LCOM & Department News

Class of 2021 Celebrates Teachers, Classmates at Foundations Awards Event

January 25, 2019 by Jennifer Nachbur

The UVM Larner College of Medicine Class of 2021 participated in a Foundations Awards celebration January 24. The event, which marks the completion of the first level of the Vermont Integrated Curriculum, provides an opportunity for second-year medical students to join with faculty and staff and express their gratitude for the contributions of these Larner College of Medicine community members to their medical education journey.

Chris Hill, left, accepts the Standardized Patient award from Class of 2021 Student Council member Davina Tolbert. (Photo: David Seaver)

The numbers are staggering – since beginning medical school in August 2017, students in the Class of 2021 “have completed 27 secure exams, 8 to 9 anatomy practicals, at least one CSE for every course, 47 TBLs, and 191 Readiness Quizzes,” reported Class of 2021 Student Council member Cameron Burke in his opening remarks at his class’ Foundations Awards ceremony on January 24.

The celebratory event, which marks the completion of the first level of the Vermont Integrated Curriculum – Foundations – provides an opportunity for second-year medical students to join with faculty and staff and express their gratitude for the contributions of these Larner College of Medicine community members to their medical education journey.

“Please join me . . . to thank all those people who have given so much to advance our education thus far; the faculty, standardized patients, office staff, and other people too numerous to name who have helped us all reach this point in our medical education,” said Cameron to his classmates. “We wouldn't be here today without them, their dedication to teaching, or their devotion of so much time and energy, all of which has helped cultivate the growth of a class of fledgling medical students and prepared us to enter the hospital, where we will begin working with patients every day.”

In addition to Burke, key players in the event were Foundations Director Karen Lounsbury, Ph.D., who played her inaugural role as host; Dean Rick Page, M.D., and Interim Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education and Associate Dean for Students Christa Zehle, M.D., who each presented congratulatory remarks to the students; and Class of 2021 student leaders Jenna Dafgek, Sarah Sherman, Naira Goukasian, Sidika Kajtezovic, and Evan Lowry.

The Class of 2021 recently completed an exam for Convergence – the final course in the Foundations level of the curriculum. They will take a National Board of Medical Examiners practice exam on January 28 in preparation for their U.S. Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 exam, which they’ll do in February or March before starting the Clerkship level of the curriculum in mid-March.

The following Foundations awards were presented by the Class of 2021:

AMWA Gender Equity Award: Rebecca Wilcox, M.D., Associate Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. This award honors a male or female faculty member who promotes a gender-fair environment for the education and training of physicians and gender diversity in the field.

The Dean Warshaw Integration Award: William Raszka, M.D., Course Director, Attacks & Defenses, and Professor of Pediatrics. This award recognizes the faculty member whose teaching best captured the spirit of the VIC.

The Silver Stethoscope Award: Ronald Bryant, M.D., Associate Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. This award recognizes the faculty member who had few lecture hours, but made a substantial contribution to students’ education.

Above and Beyond Award: Ellen Black, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Neurological Sciences. This award recognizes the faculty member who went above and beyond the call of duty to help the students in their learning objectives.

Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award: Patrick Mullen, Ph.D. student, Neuroscience Graduate Program

Best Support Staff (Non-teaching) Award: Mike Cross, Custodial Maintenance Worker. This award recognizes the staff member who best supported students in areas besides teaching.

Standardized Patient Award: Chris Hill

Foundations Course Director Award: Rebecca Wilcox, M.D., Course Director, Nutrition, Metabolism and Gastrointestinal System (NMGI), and Associate Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Foundations Teaching Award: Ellen Black, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Neurological Sciences. The recipient of this award will be hooding the Class of 2019 at their graduation and will be recognized with other Teachers of the Year from the past.

Additional awards presented to members of the Class of 2021 included:

Wellness Award – presented by Class of 2021 Wellness Committee members Lexi Churchill, Olivia Larkin, Elizabeth Lynch, and Jordan Munger to Sarah Sherman ‘21

CVRI Summer Research Fellowship Merit Award – presented by Marilyn Cipolla, Ph.D., professor of neurological sciences and obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences, to Juan Conde, Ph.D. ’21

Exemplary Clinical Exam Skills Award – presented by Shirley McAdam to Susan Campbell ’21, Michael Chmielewski ‘21, Jenna Dafgek ‘21, Van Hoang ‘21, and Ellen Seyller ‘21

LCOM Summer Research Fellowship Merit Awards – presented by Renee Stapleton, M.D., Ph.D., director of medical student research and associate professor of medicine, to Garrett Chan ’21 (mentor: Yvonne Janssen-Heininger, Ph.D.), Collin Love ’21 (mentor: Patrick Bender, M.D.), Kenneth Palanza ’21 (mentor: Daniel Weiss, M.D., Ph.D.), and Shae Rowlandson ’21 (mentor: Jay Gupta, Ph.D.)

