The Vermont Medical Society has named Whitney Calkins, M.D., assistant professor of family medicine at the Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine, its 2025 Physician of the Year, in recognition of her excellence in patient care, compassion, and dedication to the principles of good medical practice. The selection of Dr. Calkins underscores her deep commitment to improving the health and well-being of Vermonters through both clinical excellence and educational innovation.
The award will be presented at the society’s annual awards dinner on November 7, 2025, at Topnotch Resort in Stowe, Vermont. The ceremony will be held in person and livestreamed, allowing colleagues, students, and patients to celebrate Calkins’s accomplishments and lasting impact on Vermont’s health care landscape.
Read more about Dr. Calkins’s selection as Physician of the Year
During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the October 23, 2025, episode of the University of Vermont’s Across the Fence program features Larner Assistant Professor of Medicine and cancer geneticist Kara Landry, M.D., an oncologist at UVM Medical Center, discussing breast cancer risk, detection, prevention, genetic testing, and treatment. Have you scheduled your mammogram?
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. Landry on Across the Fence
On October 22, the college honored students, faculty, and medical residents during their induction into the Aequitas Health Honor Society, the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, and the Gold Humanism Honor Society. These prestigious societies recognize members of the Larner community who exemplify the core values of professionalism, leadership, education, scholarship, and service.
Aequitas Health Honor Society
Ten Larner Class of 2026 students—Adama Aja, Christopher Kruglik, Shani Legore, Hosna Mohabbat, Michelle Nguyen, Shrey Patel, Krystal Ramos Barrera, Aina Rattu, Shruthi Santhanakrishnan, and Katie Waeldner—have been selected for induction into the Aequitas Health Honor Society, in recognition for “engaging in work rooted in improving health equity, anti-racism, and community engagement.”
Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society
Twenty-four members of the Larner Class of 2026 have been selected for induction into the Alpha Omega Alpha (AΩA) Honor Medical Society on the basis of their “demonstrated excellence in leadership, research, professionalism, service to the school and community, and clinical acumen”: Anika Jane Advant, Louisa Grace Adama Aja, Haley Nicole Bayne, Julia Bernier, President, Jackson K. Bressor, Hikmat Ramen Chmait, Hayden Jonathan Christensen, Jenna Grace Clark, Elle Grace Cunningham, Isabel Marie Goodrich, Christopher Peter Kruglik, Sarah Krumholz, Taylor Erin Lamarre, Wendy Memishian, Hosna Mohabbat, Vice President, John Libakken Rustad, Nicole Wael Salib, Julianne Emma Scholes, Susanna Louise Schuler, Secretary-Treasurer, Isabella Ruth Sutherland, Adam Boake Thompson, Alex Dang-Khoa Tran, Kathleen Helen Waeldner, and Abigail Bowman Wootton.
Four faculty members—Karen Elizabeth George, M.D., M.P.H., David Rand, D.O., Erin Morris, M.D., and Seaf Shafique, M.D.—and five residents—Presley Azarcon, M.D., Jesse Evensky, M.D., Margaret “Maggie” Gray, M.D., Syed Farhan Hussain, M.D., and William “Will” Lorentzen, M.D.—were also inducted into AΩA.
Gold Humanism Honor Society
The following members of the Class of 2026 have been selected for induction into the Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS), recognized by their peers for their “demonstrated excellence in clinical care, leadership, compassion, and dedication to service”: Adama Aja, Tucker Angier, Haley Bayne, Secretary, Julia Bernier, Jeyna Doshi, Jenna Eaton, Callan Gravel-Pucillo (inducted in 2024), Ana Homick (inducted in 2024), Molly Hurd, Heather Kettlewell (inducted in 2024), Christopher Kruglik, Jasmine Liu, Henry Mitchell, Treasurer, Neeki Parsa (inducted in 2024), Shrey Patel, President, Kara Pflaster, Surya Radhakrishnan, Krystal Ramos Barrera, Javier Rincon (inducted in 2024), John Rustad, Shruthi Santhanakrishnan, Susanna Schuler, Katie Waeldner, Vice President, Meron Yishak, and Cole Zweber.
In addition to the class GHHS members, one student and one faculty member were nominated by the students, faculty, and staff and selected as the recipients of the 2025 Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award. Announced at the Class of 2025 Honors Night in May, student Michelle “Mimi” K. Falcone, M.D.’25, now a pediatrics resident at Oregon Health & Science University, and faculty member Lee-Anna K. Burgess, M.D., associate professor of medicine–hospital medicine and primary care, University of Vermont Medical Center, were recognized as “exemplars of humanism in the delivery of care to patients and their families.”
Richard L. Page, M.D., dean of the Larner College of Medicine and chief medical affairs officer for the University of Vermont, was honored recently by the American Clinical and Climatological Association (ACCA) as their newly elected president for 2025–26. ACCA membership comprises outstanding physicians selected on the basis of their leadership, excellence in their chosen field, a demonstrated high level of integrity and professionalism, and their desire to nurture a spirit of warmth, diversity, and friendship.
Beth Kirkpatrick, M.D., was also elected as a new ACCA member; she presented her research at the recent 137th annual meeting. Drs. Page and Kirkpatrick join other Larner members including Mary Cushman, M.D., and Polly Parsons, M.D.
The American Clinical and Climatological Association was organized in 1884 by a group of physicians and scientists who set about to improve medical education, research, and practice in the U.S. It is devoted to the scientific understanding and the compassionate care of human disease.
On October 16, the UVM dermatology department hosted the Vermont Dermatological Society (VDS) Annual Meeting, which brought together UVM and community dermatologists to listen to a grand rounds–style case presentation given by the chief resident, see live patients, and listen to a guest lecturer. This year, Melanie Bui, M.D., piloted a VDS research poster session, allowing Larner students involved in departmental research to share their work.
Abstracts included those of: Caroline Donohue ’28, Isabel Goodrich ’26, Kevin Peters ’27, Audrey Watson ’28, Amir Zafaranian ’27, Richard Zhang ’28, and an oral presentation by Caroline Johnston ’27. Awards were given to Watson for her poster on work with single-cell profiling in actinic keratoses, and to Johnston for her oral presentation on the watchful waiting technique for squamous cell carcinoma.
On October 15, Pathology Grand Rounds invited department members to the Hoehl Gallery for a scientific poster display featuring work by pathology faculty and trainees—including department-wide contributions from eight graduate students, four research faculty, three clinical faculty, and five residents.
In addition to underscoring the pathology department’s commitment to research, this event helped strengthen connections between researchers and clinicians. More than 50 attendees left with a clearer understanding of their colleagues’ work and potential areas of overlap. The diverse array of posters not only showcased the breadth of interests within the department but also revealed some unexpected commonalities.