The NNE-CTR Seminar Series is your chance to learn and network. These online lunchtime presentations and Q&A sessions run from 12:00-1:00 (usually on Fridays) and keep our members informed on the latest developments and trends in healthcare with a focus on rurality.

Panels consisting of leaders in their fields from Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and beyond present on a variety of topics that address research and best medical practices to help us all work towards improving health and health care services throughout our region.

Topics for our seminars include:

• addressing healthcare delivery challenges in our region
• communication strategies for rural health services
• recent changes and advances in regional health
• telehealth in northern New England
• tri-state health plans and policies

Announcements and links for seminars are sent via our members listserv. Join now to receive these updates and more.

Have an idea for a seminar topic?

Email us to let us know what topics you want to learn about next, which speakers you'd love to hear, or if you have expertise to share on a future panel!

Upcoming Seminars

Our 2026 Spring Seminar Series is being finalized, and we will post topics, dates and links soon!

Fall 2025 Seminars

• Friday, October 10, 2025: Illicit Drug Trends and Why it Matters for Patient Care. Dr. Elly Riser, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Hospitalist & addiction Medicine Physician at the University of Vermont Medical Center; Dr. Glenn Sterner, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice, College of Social Work, University of Kentucky; and Stephanie Thompson, Public Health Analyst for Vermont with Overdose Response Strategy
• Friday, October 24, 2025: Protecting Public Health in a Time of Climate & Political Crisis. Dr. Mark Levine, Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education, UVM LCOM and former Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Health
• Friday, November 7, 2025: Nothing About Us Without Us - Health Communication by and for People with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities (IDD). Kirsten Murphy, Executive Director of the Vermont Developmental Disabilities Council; Nancy Cronin, Executive Director of the Maine Developmental Disabilities Council; and Kirsten Isgro, Project Manager for the Inclusive Healthcare Partnership Project.
• Friday, November 21, 2025: Applied AI in Clinical Practice - Studies, Trends and a Vision for the Future. Alicia Jacobs, MD FAAFP, Clinical Informatics Medical Director of Wellbeing for UVM Health; Network, Practicing Family Medicine Physician, and Professor in the UVM LCOM Department of Family Medicine; Julie Lin, MD FAAD, Medical Director of Clinical Informatics for UVM Health Network and Associate Professor of Dermatology at UVM LCOM; Alison Sullivan, MD  MS, Clinical Informatics Medical Director of Applied Informatics, UVM Health Network and Associate Professor at the UVM LCOM Department of Emergency Medicine.

Past Seminars

Click any of the titles below to watch our past seminars or visit our YouTube page.

• Friday, May 2, 2025: Integrating the BeatPain study with PRaCTICE, a New Network Research Hub of the NIH CARE for Health Initiative. Sebastian Tong, MD, MPH, Asst. Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Washington and Associate Director of the Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho region PBRN and Julie Fritz, MD, Associate Dean for Research, College of Health, University of Utah
• Friday, April 18, 2025: Understanding and Applying Implementation Science. Jeremiah Brown, MD, Founding Director, Dartmouth Center for Implementation Science
• Friday, February 21, 2025: Integrating N-of-1 Trials into Usual Care and the Healthcare Ecosystem. Harry P. Selker, MD, MSPH, Dean, Tufts CTSI, Executive Director, Institute for Clinical Research and Health Policy Studies, Tufts Medical Center
• November 8, 2024: Connecting to Communities: Establishing a Research Network in Primary Care Settings. Dr. Tara A. Schwetz, National Institutes of Health Program Director for Program Coordination, Planning & Strategic Initiatives
• October 25, 2024: GIS Capabilities and the Importance of Spatial Connections in Health Science Investigation. Dr. Paige Brochu, Director, Spatial Analysis Laboratory, University of Vermont Rubenstein School of Environment & Natural Resources
• September 27, 2024: Preventing HPV-Associated Cancers by Vaccination and Screening. Dr. Douglas R. Lowy, Principal Deputy Director, National Cancer Institute
• June 24, 2024: Large Language Models & Healthcare: Is ChatGPT a Friend, a Foe, or the Tip of the Iceberg?  Dr. Elie Donath, Assistant Professor, UVM LCOM Department of Medicine
• May 31, 2024: Dr. Josh Bongard (UVM), AIs That Predict, Discuss or Intervene in Health Outcomes
• May 10, 2024: Sally Kraft, MD, MPH (DHS); Kelly Barnes, Manager, (MHIR); Mark Pasanen, MD (UVM): "Can Project ECHO Improve Your Research?"
• December 15, 2023: Robert Althoff, MD, PhD (UVM Health Network): "Mental Health in 2023: Risks and Opportunities"
• November 10, 2023: Jessie Hammond, MPH (VDH) "Data Acquisition and Analysis: Vermont Department of Health"
• May 26, 2023: Dr. Aurora Quaye (MH) "Findings & Next Steps on a Study on Pain Control & Post-Operative Opioid Use"
• April 28, 2023: Dr. Abby Fleish (MH); Alyson Byard, Western Maine Primary Care; "Implementation of the Bright Bodies Program for Childhood Obesity: Helping Kids and Their Families Stay Health and Have Fun"
• April 14, 2023: Dr. Jan Carney (UVM); "Community Engagement & Outreach in the NNE-CTR: The What, Why and How"  
• March 24, 2023: Dr. Frances Carr (UVM); Dr. Aaron Brown (MHIR); Dr. Doug Taatjes (UVM) "Microcalorimetry & Spatial Omics: Emerging Technologies in the NNE-CTR Translational Research Technology Core"
  
