Larner College of Medicine faculty and medical students volunteered in the medical tent at the Vermont City Marathon in Burlington on May 25, working alongside paramedics, emergency medical technicians, athletic trainers, physical therapists, nurses, and nurse practitioners. Katie Dolbec, M.D.’10, assistant dean for students in the office of medical education and associate professor of emergency medicine, served as medical director, overseeing the team of volunteers prepared to provide advanced care at the run in the event of nausea, wounds, fractures, bleeds, arrhythmias, hyponatremia, exertional heat stroke, and more.

Other faculty volunteers at the medical tent included Than Moore, M.D.’24, Emily Feuka, M.D., Carrie Lyon, M.D., M.P.H., Will Hart, M.D., and Aaron Brillhart, M.D. 

Medical student volunteers included Alexia Amaio ’27, Patrick Barrett ’28, Molly Burke ’28, Danielle Callard ’28, Caroline Duksta ’26, Oliver Koch ’27, Rachel Miles ’26, Angela Mueller ’28, Connor Nowak ’28, Estefania Obando ’27, and Kyra Weaver ’27.

On May 18, 2025, University of Vermont and Larner College of Medicine alumnus James M. Betts ’69, M.D.’73, a pediatric surgeon, former Olympic team physician, and volunteer firefighter, delivered the commencement address after receiving an honorary doctor of science degree at UVM’s 224th Commencement Ceremony.

In his address, Betts offered a challenge to the Class of 2025: “Your goal, individually and collectively, is to help right this ship, green up the environment, cool down the climate—figuratively and actually—and become an ambassador for positive change,” he said.

Betts grew up just a block from the fire station in his hometown of Bennington, Vermont, where his early interest in emergency response took root. As a high school student, he joined the local rescue squad, foreshadowing a lifelong commitment to helping others. Although his passion for firefighting and emergency medicine was briefly set aside as he pursued a medical career—beginning with studies at the University of Vermont and the Larner College of Medicine—it never left him.

Now a pediatric surgeon and urologist at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in Oakland, California, Betts has built a distinguished career marked by dedication to both his patients and his alma mater. He was the founding director of the hospital’s pediatric trauma program and played a critical role during several major California disasters, providing urgent medical care to those in need.

Beyond the hospital, Betts became a volunteer firefighter with the Big Sur Fire Department, also taking on roles as the department’s medical director and a member of its search and rescue team. In recognition of his service, he was named Firefighter of the Year in 2015. Today, he continues to serve as a weekend duty officer with the department when he’s not on trauma call at the hospital.

Betts was the U.S. Olympic Committee team doctor from 1979 to 1983 and became a founding member of the USOC Anti-Doping Committee.

He has stayed connected with the Larner College of Medicine, serving in multiple roles, including president of the Larner College Medical Alumni Executive Committee and the Dean’s Advisory Board.

Medical student Joseph Du ’27 presented a study titled “State of the Art Review: Pediatric Non-Fatal Firearm Injury Utilization and Expenditures” at the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) annual meeting, held May 13–16 in Philadelphia. The SAEM annual meeting is the premier forum for the presentation of original education and research in academic emergency medicine.

Du’s study characterizes the current data regarding pediatric non-fatal firearm injuries and post-injury health care. The findings are intended to inform public health and policy interventions with the goal of reducing the high burden of pediatric firearm injury in the U.S. Du participated in this research with Christian D. Pulcini, M.D., M.P.H., M.Ed., assistant professor of emergency medicine and pediatrics, through the medical student research fellowship in the summer of 2024. The study has been accepted for publication in a prestigious scholarly journal.

Infectious disease specialist Benjamin Lee, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics, spoke with the University of Vermont’s Across the Fence program about Larner researchers’ efforts to develop a Lyme disease vaccine.

Anyone who spends time outdoors is at risk for Lyme disease. With more ticks expanding their territory into northern New England, Lyme disease is an increasing concern across Vermont. A bacterial infection that can lead to serious neurological and musculoskeletal complications, Lyme disease in humans is most often called by a bite from a tick carrying borrelia bacteria. Early symptoms may include rash, fever, headache, extreme tiredness, joint stiffness, muscle aches and pains, and swollen lymph nodes; increasingly severe symptoms that may appear over ensuing weeks and months may include pain, swelling, stiffness, numbness, weakness, and immune-system issues.

