Teaching tomorrow's surgeons

In collaboration with the University of Vermont Health Network, the Department of Surgery strives to recruit and retain the best faculty members to train our medical students.  The Department provides surgical services and training at the University of Vermont Health Network and is proud to be an integral part of this high quality, cost efficient health care center.  Our mission is to provide excellent patient care, superb resident and medical student training, and to foster research and innovation.   

Faculty and student practice microsutures

Education

From the entering novice medical student to the most experienced practitioner, the educational contribution of our department significantly and positively impacts the quality of care throughout Vermont and the areas throughout the country where our graduates practice. The major focus of our educational programs lies in Medical Student Education, Resident Education, Continuing Medical Education and Skills Labs.

Physicians in the skull base lab

Research

A broad spectrum of activities are directed toward improving the quality of our patient care and toward developing novel, innovative therapies. Through investigator-initiated trials, as well as national cooperative group, and industry-funded trials, department faculty are able to offer our patients access to cutting-edge treatments not otherwise available.

Department Highlights

Brian Sprague, PhD, Division of Surgical Research, was awarded a Health Services Research Pilot Grant from the Larner College of Medicine, for his proposal, “Evaluation of a cancer risk assessment questionnaire to guide cancer screening decision-making in primary care.”

Bruce Leavitt, MD (Cardiothoracic Surgery) and a team of 10 from UVM, are part of Team Heart, a nonprofit focused on bringing cardiac care to people in Rwanda.  Watch the WCAX segment. 

Departmental News

McNally Emphasizes Need for Protective Solar Eclipse Eyewear in NBC5 Interview

March 6, 2024 by Lucy Gardner Carson

(MARCH 6, 2024) Ophthalmologist Jessica McNally, M.D., assistant professor of surgery, emphasized to NBC5 the importance of using the correct protective eyewear when viewing the April 8 solar eclipse.

Ophthalmologist Jessica McNally, M.D., assistant professor of surgery

(MARCH 6, 2024) In anticipation of the total solar eclipse on April 8, ophthalmologist Jessica McNally, M.D., assistant professor of surgery, emphasized to NBC5 the importance of using the correct protective eyewear to prevent permanent vision damage.

The material in eclipse-viewing glasses is so dark, you’ll be able to use them to safely look at the sun during the onset of the total eclipse, and after totality (the approximately three minutes of total blackout during which the moon blocks the view of the sun). Experts say you should seek out eyewear with a logo reading “ISO,” which is a code telling you the eyewear was specifically made to look at the sun.

McNally stressed how important it is to put those eclipse viewers back on right after totality if you remove them during peak darkness, because ultraviolet light from looking at the sun—even for what seems like a short amount of time—can damage the sensitive back of your eye. That could lead to spotty vision, wavy vision, or loss of vision, she warned.

“This can potentially cause permanent vision damage,” the ophthalmologist said in an interview with NBC5 News. “The symptoms are most dramatic initially. They do fade a little bit, but with some of the specialized testing that we have available in our offices, we can still see the damage on the microscopic level. So, even if there is some visual recovery, the actual physical recovery of the back of the eye doesn’t necessarily happen. You can still have permanent damage from this exposure to the ultraviolet light.”

McNally said some people have asked if you can use other things, like maybe a welder’s helmet, to view the eclipse. She said it’s definitely much, much better and safer to seek out those glasses with the ISO label. That eyewear is widely available online. Additionally, hosts of many group-viewing events on April 8 are providing guests with proper viewing glasses. If you’re attending one of those, experts recommend checking with organizers about whether they will provide those protective glasses.

Read full story at NBC5

Upcoming Events

Surgery Grand Rounds is held every Thursday during the academic year (September - June) in the Davis Auditorium from 7:30-8:30 am followed by M&M Conference from 8:30-9:30 am.

Visit the detailed department calendar >>