• March 10, 2023: Dr. Jon Porter (UVM Osher Center for Integrative Medicine) "Creating an Integrative, Effective & Financially Sustainable Program for Individuals with Chronic Pain - Experience and Outcomes at the University of Vermont"
• February 10, 2023: Raimond L. Winslow, PhD, (The Roux Institute at Northeastern University) "Life Sciences and Medical Research Opportunities at the Roux Institute"
• December 9, 2022: Clifford Rosen, MD (MaineHealth Research Institute) "Long Covid: Where Are We?"
• November 4, 2022: Meredith Niles, PhD (UVM Dept of Nutrition & Food Sciences); Jennifer Laurent,PhD, PNP-BC, APRN (UVM Dept of Nursing)' Emily Bellarmino, PhD (UVM Dept of Nutrition & Food Sciences) "Assessing the Food Security and Health Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Rural New England"
• September 23, 2022: Mark Levine, MD, FACP (Commissioner of Vermont Department of Health); "A Plethora of Viral Outbreaks, From Antiquity to Completely Novel: The Public Health Perspective"
• June 10, 2022: Frances Carr, MD (UVM Dept of Pharmacology and Cancer Center); Aaron Brown, MD (MaineHealth); Doug Taatjes, PhD, (UVM BIomedical Shared Resources); "Trends in Translational Research Technologies"
• June 3, 2022: Adam Atherly, PhD (UVM BioChemistry Dept); Yvonne Jonk, PhD (University of Southern Maine); Kathleen Fairfield, MD, MPD, DRPH, MaineHealth); "RADx in our Region: Expanding Access to COVID Testing"
• May 27, 2022: Alexa Craig, MD (MaineHealth); Tracy Jalbuena, MD (MaineHealth); Charles MacLean, MD (UVM-LCOM); Matthew Siket, MD (UVM-LCOM); "Telehealth Advances in the COVID-19 Era"
• April 22, 2022: Roy Beckford, PhD (UVM Cooperative Extension) and Hanna Carter, PhD (MaineHealth Cooperative Extension);"A History of Proactive Persistence: Extension's Approach to the COVID-19 Pandemic and New Realities"
• April 8, 2022: Drs. Laura Blaisdell, MD MPH (MaineHealth) and Wendy Davis, MD (Vermont Child Health Improvement Program); "The Impacts of COVID-19 on Child Health Services"
• March 25, 2022: Adriane Burke, MPH, Melanie Feinberg, and Sharon Mallory, MPH; State Departments of Health and Comprehensive Cancer Control Programs; "Cancer Prevention & Control in Northern New England: Comprehensive Cancer Control"
• December 17, 2021: Dr. Mark Levine, MD, FACP; Commissioner of the VT Department of Health; "The COVID-19 Pandemic: Current Status & Future Projections"
• 2021: Dr. Valerie Harder, PhD; UVM Center on Rural Addiction; "Concerns and Beliefs about Substance Use and Treatment among Northern New England Practitioners"
• 2021: Dr. Douglas R Lowy, MD; Laboratory of Cellular Oncology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute; "Recent and Future Advances in Reducing HPV-Associated Cancers by Vaccination and Screening"