There are currently no approved vaccines available to prevent Lyme disease in humans, but one may be on the way, thanks to clinical trials research at 50 sites including the University of Vermont, Lee says.

Across the Fence is a daily 15-minute television program co-produced by UVM Extension and WCAX-TV informing viewers about activities being conducted by University of Vermont faculty, staff, and students that benefit viewers and their communities. The longest running farm, home, and community television program in the country, Across the Fence airs weekdays at 12:15 p.m. on WCAX-TV Channel 3.

Watch Dr. Lee’s interview on Across the Fence

Debra Leonard, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chair of pathology and laboratory medicine at the Larner College of Medicine, UVM Medical Center, and UVM Health Network, has announced her retirement, effective January 6, 2026. She joined the Larner College of Medicine and the UVM Health Network in 2013; her career has focused on molecular pathology and genomic medicine.

Over the course of her tenure, she led the integration of her department across the University of Vermont Health Network, forming the first network department, and supported and grew the research and education missions of the department. For the past eight years she has been a member of the UVM Health Network Board of Trustees, serving on several committees, including Finance and Governance, and she rejoined the UVMHN Medical Group Board of Directors in 2023. She chaired the task force that developed Larner’s Professionalism Statement and was the first recipient of the Larner College of Medicine’s Polaris Award for Outstanding Mentorship.

Her service extends well beyond our college and health network. She has served on the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Genetics Health and Society, the College of American Pathologists and the Association for Molecular Pathology. For 10 years she represented the College of American Pathologists on the Roundtable on Genomics and Precision Health of the National Academies of Engineering, Science, and Medicine. She was an advocate and expert consultant for the American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit in a landmark case (Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, Inc.) that led to the U.S. Supreme Court decision that naturally occurring gene sequences are not patentable. Her national leadership and service was recognized by the Association for Molecular Pathology’s Leadership Award in 2009 and the College of American Pathologists’ Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015. Leonard is an advocate for equity and inclusion, especially for women in medicine; she has served as co-chair of the University of Vermont President’s Commission on Inclusive Excellence; and she is the recipient of the Sister Elizabeth Candon Award for Distinguished Service.

The Dean’s Office will lead the transition to interim leadership and a national search for Leonard’s successor.

Deborah L. Cook, M.D.’90, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, was invested as the inaugural holder of the Allison and Matthew S. Dinehart Green and Gold Professorship in Dermatopathology on May 30, 2025, in a formal ceremony at the Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine at the University of Vermont. A medallion honoring this achievement was presented by Debra Leonard, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chair of pathology and laboratory medicine, who praised Cook’s “outstanding accomplishments to date.”

“Dr. Deborah Cook is a highly respected researcher, clinician, teacher, and scholar,” Leonard said. “She has dedicated her career to improving the lives of patients and families who face complex and challenging journeys. Through her research, teaching, and leadership she will ensure that we constantly improve our ability to care for patients here in Vermont and around the world. Her presence brings great distinction to the Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine at the University of Vermont and to the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.”

Cook completed her medical training at the Larner College of Medicine, followed by a pathology residency and fellowships in surgical pathology and cytopathology at the UVM Medical Center (UVMMC), where in her final year of residency she served as chief resident. After completing a dermatopathology fellowship at the Medical University of South Carolina, she returned to Larner and UVMMC as the founding director of the dermatopathology service—at that time, she was the only fellowship-trained and board-certified dermatopathologist in Vermont—and later founded the dermatopathology fellowship program at the Larner College of Medicine.

A Teaching Academy Expert Teacher, it is Cook’s enduring commitment to teaching trainees, mentoring at all levels, and dedication to the clinical service of dermatopathology throughout her 37-year career at the University of Vermont that earned her this honor.

