

STUDENT VOICES

“Nurturing trust, inspiring student participation, and collaborating with stakeholders will help create a transformative program that empowers Latinx high school students, bridges gaps within the community, and paves the way for a brighter future for all.”
—Javier Rincon, Class of 2025

Read Rincon’s blog post

ACCOLADES & ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Larner medical student Kenny Nguyen ’25 was recognized on February 10 by the UVM Board of Trustees and Chair Ron Lumbra for serving a two-year term as a student appointee to the 25-member board; Nguyen’s term ended March 1. Attendees of the retirement luncheon at the Davis Center included UVM President Suresh Garimella, Provost Patricia Prelock, and Larner Dean Richard Page.

In her JAMA Network Open paper “Trends in Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Applications in the Year After Abortion Access Changes," Karen George, M.D., M.P.H., associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences, explores concerns about trainees’ ability to provide comprehensive care due to potential lack of training in states with abortion bans.

The Cardiovascular Research Institute of Vermont at the Larner College of Medicine has announced Professor of Medicine, Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs, and UVM Health Network Director of Interventional Cardiology Harold Dauerman, M.D., as one of its Distinguished Investigators. This honor is bestowed upon investigators performing sustained, impactful cardiovascular research.

Jack Mangan, Class of 2024, showcased his research at the Orthopaedic Research Society’s annual conference February 4–6 in Long Beach, California. Mangan presented both a poster, titled “Symptomatic Early Rupture of the inSpace Subacromial Balloon Spacer: A Case Report,” and a podium session on “Shoulder and Elbow: Surgical Approaches and Outcomes.”

A study investigating the immune response to mRNA COVID-19 vaccines—such as BNT162b2 (PfizerBioNTech) and mRNA-1273 (Moderna)—titled “Demographic and Clinical Factors Associated with SARS-CoV-2 Spike 1 Antibody Response Among Vaccinated US Adults: the C4R Study” by Mary Cushman, M.D., M.Sc., Russell Tracy, Ph.D., and colleagues, was published in Nature Communications.

Read more accolades & accomplishments

SAVE THE DATE

Join Senior Associate Dean for Research Kate Tracy, Ph.D., and UVM Strategic Communications Media Relations Director Basil Waugh for Research Spotlight: Make Headlines with Your Research on March 7 at 4:00 p.m. at the Hoehl Gallery at the Larner College of Medicine.

The keynote address for the annual UVM Cancer Center Scientific Retreat will take place virtually on Friday, March 8, 1:30–2:30 p.m. Eric Smith, M.D., Ph.D., director of translational science and immune effector cell therapies, and PI of a pre-clinical lab at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, will present “Bench to Bedside: Developing and Translating Novel Immunotherapies for Multiple Myeloma” via zoom for the LCOM community.

Join UVM Vice Provost Jane Okech, Ph.D., and Larner Dean Richard L. Page, M.D., for the investiture of Margaret Vizzard, Ph.D., as the inaugural holder of the Colleen A. and Gregory L. Holmes Green and Gold Professorship in Neurological Sciences Research on March 14 at 10:00 a.m. at the Hoehl Gallery. Watch it live here.

LARNER IN THE NEWS

 

Schumacher Comments on Schools Finding Balance Between Illness and Learning Loss

 

Lahey Comments on New Alabama IVF Law

Read more Larner news

CITATIONS

Barnard P, Stephensen B, Taylor G, Huang J, de Jager E, McMahon M. Management and Surveillance of Rectal Neuroendocrine Tumors: A Single-Centre Retrospective Analysis. ANZ J Surg. 2024 Feb 12. doi:10.111/ans.18895. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38345172. https://doi.org/10.1111/ans.18895.

Bonney EA, Lintao RCV, Zelop CM, Kammala AK, Menon R. Are fetal microchimerism and circulating fetal extracellular vesicles important links between spontaneous preterm delivery and maternal cardiovascular disease risk? Bioessays. 2024 Feb 15:e2300170. doi: 10.1002/bies.202300170. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38359068.

Brunyé TT, Booth K, Hendel D, Kerr KF, Shucard H, Weaver DL, Elmore JG. Machine learning classification of diagnostic accuracy in pathologists interpreting breast biopsies. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2024 Feb 16;31(3):552-562. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocad232. PMID: 38031453; PMCID: PMC10873842.

Clark SL, McGinnis EW, Zhao M, Xie L, Marks GT, Aberg KA, van den Oord EJCG, Copeland WE. The Impact of Childhood Mental Health and Substance Use on Methylation Aging Into Adulthood. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2023 Dec 27:S0890-8567(23)02266-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2023.10.014. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38157979.

Donohue PA, Kaminsky DA. The role of oscillometry in asthma. Curr Opin Pulm Med. 2024 Feb 16. doi: 10.1097/MCP.0000000000001057. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38411171.

Dupré N, Gueniot F, Domenga-Denier V, Dubosclard V, Nilles C, Hill-Eubanks D, Morgenthaler-Roth C, Nelson MT, Keime C, Danglot L, Joutel A. Protein aggregates containing wild-type and mutant NOTCH3 are major drivers of arterial pathology in CADASIL. J Clin Invest. 2024 Feb 22:e175789. doi: 10.1172/JCI175789. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38386425.

Hirve AA, Repp AB, Burgess LK. Things We Do for No Reason™: Obtaining an electrocardiogram for managing mild hyperkalemia in hospitalized adults. J Hosp Med. 2024 Jan 24. doi: 10.1002/jhm.13288. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38268413.

Khurana B, Bayne HN, Prakash J, Loder RT. Injury patterns and demographics in older adult abuse and falls: A comparative study in emergency department settings. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2024 Feb 20. doi: 10.1111/jgs.18801. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38376211.

Lahiri T, VanNostrand J, Faricy L, Twichell S. Profound electrolyte and acid- base disturbances in an infant with cystic fibrosis. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2024 Feb 15. doi: 10.1002/ppul.26924. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38358024.

Lim XR, Harraz OF. Mechanosensing by Vascular Endothelium. Annu Rev Physiol. 2024 Feb 12;86:71-97. doi: 10.1146/annurev-physiol-042022-030946. Epub 2023 Oct 20. PMID: 37863105.

Mackinder JR, Hinkel LA, Schutz K, Eckstrom K, Fisher K, Wargo MJ. Sphingosine induction of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa hemolytic phospholipase C/sphingomyelinase (PlcH). J Bacteriol. 2024 Feb 27:e0038223. doi: 10.1128/jb.00382-23. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38411048.

Shapiro RE, Nicholson RA, Seng EK, Buse DC, Reed ML, Zagar AJ, Ashina S, Muenzel EJ, Hutchinson S, Pearlman EM, Lipton RB. Migraine-Related Stigma and Its Relationship to Disability, Interictal Burden, and Quality of Life: Results of the OVERCOME (US) Study. Neurology. 2024 Feb 13;102(3):e208074. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000208074. Epub 2024 Jan 17. PMID: 38232340.

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