Designed to share the medical learning experience with our greater community, Community Medical School is a public lecture series featuring relevant topics presented by University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine/University of Vermont Medical Center faculty experienced with delivering scientific information in an engaging, easy-to-understand manner.
Community Medical School is held on the first Tuesday of each month in Carpenter Auditorium in the Given Building at the Larner College of Medicine from 6:00-7:30 pm, including a Q+A Session.
Introducing the Fall 2017 Community Medical School series:
September 5 - Breast Density: The New Law & What It Means for Breast Cancer Screening & Risk
Sally Herschorn, M.D., FACR, Associate Professor of Radiology and Medical Director and Division Chief, Breast Imaging
As of January 15, 2017 all Vermont patients are legally required to be informed of their breast density, but now that patients know their breast density, what should they do with this information? Learn how a woman's breast density category affects her risk of developing breast cancer and how radiologists can detect it on mammography. Find out what you can do to improve the odds of a cancer being detected early, when treatable. The pros and cons of additional screening methods will be discussed to help patients make better-informed choices.
October 3 - SPECIAL PANEL PRESENTATION: Lyme Disease: Big, Bad Borrelia burgdorferi & the Tiny Tick
Ralph C. Budd, M.D., University Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Director, Vermont Center for Immunology & Infectious Diseases; Bradley Tompkins, M.P.H., Infectious Disease Epidemiologist and Program Chief, Vermont Department of Health; Molly Markowitz, Student, Larner College of Medicine Class of 2018
Northeasterners have likely experienced the sharp pang of dread associated with finding a tick embedded in their skin. Unfortunately, for many bitten by a Borrelia burgdorferi-infected tick, that dread can lead to fever, leg and arm weakness, facial paralysis, or short-term memory loss. Learn about the details of Lyme disease in Vermont, the body's immune response to Lyme, the manifestation of arthritis in Lyme patients, antibiotic resistance, and research designed to support and improve education and prevention practices. Panelists include staff from the Vermont Department of Health and the Vermont Center for Immunology & Infectious Diseases, as well as a CDC Lyme Corps member.
November 7 - Politics, Money, & Science: Current Debates in Public Health & Health Policy
Jan K. Carney, M.D., M.P.H., Associate Dean for Public Health
Could sitting too much really kill us? Are e-cigarettes just as bad as tobacco or an aid to quit smoking? Public health issues are controversial. Join a former Vermont Commissioner of Health for a discussion of current debates in public health and explore how controversy can be both a helpful tool to raise public awareness and a hindrance for progress in health policy. Learn how and why politics, money, and scientific debate fuel these spirited disputes.