Durwood Smith Award for Excellence in Pharmacology – presented by Dr. Lounsbury to Meri Lackie ‘21

Ephraim Woll Award for Excellence in General Pathology – presented by Dr. Wilcox to Trina Thornburgh ‘21

B. Albert Ring, MD, Memorial Grant Award for best exemplifying compassion, humor, humility, and devotion to family and friends, and intellectual curiosity – presented by Dr. Lounsbury to Michael Weber ’21, Rio Beardsley ’21, and Lauren Struck ’21

Helen and Phyllis Wasserman Phorplus Prize for excellence in the Basic Sciences – presented by Dr. Lounsbury to Joy Benner ’21, Meri Lackie ’21 and Shae Rowlandson ‘21


The awards ceremony was followed by a welcome to Clerkship from Associate Dean for Clinical Education Tania Bertsch, M.D.

 

Past Department Highlights

Mark_FungCongratulations to Dr. Mark Fung, M.D., PhD., Professor Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, on receiving the 2023 College of American Pathologists (CAP) Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr. Fung is a nationally recognized expert in transfusion medicine. (10/2023) 

Congratulations to Jessica Crothers, M.D., Assistant Professor Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, on achieving the Notice of Special Interest Team Science award from NIAID for: "Effects of the gut microbiota on oral vaccine response in adults and children." (10/2023)

Nicole BouffardCongratulations to Nicole Bouffard on being awarded the "Scientific Research Staff Award" for 2023. This was presented to Nicole at the September 21, 2023, LCOM Research Excellence Award Ceremony. This is a great honor for Nicole and the Department of Pathology and recognizes her contributions and importance to the department and MIC. (10/2023)

Congratulations to Brian Cunniff, Ph.D., Assistant Professor Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, on being awarded a $1.6 million R01 grant by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences to study the role of mitochondrial trafficking in regulating cell migration, a key feature of metastatic tumors. (9/2023)

Congratulations to Yvonne Janssen-Heininger, Ph.D., Professor Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, on becoming a University of Vermont Cancer Center Program Co-Leader, Cancer Cell. (9/2023)

Congratulations to the following pathology members on receiving research support funds in April 2023. Recipients were: John Kennedy, M.D., $6520 for morphologic and immunohistochemical re-evaluation of renal cell carcinomas exhibiting papillary architecture, with emphasis on tumors demonstrating "type 2" morphology. Yvonne Janssen-Heininger, Ph.D., $15,000 for a joint initiative between RBP, UVM Cancer Center, and faculty in the Department of Chemistry. Megan Tarte $745 for Stem Cells, Cell Therapies, and Bioengineering in Lung Biology and Disease Conference. Albert van der Vliet, Ph.D., $14,400 for Redox processes in macrophage activation in IPF. (9/2023)

Congratulations to the following faculty members on their promotions: Vikas Anathy, Ph.D., to Professor with tenure, Bronwyn Bryant, M.D., to Associate Professor, John DeWitt, M.D., Ph.D., to Associate Professor, Sarah Nowak Ph.D., to Associate Professor, and Christi Wojewoda, M.D., to Professor. (6/2023)

Bei Zhang, M.D., M.S., Ph.D., MLS(ASCP), associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, did an educational scholarship session titled "Activate Students Learning Outside Classroom." at the 8th International meeting of the Association of Biochemistry Educators. Dr. Zhang also conducted two additional workshops with other ABE members titled "Linking Clinical Presentations to Their Biochemistry: A novel ABE Clinical-Biochemistry Curricular Treat Mapping Educational Tool.", and "Getting to Clerkship and Beyond: Crafting Biochemistry Learning Objectives that Connect and Integrate Basic Science Concepts with Clinical Application." (5/2023)

Congratulations to Dr. Maureen Harmon, M.D., associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, and Dr. Amer Abu Alfa, M.D., assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine for being recognized by medical students for their professionalism. Dr. Harmon was recognized for social responsibility and Dr. Abu Alfa was recognized for compassion. (5/2023)

Congratulations to Mary Cushman, Ph.D., M.Sc., professor of medicine and pathology and laboratory medicine, on being named a University Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Hematology/Oncology Division, and Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. (5/2023)

View the story Mammograms of a study by Sarah Nowak, Ph.D., assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, and researchers at the UVM Cancer Center showing data that fewer women being screened for breast cancer. (4/2023)

vandervliet-habibovic420x280A new study by Albert van der Vliet, Ph.D., professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, and a team of University of Vermont (UVM) researchers is honing in on why people with asthma often have worse symptoms if they are obese. This new research demonstrates that the gene DUOX1 likely contributes to the connection between obesity and asthma.  The research was published ahead of print in the American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology and was highlighted as an APSselect article for March 2023. Albert van der Vliet, Ph.D., was the senior author on the paper, along with department of pathology and laboratory medicine coauthors Aida Habibovic, lab research technician;Litiele Cruz, Ph.D., visiting scholar; Vikas Anathy, Ph.D., associate professor; University Distinguished Professor Yvonne Janssen-Heininger, Ph.D.; and additional team members and authors from UVM. Read the full LCOM News story LCOM News (4/2023)

