Department of Neurological Sciences

The Larner College of Medicine medical Class of 2023 Honors Night on May 15 featured recognition and awards for graduating medical students, faculty, and staff.

(MAY 12, 2023) A group of researchers led by Andrew Solomon, M.D., associate professor of neurological sciences, tested different groups of neurologists using the McDonald criteria for diagnosing multiple sclerosis (MS) and showed that knowledge gaps or misunderstandings often led to errors, Time News reported. Various studies show that the criteria are sometimes incorrectly applied by neurological specialists, including MS specialists.

(MAY 10, 2023) Larner Class of 2024 medical student Dana Allison was interviewed by Medscape about presenting her research on Virtual Reality Interventions for Autistic Spectrum Disorder Therapy at the 2023 American Academy of Neurology Meeting in Boston.

The University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine features some of the world’s foremost cardiovascular researchers, experts in cardiovascular disease risk factors, thrombosis, atherosclerosis, stroke, and heart failure. the science shared by early-career investigators at the Cardiovascular Research Institute of Vermont’s fourth annual Viridis Montis Challenge, it was apparent that the institution’s reputation and legacy in the field of cardiovascular research will continue to have a global impact.

The Cardiovascular Research Institute of Vermont held its 4th Annual Viridis Montis Early Career Investigator Challenge on February 1, 2023, and Toishi Sharma, MBBS, cardiovascular disease fellow in the Department of Medicine, was selected as the winner.

(DECEMBER 17, 2022) Neuropsychologist Sharon Leach, Ph.D., and child psychiatrist Feyza Basoglu, M.D., both clinical assistant professors of psychiatry, will challenge participants to diagnose psychiatric or neurological disorders as part of the 14th annual Vermont Brain Bee neuroscience competition to be held at the Larner College of Medicine on February 11, Seven Days reports.

The University of Vermont Cancer Center recently announced the names of the inaugural Juckett Scholars. The award program is part of the new Clinician Investigator Development Initiative and is supported by the Juckett Foundation.

(NOVEMBER 8, 2022) Research on autism spectrum disorder conducted by Neuroscience Graduate Program doctoral student Erin Cullen and Assistant Professor of Neurological Sciences Matthew Weston, Ph.D., in collaboration with researchers at Dartmouth’s medical school, was featured in Chip Chick. (Click on headline for more.)

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.

More than 100 in-person and dozens of virtual participants attended the second annual Vermont Center for Cardiovascular and Brain Health (VCCBH) Symposium, held at the University of Vermont’s Davis Center June 2 to 3, 2022. The VCCBH, one of three National Institutes of Health Center of Biomedical Research Excellence-funded programs at UVM, is co-directed by Mary Cushman, M.D., M.Sc., professor and vice chair for emerging researchers in the Department of Medicine, and Mark Nelson, Ph.D., University Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacology.

On May 13, the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont held Honors Night for graduating medical students in the Class of 2022. Accolades presented included the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society faculty, housestaff, and community physician awards; the Arnold P. Gold Foundation's Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine faculty and student awards; Area Health Education Center Scholars; department awards to students; and awards from the Class of 2022.

“Going above and beyond” and consistently demonstrating kindness, compassion and respect were common accolades in the nomination letters for the 2022 Dean’s Awards for Professionalism recipients. On May 3, the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont marked the third anniversary of the formal introduction and celebration of the College’s Statement on Professionalism at a virtual awards presentation ceremony.

In celebration of its standing as a top 100 public research university, the University of Vermont held its first “Research Week” April 18 to 22 to showcase the work of faculty, student and trainee investigators. A number of Larner College of Medicine faculty and trainees received recognition and delivered presentations during the week's events.

University of Vermont graduate students Dorcas Lohese, Sean Lenahan, Joseph Owuor, and Matt Mullen are the newest representatives for the UVM Larner College of Medicine Graduate Student Council. Hannah Despres, who served on the council for the 2020-2021 term, has been re-elected for another year.

University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine faculty, leaders, and colleagues gathered virtually for the Teaching Academy’s 2022 Snow Season Education Retreat January 20-21. Highlights of the two-day event included a plenary session by representatives of the Kern National Network for Caring and Character in Medicine, the Induction and Award Ceremony, and an in-person poster session.

Marilyn Cipolla, Ph.D., professor of neurological sciences at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont, has been appointed chair of the Department of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering in the UVM College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences.

The UVM Cancer Center Summer Student Fellowships in Cancer Research provide $3,000 stipends to graduate and medical students for cancer-related research projects, overseen by senior faculty members affiliated with the center.

The University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine held a successful Dean's Excellence in Research Celebration October 25-27, shining a light on the hard work and achievements of students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

Tis the season for coats – white coats that is! On Friday, October 15, the University of Vermont Neuroscience Graduate Program (NGP) hosted its annual White Coat Ceremony in the Livak Ballroom of the UVM Davis Center. While often associated with medical education, the White Coat Ceremony for new graduate degree students has its own history, dating back to 1989, according to Haley Olszewski, NGP program administrator. The ceremony is a rite of passage for many graduate students, she says, both “marking the transition of graduate students, particularly in the sciences, from the early, largely course-based phase of their education to the more research intense phase of their training.” The event also serves to “emphasize the relationship between the student and their mentor,” she adds.

The University of Vermont and Larner College of Medicine hosted a ceremonial groundbreaking to celebrate the four-story, 62,500-square-foot Firestone Medical Research Building currently under construction at the College of Medicine on September 30, 2021.