Located in a rural state with a population among the oldest in the nation, the Larner College of Medicine has long been committed to finding innovative ways to provide and improve access to health care for not only the elderly, but also all residents, regardless of location or socioeconomic status. Several research initiatives at the college focus on new approaches to help patients in these regions.

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.

While oxygen is critical for the chemical reactions our cells need to survive, some oxygen reactions occur at the wrong locations or in the wrong proteins, which can cause damage leading to illness and death. The Yvonne Janssen-Heininger lab team has discovered new tools for determining oxidation targets, designing precise small molecules to treat lung fibrosis and cancer.

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.

(OCTOBER 27, 2022) NBC5, WCAX, and other media covered the annual Cancer Convergence Conference, which brought experts from around the country and the world to UVM and featured a Careers in Cancer event for local high school students.

(OCTOBER 25, 2022) Research Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Yvonne Janssen-Heininger, Ph.D., has been awarded the Lung Cancer Discovery Award by the American Lung Association in Vermont, according to Vermont Business Magazine.

(SEPTEMBER 15, 2022) Randall Holcombe, M.D., M.B.A., director of the UVM Cancer Center, spoke with WCAX-TV’s Darren Perron about President Biden’s “cancer moonshot” initiative, which aims to cut cancer fatalities by 50 percent in the next 50 years and direct federal resources to eventually find a cure.

Beginning in the fall, acupuncture will be provided at no cost to inpatient hematology and oncology patients at the University of Vermont (UVM) Medical Center, thanks to a new grant to the UVM Cancer Center from the Victoria Buffum Fund.

(JULY 11, 2022) Beth Zigmund, M.D., associate professor of radiology and director of lung cancer screening for UVMMC, explained the benefits of early detection and treatment as part of the UVM and Dartmouth cancer centers’ newly launched partnership with the state’s cancer coalition, NBC5 reported.

In a Journal of American Medical Association study, researchers - including UVM Professor and UVM Cancer Center member Brian Sprague, Ph.D. - found that 3D screening with digital breast tomosynthesis had certain benefits compared to breast cancer screening with conventional 2D digital mammography.

In a formal ceremony held at the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine on June 28, 2022, Associate Professor of Surgery William Brundage, M.D., was invested as the inaugural Green and Gold Professor in the Division of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery.