A little more than a decade ago, clinicians believed pain was under-recognized and under-treated. Fast-forward to the present when Vermont and other states across the U.S. are struggling with an opioid addiction epidemic. On Tuesday, October 4, The Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine and University of Vermont Medical Center's Community Medical School series featured a special panel presentation, titled “The State of Opioid Addiction in Vermont: Treatment & Research,” featuring Patricia Fisher, M.D., assistant professor of family medicine; Stephen Leffler, M.D., professor of surgery and chief medical officer, UVM Medical Center; and Charles MacLean, M.D., professor of medicine and associate dean for primary care. More than 120 community members attended the presentation.

This free public lecture program is held the first Tuesday of the month and continues through December 6. Lectures take place from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in Carpenter Auditorium in the Given Building at the Larner College of Medicine at UVM and include a Q&A session.

Upcoming Fall 2016 Community Medical School lecture dates, topics and speakers include:

• November 1, “The Dengue Fever Vaccine: How It Can Help Us Defend Against the Zika Virus,” featuring Sean Diehl, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine, and Kristen Pierce, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine and Vaccine Testing Center researchers

• December 6, “Genomic Medicine in Vermont” by Deborah G.B. Leonard, M.D., Ph.D., Chair of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.

Link to videos and handouts from this semester's presentations and find more information on the Community Medical School website .