The Allison and Matthew S. Dinehart Green and Gold Professorship of Dermatopathology was established in 2023 by Scott Dinehart, M.D., and Sheri Dinehart in honor of their son, Matthew Dinehart, M.D., a dermatopathologist who completed his residency and fellowship in the Department of Pathology at the UVM Medical Center, and their daughter-in-law, Allison Hudgens Dinehart, M.D., a psychiatrist who completed her residency at the UVM Medical Center. This professorship provides support to expand dermatopathology training for pathology residents interested in pursuing a dermatopathology fellowship or career, and to enrich dermatopathology education—including international experiences—for residents with a strong interest in the field.

Larner medical students Sarah Kohl ’26 and Ben Rubin ’27 joined University of Vermont Medical Center urology residents and faculty at the American Urological Association’s national conference April 26–29 in Las Vegas. Kohl and urology resident Jeffrey Sioufi, M.D., each presented posters, while Rubin presented both a poster and an oral presentation—earning Best in Session for both. Urologists Mohammad Mohaghegh, M.D., Richard Grunert, M.D., Brian Irwin, M.D., Alex Plochocki, M.D., M.P.H., and urology resident Travis Mann-Gow, D.O., also attended the conference.

• Kohl presented “Review of re-operation and complication rates following penile prosthesis surgery using a global claims database.”
• Rubin presented “National Review of Re-operation Rates for Modern Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Procedures Using a Live Database.”
• Sioufi presented “Evaluating Bleeding Risk and Clinical Outcomes with Perioperative Antithrombotics in Aquablation: An Analysis of the International Collaborative Aquablation Research Urology Society (ICARUS) Database.”

Three Larner medical students presented their work at the American Academy of Neurology annual meeting April 5–9 in San Diego:

• Thomas Khodadad ’27 presented his research “Impact of Rurality on Treatment and Survival in Patients with Brain Metastases” at the plenary session on April 7
• Ava Siegel ’26 presented a poster on “Mechanisms of REV1-dependent Trinucleotide Repeat Instability,” exploring the role of the translesion synthesis polymerase REV1 in trinucleotide repeat instability mechanisms, on April 9
• Richard Vuong ’25 presented a poster on “Infratentorial Cerebral Microbleeds and Incident Dementia: The ARIC-Neurocognitive Study,” assessing the association of infratentorial cerebral microbleeds and incident dementia, on April 9

The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) is the world’s largest association of neurologists and neuroscience professionals, with more than 40,000 members. AAN offers access to continuing education, essential practice tools, research grants, networking and advocacy opportunities, and more—advancing what’s possible in brain disease treatment, cures, and prevention.

Fifteen new and advancing members of the Spring 2025 cohort of the Larner College of Medicine’s Teaching Academy will be honored at an Induction Ceremony in January 2026. The Teaching Academy—which marked its 10th anniversary at UVM on May 9, 2025—fosters an interdisciplinary community of educators committed to the scholarship of teaching and learning, enhancing medical education through collaboration, and promoting an impactful academic environment for educators at local, regional, and national levels. The academy offers faculty development resources addressing such topics as teaching skills, curriculum design, assessment, course evaluation, and educational research.

The following new and advancing Teaching Academy members in the Spring 2025 cohort will be honored at an Induction Ceremony in January 2026:

Distinguished Educators

• Arlene Chung, M.D., Professor of Emergency Medicine
• Thomas Delaney, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pediatrics-Public Health (advanced from Expert Teacher)
• Alissa Thomas, M.D., Associate Professor of Neurological Sciences and Medicine (advanced from Expert Teacher to Distinguished Educator)

Expert Teachers

• Jill Rinehart, M.D., Associate Professor of Pediatrics
• Andrew Rosenfeld, M.D., Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics (advanced from Member to Expert Teacher)
• Julie Vieth, M.D., Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine

Members

• Lauren Bode, Pharm.D., Assistant Professor of Family Medicine
• Sarah Couser, M.D., M.Ed., Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
• Erica Lash, M.D., Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine
• Benjamin Sawatzky, M.D., Assistant Professor of Radiology
• Daniel Stratz, M.D., Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine

Associate Members

• Siba El Hussein, M.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
• Michael Hernandez, M.D., Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics
• Natalia Liu, M.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
• Aneta Strumilowska, D.O., Clinical Instructor of Medicine

The Teaching Academy holds one induction per year, in January, for the people who submitted in the April membership cycle and the October membership cycle.