Larner College of Medicine
The Dean's Celebration of Excellence in Research is an annual event highlighting the research being conducted by junior faculty, senior faculty, postdoctoral trainees, and graduate students at the University of Vermont and the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine.
Green promotional graphic for “Dean’s Celebration of Excellence in Research,” September 28–October 2, 2026, at the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine, with a shield logo and dotted wave design at the bottom.

Celebration of Excellence in Research 2026

Save-the-Dates for the Dean's Celebration of Excellence in Research, September 28 - October 2, 2026

Larner Passport to Research Challenge

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Announcing a new addition to this year’s Celebration: the Larner Passport to Research Challenge.

Beginning September 1, faculty, staff, graduate students, and medical students are invited to take a journey of discovery across the Larner community. Throughout the month of September, earn a stamp for every activity you complete. Attend Research Celebration Week events, connect with colleagues, engage with us on social media, and more. Watch your passport fill up as you explore what makes this community and Larner Research remarkable.

Whether you’re a seasoned investigator, a staff member who keeps the research enterprise running, or a student just discovering what’s possible, the Larner Passport to Research Challenge is designed for you. It’s a chance to spark new connections, see the full breadth of discovery happening in our community, and show your support for Larner Research.

Every completed activity earns a raffle entry. Prizes will be awarded at the reception immediately following the Research Address on October 1. Faculty, staff, graduate students, and medical students are all eligible for prize drawings — and this year, one faculty member will walk away with our grand prize: a generous award of research funding.

Passports will be available starting September 1 outside the Office of Medical Communications. Pick one up and start your journey.

Banner promoting Research Week, Sept. 28 to Oct. 2, 2026 in an orange rectangular frame. The right side shows a blue passport-style stamp with a large “V” at the center with Larner Research written around it and wavy postmark lines extending to the right.

2026 Schedule of Events

items for: 2026 Schedule of Events

Monday, September 28

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Research Laureate Lecture

"I Have Accomplished Almost Nothing on My Own: The Community Behind My Research Journey”

Presented by 2025 Research Laureate, Margaret Vizzard, Ph.D., Colleen A. and Gregory L. Holmes Green and Gold Professor, Neurological Sciences Research

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12:00 P.M.
MedEd 200, (Sullivan Classroom) or via Zoom
 

Tuesday, September 29

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Research Poster Session

3:00 - 5:30 P.M. 
Given Courtyard, MedEd Lobby, Hoehl Gallery

UVM Medical and graduate student research will be displayed with students available to discuss the exciting details of their research. 

Wednesday, September 30

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Research Rally & Reception

5:00 - 7:00 P.M.
Hoehl Gallery at the Larner College of Medicine
Refreshments provided for in-person attendees.

Larner College of Medicine researchers will give short Ted-talk style presentations about their inspiring research. 

 

 

Thursday, October 1

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Awards Presentation and Research Celebration Address

4:00 - 5:00 P.M. - Awards and Research Address
MedEd 200 (Sullivan Classroom)
In-person attendance is strongly encouraged

5:00 - Reception
Hoehl Gallery

Awards will be presented for Research Publications in the Medical Student, Graduate Student, Post-Doc and Resident categories, and for Clinical Research Coordinator, Scientific Research Staff, Clinical Trials, Research Mentor, New Investigator, Mid-Career Investigator, Research Laureate and Junior and Senior Investigator of the Year. Senior Associate Dean for Research Kate Tracy, Ph.D., will also deliver her Research Celebration address following the awards presentations. Immediately after the presentation, light refreshments will be available in Hoehl Gallery. 

Friday, October 2

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Stetson Lecture

"Building Vascularized Human Tissues in Three Dimensions"

Presented by Dr. Jennifer A. Lewis, 
Jianmin Yu Professor of Arts and Sciences,
Hansjörg Wyss Professor for Biologically Inspired Engineering ,
Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University

Jennifer Lewis, Sc.D. is the Jianmin Yu Professor of Arts and Sciences, the Hansjörg Wyss Professor for Biologically Inspired Engineering in the Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and a core faculty member of the Wyss Institute at Harvard University. Her research focuses on advancing the frontiers of soft and living materials.  Lewis is an elected member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, the U.S. National Academy of Inventors, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She has received numerous awards, including the NAS James Prize for Science and Technology Integration, the Sigma Xi Gold Key Award, the Lush Prize for Scientific Research, the Materials Research Society Medal, and the Department of Defense Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship. Multiple startups are commercializing technology from her research lab ranging from printed electronics to kidney tissue therapeutics.   

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10:00 A.M.
MedEd 200, (Sullivan Classrom)
Lunch provided for the first 40 in-person attendees

 

Dean's Excellence in Research Awards

2025 Award Recipients

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Bradley Vincent Watts, Clinical Trials

Jeremy Barry, Mid-Career Investigator

Bader Chaarani, New Investigator

Michael Toth, Research Mentor

Margaret Vizzard, Senior Investigator

Emily Houston, Clinical Research Coordinator

Adrian Sackheim, Scientific Research Staff

Amanda Kallen, Jr., Researcher of the Year

Bradley Vincent, Sr., Researcher of the Year

Sarah Krumholz, Med Student trainee

John Rustad, Med Student trainee

Cameron Cordero, Grad Student trainee

Deena Snoke, Post-Doc trainee

Carena Zhang Peterson, Resident Trainee

2024 Award Recipients

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Outstanding Research Publication Award Recipients

Medical Student: Brittney Palermo, “Interleukin-6, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome in a biracial cohort: the reasons for geographic and racial differences in stroke cohort.”

Graduate Student: Mingu Kang, Ph.D., “The focal adhesion protein Talin is a mechanically gated A-kinase anchoring protein.”

Post-Doc: Brandon Bensel, Ph.D., "Kinesin-1-transported liposomes prefer to go straight in 3D microtubule intersections by a mechanism shared by other molecular motors" 

Resident: Brianna Leahy, M.D., "Transcatheter and surgical ductus arteriosus closure in very low birth weight infants: 2018–2022"

Staff Award Recipients

Clinical Research Coordinator: Rebecca Cole, Research Project Assistant, Department of Psychiatry

Research Scientist: Kirsten Tracy, Ph.D., Research Scientist, Vermont Cancer Center

Faculty Award Recipients

UVM Health Network Junior Researcher of the Year: Leslie Young, M.D., Associate Professor of Pediatrics

UVM Health Network Senior Researcher of the Year: Ira Bernstein, M.D., Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences

Clinical Trials Research Award: Matthew Kinsey, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine

Research Mentor: Jason Stumpff, Ph.D., Professor of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics

Rising Star New Investigator: Elias Klemperer, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psychiatry

Mid-Career Investigator: Masha Ivanova, Ph.D., Associate Professor Psychiatry

Research Laureate: Daniel Weiss, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Medicine