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Larner Celebrates Fall Medical Honor Societies Inductions
Each fall, the Larner College of Medicine recognizes, honors, and inducts those in the community who have demonstrated core principles of the college, such as professionalism, leadership, education, scholarship, and service. On September 2, students, faculty, and medical residents were honored in the Hoehl Gallery with inductions into the Aequitas Health Honor Society, the Alpha Omega Alpha (AΩA) Honor Medical Society, and the Gold Humanism Honor Society.
Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education and Professor of Pediatrics Christa H. Zehle, M.D.’99, opened the ceremony, followed by remarks from Larner Dean and Professor of Medicine Richard L. Page, M.D., chief medical affairs officer of the University of Vermont. The keynote address was presented by Marie Sandoval, M.D., associate professor of medicine and AΩA faculty advisor (2018–25). Officiating for the honor societies inductions were Katherine Menson, D.O., assistant professor of pulmonology, for Aequitas; Sarah Kelso-O’Brien, M.D., associate professor of pulmonary and critical care medicine, for Alpha Omega Alpha; and Jonathan Flyer, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics, for Gold Humanism.
Read Larner News story about the honor societies induction ceremony
Recognition for Schumacher
Heidi Schumacher, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics at the Larner College of Medicine, recently appeared in a national video produced by the School Friendly Health Systems National Collaborative, spotlighting her leadership and Vermont’s growing role in advancing school–medical partnerships. The video, which includes interviews with Dr. Schumacher and several leaders from across the country, is now being shared widely online as part of the collaborative’s national dissemination efforts.
This recognition comes alongside additional national attention on the work of the Vermont Child Health Improvement Program (VCHIP) at the Larner College of Medicine and its innovative approaches to strengthening collaboration between schools and health systems. The Children’s Hospital Association recently highlighted Vermont’s Child Health Advances Measured in Practice (CHAMP) project in a feature story titled “A Statewide Collaborative Strengthens School Partnerships.” The piece includes interviews with Project Director Christine Pellegrino, M.S., and Schumacher and is expected to be distributed to member institutions through the association’s upcoming newsletter.
In June, Schumacher spoke at the 2026 School Wellness Symposium in Washington, D.C., where she presented key insights from the CHAMP project and introduced early highlights from Every Day Counts, a cross-sector pilot and research study of school/health care partnerships to improve youth wellbeing and attendance. The event included a poster presentation created by organizers to showcase the documentary’s first round of work. A photo from the event features Schumacher alongside Kathleen Bryant, NP, of Gifford HealthCare, who also contributes to this statewide effort.
Updated Guideline Helps Clinicians Identify the Most Effective Medications for Preventing Migraine in Adults
To help clinicians determine which medications may be most effective in preventing migraine in adults, the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) and the American Headache Society (AHS) have issued a joint clinical practice guideline update with evidence-based recommendations, published recently in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, and in Headache, the official journal of the American Headache Society. This update to the AAN and AHS 2012 guideline was co-authored by Larner Associate Professor of Neurological Sciences Rebecca Burch, M.D., a Fellow of the American Headache Society and a member of the American Academy of Neurology.
Highlights:
- A guideline update by the American Academy of Neurology and American Headache Society will help clinicians determine which medications may be most effective in preventing migraine in adults.
- Migraine is a chronic disease. Migraine attacks are often associated with nausea, sensitivity to light and sound, and significant impairment in functioning, in addition to headache. Attacks can last from a few hours to several days.
- The updated guideline recommends offering preventive treatments to people who experience four or more migraine days per month or four or more moderate to severe headache days per month, or if migraine is affecting their ability to work or complete daily tasks.
- New developments in research since the publication of the previous guideline have expanded options for people with migraine. The updated guideline includes recommendations on newer preventive treatments.Read full Larner News story about the updated migraine prevention guideline
Philip A. Ades, M.D., Cardiac Rehabilitation Center Dedication
In a ceremony held on July 7, 2026, UVM Health officially dedicated the Philip A. Ades, M.D., Cardiac Rehabilitation Center, recognizing the lasting legacy of one of the nation’s pioneers in cardiac rehabilitation. Dr. Ades, who passed away in 2024, was a professor of medicine at Larner and founded the University of Vermont Medical Center’s cardiac rehabilitation and secondary prevention program in 1984. Throughout his career, Ades helped advance the field of preventative cardiology and championed the concept of exercise as medicine.
Today, the American Association of Cardiovascular & Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR)–certified program continues to support patients recovering from heart disease through supervised exercise, education, and wellness services.
“Dr. Ades was an inspiring teacher and pioneer in the field of cardiac rehabilitation, as well as a loving husband and devoted father,” said David Schneider, M.D., UVM Health chief of cardiology and director of the Cardiovascular Research Institute of Vermont. “To perpetuate his legacy and contribution to cardiac wellness, philanthropic support will play a vital role in sustaining and growing this work.”
The newly named center, made possible by a generous gift by Ades’s wife, Deborah Rubin, M.D., to establish a cardiac rehabilitation endowment, serves as a lasting tribute to Dr. Ades’s decades of leadership and commitment to improving cardiovascular health.
Our Common Ground Awardees
On Tuesday, August 25, Professor Marlene Tromp, Ph.D., president of the University of Vermont, announced during her State of the University Address the five recipients of the President’s Our Common Ground Staff Award. The award honors staff members who embody the spirit of UVM’s Our Common Ground values of respect, integrity, innovation, openness, justice, and responsibility—the shared aspirations that guide our university community.
Two of the five awardees are Larner community members: Christine Gallese, assistant director of the Vermont Child Health Improvement Program; and Vicki Gilwee, executive assistant to Larner Dean and UVM Chief Medical Affairs Officer Richard L. Page, M.D. Other winners were:
- Lise Larose, assistant dean for student services, College of Arts and Sciences
- Ali Mahmood, M.A., assistant director, UVM Interfaith Center, Division of Intercultural Excellence
- John Sama, coordinator of academic integration, academic affairs, and student services
Read more about the President’s Our Common Ground Staff Award Recipients