Larner & Department News

  • Wojewoda Explains New COVID Variant in Yahoo News Article
    (MAY 10, 2024) UVM Medical Center pathologist Christina Wojewoda, M.D., professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, discussed the new COVID variant FLiRT KP.2 in a Yahoo News Parade article.
    Read full story at Yahoo News
  • WCAX Interviews Tracy about MoTrPAC Research on the Molecular Impact of Exercise
    (MAY 9, 2024) Russell Tracy, Ph.D., professor of pathology & laboratory medicine and biochemistry, spoke with WCAX-TV about his team’s groundbreaking study about the molecular impact of exercise.
    Read full story at WCAX-TV
  • Tracy, Cushman Quoted in Burlington Free Press Article on COVID Vaccine Study
    (MARCH 12, 2024) Russell Tracy, Ph.D., director of the Laboratory for Clinical Biochemistry Research, and Mary Cushman, M.D., M.Sc., co-director of the Vermont Center for Cardiovascular and Brain Health, commented to the Burlington Free Press about a study of COVID-19 vaccine efficacy.
    Read full story at Burlington Free Press
  • Cunniff Tells WCAX about a Promising New Treatment for Lung Cancer
    (FEBRUARY 21, 2024) Brian Cunniff, Ph.D., assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, spoke with WCAX-TV about a promising new treatment for mesothelioma that is being tested at the UVM Cancer Center.
    Read full story at WCAX-TV
  • Cunniff Lab Data Shared at World Conference on Lung Cancer, New Sarawak Tribune Reports
    (SEPTEMBER 18, 2023) Larner’s Cunniff Laboratory, headed by Brian Cunniff, Ph.D., assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, was part of a collaboration that recently shared new preclinical data at the IASLC 2023 World Conference on Lung Cancer in Singapore, the (Malaysia) New Sarawak Tribune reported.
    Read full story at New Sarawak Tribune (Malaysia)
  • May Praises Idaho State iSTEM Workshops for ‘Proactive Approach’ to Preparing Students for the Future in Idaho State Journal Article
    (JULY 21, 2023) Sandra Thompson May, senior lab/research technician in pathology and laboratory medicine, was impressed by a recent i-STEM educator professional development workshop she participated in at Idaho State University, according to the Idaho State Journal.
    Read full story at Idaho State Journal
  • Postdoctoral Research Showcased at UVM Event
    Promising young scientists from colleges across the UVM campus gathered recently to celebrate the broad training experience, varied investigations, and collaborative community of UVM’s postdoctoral scholars. Organized by the UVM Postdoctoral Association, the event provided a chance for the scholars to present their research and network with peers.
  • Medical Students, Faculty, & Staff Recognized at Class of ’23 Honors Night
    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.
  • World Today News Highlights Cushman Study on COVID-19 Vaxx and Blood Clot Risk
    (APRIL 25, 2023) Mary Cushman, M.D., M.Sc., professor of medicine and of pathology & laboratory medicine, is a co-author of a study on COVID-19 vaccines and their alleged risk of causing blood clots that was highlighted in World Today News.
    Read full story at World Today News
  • van der Vliet's Study Finds Potential New Treatment Target for Obesity-Associated Asthma
    A new study in the American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology by Albert van der Vliet, Ph.D., professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, and colleagues is honing in on why people with asthma often have worse symptoms if they are obese.
  • Seward Lab Lands Two-Year National Cancer Institute R21 Grant
    UVM Cancer Center member David J. Seward, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, received a prestigious two-year National Cancer Institute R21 grant to investigate why lung cancers with a certain set of mutations demonstrate immunotherapy resistance.
  • Study Finds Revised Mammography Guidelines May Have Impacted Drop in Screenings
    UVM Cancer Center researchers Sarah Nowak, Ph.D., and Brian Sprague, Ph.D., found that a 2009 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force change in guidelines led to an unintended consequence: a decline in mammography screening rates for all age groups, including the 50-74 group, which is most at risk of developing breast cancer and most in need of screenings. Their results were recently published in The American Journal of Preventative Medicine.
  • Harm Discusses Blood on NPR/VT Public’s “But Why” Kids Podcast
    (MARCH 24, 2023) A “But Why” kids podcast segment titled “Why Do We Have Blood and What Does It Do?” features a discussion between host Jane Lindholm and Sarah Harm, M.D., associate professor, division chief for laboratory medicine, and medical director for laboratory medicine in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.
    Read full story at NPR/Vermont Public
  • Cushman Discusses What Your Blood Type Says about Your Health in Labor Tribune Interview
    (MARCH 20, 2023) There are many possible reasons for why knowing your blood type could give clues to your risk of stroke and heart attack, hematologist Mary Cushman, M.D., M.Sc., professor of medicine and pathology and laboratory medicine, told the St. Louis/Southern Illinois Labor Tribune.
    Read full story at St. Louis/Southern Illinois Labor Tribune
  • Gender Equity Event Features Talk on Dismantling Dominant Culture, Celebrates Awardees
    The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont hosted the fourth annual Celebration of Gender Equity in Medicine and Science on March 2, 2023.
  • Charlotte News Lauds Janssen-Heininger as a ‘Humble Superstar’
    (JANUARY 12, 2023) Yvonne Janssen-Heininger, Ph.D., professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, is described as a “humble superstar” in an article about cancer research at UVM in The Charlotte (Vermont) News.
    Read full story at The Charlotte News
  • World Today News Notes Cushman Study on Blood Type AB and Dementia
    (JANUARY 6, 2023) A recent study led by Mary Cushman, M.D., M.Sc., professor of medicine and of pathology and laboratory medicine, found that people with blood type AB are 82 percent more likely to experience thinking and memory impairments that can lead to dementia, World Today News reported.
    Read full story at World Today News
  • UVM’s Redox Researchers Collaborate with Scholars at Japan’s Tohoku University
    Albert van der Vliet, Ph.D., professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, participated in a six-week Invited Fellowship at Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan, engaging in research on environmental medicine and molecular toxicology. The fellowship coincided with a medley of scientific meetings and symposia that brought together leading scientists from around the world in the specific research fields of nitric oxide biology. Dr. van der Vliet, Yvonne Janssen-Heininger, Ph.D., and Brian Cunniff, Ph.D. participated as invited speakers. Additional Japanese federal funding supports the exchange of invited researchers, graduate students and post-doctoral scholars to collaborate on research.
