Research

J. Kathleen (Kate) Tracy, Ph.D., has been appointed as senior associate dean for research and professor of medicine at the Larner College of Medicine and director of research at the UVM Health Network. She will begin her new role in February 2023.

Assistant Professor of Surgery Mirabelle Sajisevi, M.D., and colleagues published a study in JAMA Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery regarding geographical variation in modes of detection for thyroid cancer, a disease that has risen dramatically in incidence since the 1990s.

The University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine held the 2022 Dean's Excellence in Research three-day celebration October 31 through November 2.

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.

A national cancer research event called Convergence brought experts from around the country and the world to the University of Vermont October 24-27 to discuss interdisciplinary techniques to advance cancer treatment. The experts, along with UVM Cancer Center faculty, presented information about their cutting-edge cancer research.

A study by UVM researchers of nearly 2,000 children found that those who reported playing video games for three hours per day or more performed better on cognitive skills tests involving impulse control and working memory compared to children who had never played video games.

(OCTOBER 18, 2022) Julie Dumas, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry, joined Gayle Guyardo, the host of the nationally syndicated health and wellness show "Bloom," to discuss the impact menopause has on the brain and its connection to Alzheimer’s disease.

In the past several months, cases of polio have been reported in New York, the United Kingdom, and Israel, underscoring the need for safer and more effective vaccines. Over the past nearly two years, University of Vermont Vaccine Testing Center researchers have been conducting trials on two experimental polio vaccines poised to help accomplish global eradication.

The Northern New England Clinical and Translational Research Network has received a $20 million-dollar renewal grant from the National Institutes of Health to continue work to ensure residents in Vermont and Maine – and particularly the elderly, New American and Indigenous populations – receive greater support to address chronic and life-threatening diseases.

For students pursuing a degree in medicine, there’s no off-season. During a two-month break between their first and second years, many Larner College of Medicine medical students tackled projects to address unmet health needs, practice clinical skills, and immerse themselves in specialty clerkships with physician preceptors. Engaging in clinical, basic science or health policy-related research can be among the most valuable experiences during medical education. This summer, second-year students assessed health disparities pertaining to breast cancer screenings, explored laboratory components of health literacy, documented behavioral and health trends of LGBTQ teenagers and tracked the impact of peer support on relieving stress among immigrant parents of children with autism, and more.