Community Medical School kicked off the Fall 2013 semester on Tuesday, September 10, in Carpenter Auditorium with a special panel presentation, titled “Patient Choices: Navigating End of Life,” featuring four experts discussing palliative care, the intensive care unit, ethical issues and more on this important topic.
This panel of end-of-life experts included Robert Macauley, M.D., Medical Director of Clinical Ethics at Fletcher Allen and UVM Associate Professor of Pediatrics; Ursula McVeigh, M.D., Interim Medical Director of Palliative Care Medicine at Fletcher Allen and UVM Assistant Professor of Family Medicine; Renee Stapleton, M.D., Ph.D., Pulmonologist and Critical Care Medicine Physician at Fletcher Allen and UVM Assistant Professor of Medicine; and Benjamin Suratt, M.D., Pulmonologist and Intensivist at Fletcher Allen and UVM Associate Professor of Medicine. Their presentations covered the demographics of dying, life-sustaining treatments, navigating priority- and goal-setting for medical care, determining prognoses, and end-of-life care ethical issues.
Community Medical School lectures are free and open to the public, but registration is requested. To register or learn more, call (802) 847-2886 or visit Community Medical School online.
A joint program between the UVM College of Medicine and Fletcher Allen Health Care, Community Medical School is a series of evening lectures by the top faculty experts who teach and inspire the next generation of physicians and scientists at Vermont's academic medical center. Each presentation reviews a current medical science topic in an easy-to-understand format, including informational handouts and a question-and-answer session following the lecture.
Classes are held Tuesday evenings from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., followed by a half-hour Q&A session, in the Carpenter Auditorium at the UVM Given Medical Building. Lectures are free but registration is requested. The Fall 2013 schedule also includes:
September 17: Who Owns Your Genes: How the Patent System Impacts Physicians and Patients
Debra Leonard, M.D., Ph.D., Professor and Chair of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Explore the history of the patenting of human genes. Hear directly from a molecular pathologist about how gene patents have affected her clinical practice, and discuss several solution approaches, with a focus on the recent unanimous Supreme Court decision.
September 24: HIV/AIDS: How Care in Vermont Has Changed
Christopher Grace, M.D., FACP, Professor of Medicine and Director of Infectious Disease, and Deborah Kutzko, A.P.R.N.
AIDS has devastated all parts of the world. Learn about the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) responsible for AIDS pandemic and review the significant changes that have occurred in the U.S. over the past 30 years, including treatments, new advancements and policies.
October 1: Keeping It Simple: Reducing Stroke and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Using Life's Simple 7
Mary Cushman, M.D., M.Sc., Professor of Medicine and Hematologist
Learn about the latest research that shows how even a small improvement in just one of the American Heart Association’s Life’s Simple 7 measures for good health - get active; control cholesterol; eat better; manage blood pressure; lose weight; reduce blood sugar; and stop smoking - can result in reduced risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease.
October 8: One Day at a Time: When Headaches Become Chronic
Robert Shapiro, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Neurological Sciences and Director of the Headache Clinic
What is chronic daily headache (CDH) and who is most at risk? Learn about the different types of CDH and its causes, as well as review treatment options and the impact of CDH.
Visit Community Medical School Archives to view presentations and materials from previous semesters.