  • Janssen-Heininger Probes Oxygen's Mysteries to Find Lung Disease Treatments
    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.
  • Eradicating Polio: UVM Vaccine Trials Aim to End Disease’s Historical Journey
    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.
  • Scholarly Summer: Second-Year Students' Research Explores Unmet Health Needs
    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.
  • VCCBH Symposium Highlights Early Career Investigators, Innovative Multidisciplinary Research
    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.
  • Wilcox Selected for 2022-23 Class of Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine Fellows
    Rebecca Wilcox, M.D., professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and associate dean for faculty affairs at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont, has been selected as a member of the 2022-2023 class of fellows participating in the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine® (ELAM) Program at Drexel University College of Medicine.
  • Wojewoda Comments on Monkeypox Testing & Diagnosis in Philadelphia Inquirer
    (JUNE 23, 2022) Physicians who have never encountered monkeypox may fail to recognize it, said Christina Wojewoda, M.D., associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, in an article in the "Philadelphia Inquirer."
  • Medical Class of 2022 Honors Night Recognizes Faculty, Students & Staff
    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.
  • Janssen-Heininger Honored as University Distinguished Professor
    Yvonne Janssen-Heininger, Ph.D., professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the UVM Larner College of Medicine, is a 2022 recipient of the University Distinguished Professor Award. This title is a career appointment, and is the highest academic honor that UVM can bestow upon a member of the faculty.
  • Bundock Quoted in Regional Newspapers about New England COVID-19 Death Certificates
    (FEBRUARY 24, 2022) Vermont Chief Medical Examiner Elizabeth Bundock, M.D., Ph.D., clinical assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, spoke about the importance of accuracy in death certificate records in a news story in the Providence Journal.
  • UVM Cancer Center Investigators Publish the Breast Pre-Cancer Atlas
    UVM Cancer Center researchers contributed to the establishment of a breast pre-cancer atlas, which establishes the molecular and cellular properties of early-stage breast cancer and is the result of a six-year, National Cancer Institute-funded, collaborative initiative.
  • Summer Student Research Program Trains Next Generation of Cancer Scientists
    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.
  • Wilcox Appointed Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs
    Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Rebecca Wilcox, M.D., has been appointed associate dean for faculty affairs at the Larner College of Medicine.
  • Polio Vaccine Trials Highlighted in WCAX-TV Story
    (DECEMBER 15, 2021) A WCAX-TV Channel 3 (CBS) news story, titled "Team of UVM researchers on cusp of vaccine trials to eliminate polio," features interviews with Larner College of Medicine faculty members Jessica Crothers, M.D., assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, and E. Ross Colgate, Ph.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of microbiology and molecular genetics.
  • UVM Researchers Help Identify Impact of COVID-caused Delays in Breast Cancer Screening
    New research from U.S. Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium (BCSC) members, including several University of Vermont researchers, found that from March to September 2020, breast biopsies and detected cancers at U.S. BCSC facilities dropped sharply, compared with the same span a year earlier.
  • 2021 Celebration of Research Excellence Highlights Accomplishments at Larner
    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.
  • Class of 2021 Medical Students, Faculty, Staff Recognized at Honors Celebration
    In a salute to graduating medical students’ accomplishments and to honor the faculty and staff who have supported them during their medical education journey, the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine launched a virtual 2021 Honors Celebration on May 6, 2021.
  • Nowak and Seward Invested as Inaugural Huber Early Career Green and Gold Professors
    Sarah Nowak, Ph.D., and David Seward, M.D., Ph.D., were invested as the inaugural holders of a Huber Early Career Green and Gold Professorship of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine during a virtual ceremony March 30. UVM Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Emerita Sally Huber, Ph.D., established two separate Green and Gold professorships, one in honor of each of her parents, that will provide crucial funding to promising assistant professors who are likely to develop into successful, independent basic scientists or physician-scientists.
  • Larner Changemakers Recognized at Celebration of Gender Equity
    The Larner College of Medicine's Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion held its second annual Celebration of Gender Equity in Medicine and Science on March 4, which featured a keynote by Diane Magrane, M.D., and an awards ceremony.
  • Virtual Online Foundations Celebration Honors Medical Class of 2023, Faculty, Staff
    Members of the Larner College of Medicine’s medical Class of 2023, leaders, medical educators, and staff gathered virtually January 28 to celebrate the students’ achievements and recognize the faculty and staff who have supported them during an online Foundations Celebration event.
  • New $5.4 Million NIH Grant Funds UVM Center for Biomedical Shared Resources ​
    A new $5.47 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine will support the creation of the UVM Center for Biomedical Shared Resources. The grant will fund completion of the Center's home on the first floor of the new Firestone Medical Research Building, which will be located on the south end of the Larner College of Medicine complex.
  • Larner Team Plays Role in NIH COVID-19 Blood Clotting Treatment Trials
    The University of Vermont (UVM) is participating in a major national research effort to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of varying types of blood thinners to treat adults diagnosed and hospitalized with COVID-19—the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2.
  • Wojewoda Quoted in Healthline Article on COVID-19 Testing
    (JULY 9, 2020) Christina Wojewoda, M.D., associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and vice chair of the College of American Pathologists’ microbiology committee, is quoted in an article in Healthline, titled "How Accurate Are COVID-19 Diagnostic and Antibody Tests?"

