Office of Medical Communications

(September 28, 2022) Infectious disease expert Tim Lahey, M.D., M.M.Sc., professor of medicine, commented to WCAX-TV for a story on vaccines and boosters.

In a new study in the journal PNAS, a team of University of Vermont and University of Washington scientists discovered that – based on clinical samples from infected individuals – the Delta variant had a higher infectivity than the Alpha variant of COVID-19.

UVM Larner College of Medicine alum Melissa Houser, M.D.'12 founded and partnered with the Vermont Department of Health, Vermont Family Network, Waterbury EMS, and a group of volunteers to create All Brains Belong VT—a nonprofit neuroinclusive primary care and community center offering patient-centered healthcare and inclusively-designed community events. The organization hosted its first sensory-friendly COVID-19 community vaccination clinic in December 2021.

New research from U.S. Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium (BCSC) members, including several University of Vermont researchers, found that from March to September 2020, breast biopsies and detected cancers at U.S. BCSC facilities dropped sharply, compared with the same span a year earlier.

New trial results from the University of Vermont and an international team of researchers show that administering a full dose of a standard blood thinner early to moderately ill hospitalized patients with COVID-19 could reduce the risk of severe disease and death.

Thanks to health outreach groundwork laid prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, farm worker communities across Vermont had access to on-site vaccine clinics through a partnership between UVM Extension, the Vermont Department of Health, UVM College of Nursing and Health Sciences, UVM Larner College of Medicine and UVM Medical Center.

On March 18, 2021, researchers from across UVM came together via Zoom for the second edition of the Translational Global Infectious Diseases Research Center's COVID-19 research slam, titled “UVM Tackles COVID-19: Research Progress and Perspectives One Year into the Pandemic.”

One of the most alarming realizations of the past year has been the clear link between structural racism in the U.S. and the racial and ethnic health disparities that have led to a disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on communities of color. Thanks to the collaboration of numerous partners in Vermont, members of the New American community are getting the education they need to make informed decisions about their health and the COVID-19 vaccine.

While public health and infectious disease experts have discussed strategies to enhance adherence, including the potential use of financial incentives, an examination of the scientific evidence on incentivizing vaccine adherence has not been discussed. A new Commentary in Preventive Medicine by Vermont Center on Behavior and Health Director Stephen Higgins, Ph.D., and colleagues addresses that gap.

A new study conducted by a team of health economists and public health faculty at the University of Vermont suggests that the behavior public officials are now mandating or recommending to slow the spread of COVID-19--wearing a face covering--should come with a caveat. If not accompanied by proper public education, the practice could lead to more infections.