Bacteria in the gut play a critical role in maintaining overall health. On Tuesday, June 3, 2014, University of Vermont College of Medicine faculty members and Fletcher Allen Health Care clinicians Peter Moses, M.D., a gastroenterologist, Rebecca Wilcox, M.D., a pathologist, and Jessica Wood Crothers, M.D., a pathology resident, presented on "Digestive Detail: The Role of the Gut Microbiota in Health and Disease" at Community Medical School. Roughly 160 people attended the presentation in the Given Building's Carpenter Auditorium.

In April, the Community Medical School program launched a new schedule – the first Tuesday of each month. In addition to the June 3 gut microbiota talk, the series has presented two other lectures – one on sleep apnea and another on the differences between personality traits and disorders – attracting 120 and 180 attendees respectively.

A joint program of the UVM College of Medicine and Fletcher Allen Health Care, Community Medical School features 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.

The final spring/summer 2014 lecture will take place on Tuesday, July 1. Titled "Hitting a Nerve: The Triggers of Sciatica," the presentation will be delivered by UVM College of Medicine Professor of Surgery Bruce Tranmer, M.D., a Fletcher Allen neurosurgeon.

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.

Visit the Community Medical School Archives to view presentations and materials from previous semesters.