 

Past Department Highlights

Congratulations to Dr. Scott Anderson, M.D., Professor, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, and Christina Kieslich, Pathologist Assistant, on receiving resident teaching awards for 2024. (7/2024)

Congratulations to Dr. Christi Wojewoda, M.D., Professor, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, on being appointed to a three year term to the Medical Curriculum Committee. This appointment recognizes Dr. Wojewoda's commitment to the educational mission, and the education of future physicians. (7/2024)

Congratulations to Dr. Bronwyn Bryant, M.D., Associate Professor, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, on being named the next recipient of the Ernest Hiram Buttles Professorship honoring a commitment to and excellence in the teaching of pathology. (7/2024)

Congratulations to the following individuals on their promotions effective July 1, 2024. Robert Wildin, M.D., promoted to Professor, Joanna Conant, M.D., promoted to Associate Professor, and  Amer Abu Alfa, M.D., promoted to Associate Professor. (6/2024)

Congratulations to Lisa Kapoor on 40 years of service to the pathology department. (6/2024)

Bronwyn Bryant, M.D., Associate Professor, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, is featured on the People of Pathology Podcast- Episode 181: Redefining Pathology Training With Entrustable Professional Activities. (6/2024)

Pathology resident, Alayna Westcom, M.D., received the Distinguished Medical Student Award from The College of American Pathologists. The award recognizes a fourth-year medical student committed to pursuing pathology residency. (5/2024)

Sharon Mount, M.D., Professor, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, presented a talk: “Autopsy in the USA: An update and interesting cases from the University of Vermont” at the University of Padua in Padua, Italy on April 22, 2024. (5/2024)Sharon-Padua

