Department of Neurological Sciences

(NOVEMBER 21, 2023) Allyson Bazarsky, M.D., assistant professor of neurological sciences, was mentioned in an MDedge article on the 2023 Scottsdale Headache Symposium.

(OCTOBER 24, 2023) Michael Hehir, M.D., professor of neurological sciences, spoke to Nicholas Silvestri, M.D., host of Medscape’s In Discussion: Myasthenia Gravis podcast, in an episode titled “Managing Myasthenia Gravis in Primary Care: Best Practices.”

(OCTOBER 12, 2023) WCAX-TV reports that Emmett Whitaker, M.D., FAAP, associate professor of anesthesiology, neurological sciences, and pediatrics at the Larner College of Medicine, has been granted a $1.95 million award to study anesthesia-induced hypotension in neonates, infants, and older adults.

(JUNE 1, 2023) Andrew Solomon, M.D., associate professor of neurological sciences, discussed the prevalence of multiple sclerosis (MS) misdiagnosis and what can be done about it in his opening lecture at the 2023 Annual Meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC), NeurologyLive reported.

Students, family, friends, faculty, and staff gathered May 20 and 21 to celebrate both the next generation of biomedical scientists and health professionals, as well as the exceptional academic achievements of several Larner College of Medicine faculty, during the University of Vermont’s Commencement Weekend.

The Larner College of Medicine medical Class of 2023 Honors Night on May 15 featured recognition and awards for graduating medical students, faculty, and staff.

(MAY 12, 2023) A group of researchers led by Andrew Solomon, M.D., associate professor of neurological sciences, tested different groups of neurologists using the McDonald criteria for diagnosing multiple sclerosis (MS) and showed that knowledge gaps or misunderstandings often led to errors, Time News reported. Various studies show that the criteria are sometimes incorrectly applied by neurological specialists, including MS specialists.

(MAY 10, 2023) Larner Class of 2024 medical student Dana Allison was interviewed by Medscape about presenting her research on Virtual Reality Interventions for Autistic Spectrum Disorder Therapy at the 2023 American Academy of Neurology Meeting in Boston.

(MARCH 24, 2023) Commenting to Vermont Public on the social benefits of a new free-form game designed for people with dementia, John Steele Taylor, M.D., assistant professor of neurological sciences, said being socially isolated is “one of the worst things possible for the brain.” (Click on headline for more.)

(MARCH 1, 2023) Commenting to Medscape for an article on differential multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis for minorities, Andrew Solomon, M.D., professor of neurological sciences and chief of the Division of Multiple Sclerosis, said that for years, the “prevailing thought” was that MS was less common in underrepresented populations.

(FEBRUARY 28, 2023) Neurologist John Steele Taylor, M.D., assistant professor of neurological sciences and medical co-director of the Memory Program at UVM Medical Center, joined Meg Polyte, policy and advocacy director for the Vermont chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, in a conversation with Connor Cyrus on Vermont Public’s Vermont Edition program.

The University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine features some of the world’s foremost cardiovascular researchers, experts in cardiovascular disease risk factors, thrombosis, atherosclerosis, stroke, and heart failure. the science shared by early-career investigators at the Cardiovascular Research Institute of Vermont’s fourth annual Viridis Montis Challenge, it was apparent that the institution’s reputation and legacy in the field of cardiovascular research will continue to have a global impact.

The Cardiovascular Research Institute of Vermont held its 4th Annual Viridis Montis Early Career Investigator Challenge on February 1, 2023, and Toishi Sharma, MBBS, cardiovascular disease fellow in the Department of Medicine, was selected as the winner.

(DECEMBER 17, 2022) Neuropsychologist Sharon Leach, Ph.D., and child psychiatrist Feyza Basoglu, M.D., both clinical assistant professors of psychiatry, will challenge participants to diagnose psychiatric or neurological disorders as part of the 14th annual Vermont Brain Bee neuroscience competition to be held at the Larner College of Medicine on February 11, Seven Days reports.

The University of Vermont Cancer Center recently announced the names of the inaugural Juckett Scholars. The award program is part of the new Clinician Investigator Development Initiative and is supported by the Juckett Foundation.

(NOVEMBER 8, 2022) Research on autism spectrum disorder conducted by Neuroscience Graduate Program doctoral student Erin Cullen and Assistant Professor of Neurological Sciences Matthew Weston, Ph.D., in collaboration with researchers at Dartmouth’s medical school, was featured in Chip Chick. (Click on headline for more.)

On October 27, 2022, the UVM Larner College of Medicine held a grand opening and dedication of the newest addition to the medical campus: the Firestone Medical Research Building.

(JULY 20, 2022) Robert Shapiro, M.D., Ph.D., professor of neurological sciences, joined other experts for a conversation about the impact of migraine on quality of life, as well as the pain of stigma and how advocacy can reduce stigma, in an editorial collaboration between Medscape and the American Headache Society.

More than 100 in-person and dozens of virtual participants attended the second annual Vermont Center for Cardiovascular and Brain Health (VCCBH) Symposium, held at the University of Vermont’s Davis Center June 2 to 3, 2022. The VCCBH, one of three National Institutes of Health Center of Biomedical Research Excellence-funded programs at UVM, is co-directed by Mary Cushman, M.D., M.Sc., professor and vice chair for emerging researchers in the Department of Medicine, and Mark Nelson, Ph.D., University Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacology.

On May 13, the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont held Honors Night for graduating medical students in the Class of 2022. Accolades presented included the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society faculty, housestaff, and community physician awards; the Arnold P. Gold Foundation's Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine faculty and student awards; Area Health Education Center Scholars; department awards to students; and awards from the Class of 2022.