Congratulations to Bronwyn Bryant, M.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, for having your proposal, Consequential Validity of Entrustable Professional Activities in Pathology Residency Training selected to receive a Frymoyer Scholars Program project of $48,000 to be funded July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2025. (4/2023)

Congratulations to Martin Chang, M.D., Ph.D., on accepting the new role as Vice Chair for Faculty Affairs. (4/2023)

Congratulations to Joanna Conant, M.D., on becoming the new Pathology Student Fellowship Director starting July 1, 2023. (4/2023)

Congratulations to The Cunniff Lab, on receiving funding to support research focused on malignant mesothelioma. The funding was from The Butler Family Foundation Fund for Cancer Research at the University of Vermont Cancer Center. The Butler Fund was established by the Butler family in memory of two loved ones lost to mesothelioma. (03/2023)

Congratulations to the following recipients that received pathology research support funding. Nathaniel Shannon in Brian Cunniff's, Ph.D., lab was awarded $1800 towards the cost of travel to the 2022 Annual Meeting of the Society for Redox Biology and Medicine (SfRBM). Litiele Cruz, Ph.D., and faculty mentor Albert van der Vliet, PhD., were awarded $2622 for her project "Characterization of Laminin Oxidative Modifications by Peroxidasin in Pulmonary Fibrosis". Nels Olson, PhD., MPH., $14,582 for the purchase of an Agilent BioTek 405 TS Touch Microplate Washer, Model 405 TSRS. Ashley Volaric M.D., Joanna Conant M.D., and David Seward, M.D, Ph.D., were awarded $13,680 for their project, "The Effect of Epstein Barr Virus Latency on Cellular DNA Methylation Profile of Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma". (3/2023)

A number of faculty and students from the pathology and laboratory medicine department presented research at the American Heart Associations Epidemiology, Prevention, Lifestyle, and Cardiometabolic Health (EPI/Lifestyle) Scientific Sessions 2023 in Boston February 28 - March 3. Students presenting were Maggie King, a master in science pathology degree student who was mentored by faculty scientist J. Peter Durda, Ph.D. pathology and laboratory medicine.  Maggie presented on "Complete Blood Count Analysis in the Risk Underlying Rural Areas Longitudinal (RURAL) Cohort Study with a Point of Care Instrument." Her study is supported by NHLBI. And second-year medical student and 2022 Cardiovascular Research Institute Summer Research Fellow Megan Zhou, mentored by pathology and laboratory medicine associate professor Nels Olson, Ph.D. Megan presented on  "Coagulation Factor IX and Incident Diabetes Risk: The Reasons for Geographic and Race Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Study." Also, pathology and laboratory faculty members that were coauthors of presentations given, assistant professor Margaret Doyle, Ph.D., and University Distinguished Professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, Russell Tracy, Ph.D. (3/2023)

Congratulations to Dr. Bei Zhang, M.D., Ph.D., MLS(ASCP), associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, for being selected for a Distinguished Scholar Award by the Association of Biochemistry Educators for her submission entitled "Activate Students' Learning Outside Classroom". Dr. Zhang will be presenting this submission at the 2023 Association of Biochemistry Education Conference. (3/2023)

Congratulations to our 2023 Gender Equity Award Nominees. Gender Equity Champion Award nominee, Debra Leonard, M.D., Ph.D., Chair and Professor Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. Our departmental nominees for The Polaris Award for Outstanding Mentorship- an award for informal or formal mentorship for women or gender diverse college community members, Rebecca Wilcox, M.D., Pam Gibson, M.D., Yvonne Janssen-Heininger, Ph.D., and Christi Wojewoda, M.D. (2/2023)  

Congratulations to Dr. Scott Anderson, M.D., on being selected to receive the Association of Pathology Chairs 2023 Margaret Grimes Distinguished Achievement Award in Graduate Medical Education. This award was made in recognition of Dr. Anderson's outstanding contributions to graduate medical education and his stature as a nationally recognized leader in pathology education. (2/2023)

Congratulations to Dr. Yvonne Janssen-Heininger, Ph.D., Dr. Kelly Butnor, M.D., Dr. David "Bebo" Seward, M.D., Ph.D., and Dr. Sharon Mount, M.D., on their news story in The Charlotte News, on their "giant steps in cancer research." Read the full article here:   Humble Superstar (1/2023)

Congratulations to Dr. Elizabeth Bundock, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Examiner of Vermont and clinical assistant professor of pathology, for her appointment by the American Board of Pathology, to the Test Development and Advisory Committee for Forensic Pathology 2023. (1/2023)

Dr. Beri Zhang, M.D., Ph.D., MLS(ASCP), associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, presented a panel, at the Snow Season Education Retreat, titled "The Pearls and Pitfalls of Publishing in Medical Education", with three clinicians Dr. Hale, Dr. Halle, and Dr. Rideout. (1/2023)

Congratulations to Dr. Bronwyn Bryant, M.D., assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine on her Awards for  Teaching and Educational Excellence, Learner Assessment, conferred at the Teaching Academy Induction and Award Ceremony on January 11, 2023. (1/2023)