Congratulations to Anne Stowman, M.D., assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, on accepting the position as Network Vice Chair for Anatomic Pathology. (3/2024)  

Congratulations to Ashley Volaric, M.D., assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, on receiving a Physician-Scientist Pilot Award through the Translational Global Infectious Disease Research (TGIR Group) for her research on Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) epigenetics of diffuse large B-cell lymphomas in sub-Saharan Africa. (3/2024)

Congratulations to Rebecca Wilcox, M.D., associate dean for faculty affairs, and professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, on receiving The Polaris Award for Outstanding Mentorship, and Dr. Yvonne Janssen-Heininger, Ph.D., on receiving the Gender Equity Outstanding Achievement in Medicine & Science Award at the 5th Annual Celebration of Gender Equity in Medicine and Science Awards. This award honors a Larner College of Medicine faculty or staff member who provides outstanding formal or informal mnetorship for women or gender diverse** college community members. Dr. Wilcox was nominated by Andrea Green, Julie Dumas, Alexandra Kalof, and LE Faricy. (2/2024) **Gender diverse refers to those who identify with a gender outside of the she/her, he/him binary   

Congratulations to Dr. Brian Cunniff, Ph.D., assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, the team in the Cunniff Lab, and industry partner , RS Oncology, on having their novel therapy enter Phase 2 Clinical trials. Read more here Milestone for UVM-developed cancer drug. (2/2024)

During the annual Larner College of Medicine's Foundations Award Celebration, Amer Abu Alfa, M.D., assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine received The Dean Warshaw Integration Award recognizing the faculty member whose teaching best captured the spirit of the Vermont Integrated Curriculum. Congratulations. Christina Wojewoda, M.D., professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and vice chair for education pathology, presented the Ephraim Woll Award for Excellence in General Pathology to John Rustad. (2/2024) 

Congratulations Dr. Bei Zhang, M.D., M.S., Ph.D., MLS(ASCP)CM, on January 17, 2024, is to receive the Educational Scholarship Award from the Teaching Academy Awards for Teaching and Educational Excellence. This award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated a record of Quality, Quantity, and Engagement in medical education scholarship. Dr. Zhang, M.D., M.S., Ph.D., MLS(ASCP)CM, has been advanced to Distinguished Educator by the Teaching Academy at LCOM. Congratulations also to Bronwyn Bryant, M.D., for advancing to the level of Master Teacher and Agnes Balla, M.D., on being inducted as a Member. (1/2024)

Congratulations to University Scholar Mary Cushman, M.D., M.Sc., professor of medicine and pathology and laboratory medicine, on being ranked #90 in the U.S. and #144 in the world as one of the Best Female Scientists in the World, by Research.com. Also, Dr. Cushman, M.D., M.Sc., recently delivered the Robert Reneman Lecture at the Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM)'s 2023 symposium in The Netherlands. The tile of her talk was "Stroke and Cognitive Impairment in a Biracial U.S. Cohort: The REGARDS Study." (1/2024)

In a recent Nature Methods paper, Doug Taatjes, Ph.D., Director of the Microscopy Imaging Center, and the Center for Biomedical Shared Resources at the Larner College of Medicine, together with colleagues from the international consortium QUAREP-LiMi, proposed a set of standardized community-developed checklists to assist researchers, reviewers, and journal editors with the goal of increasing the clarity and reproducibility of image figures and their analyses. The hope is that many journals will adopt these guidelines as part of their “Instructions for Authors”—providing a succinct and easy to use checklist for authors when compiling images for reproduction and descriptions of image analyses performed. (11/2023) (from the LCOM Newsletter)

Congratulations to some of our residents and our fellowship student on having their abstracts accepted for the upcoming 2024 USCAP annual meeting in March. "Unexpected Cardiac Amyloidsis: Demographics, Histology, Distribution and Clinical Significance: A Review of 15 Autopsy Cases." (Jesse Mostoller, Neel Hedge, Nick Taylor). "GATA3 Positive Malignant Spindle Cell Neoplasm Involving the Liver Diagnosed as Metastatic Sarcomatoid Chromophobe Renal Cell Carcinoma at Autopsy." (Rae Nusapan). "Long Term Outcome in a Case of Tetralogy of Fallot Surgically Treated with Palliative Shunts: Findings from an Adult Autopsy." (Dore Guptil, Heather Giguere). (11/2023)

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)