Family Caregivers: The Invisible Backbone of U.S. Health Care

Allison Applebaum, PhD

Monday, May 4

8:00 - 9:00 am

Hybrid: In person at UVMMC Davis Auditorium during Family Medicine Grand Rounds. Online via ZOOM [LINK TO COME].

Clinical psychologist, writer, researcher, and advocate Allison J. Applebaum, PhD, focuses on addressing the needs of caregivers – the family and friends of patients who serve a critical and often unrecognized role on the healthcare team. Dr. Applebaum is the former Founding Director of the Caregivers Clinic at Memorial Sloan Kettering Center and author of Stand By Me: A Guide to Navigating Modern, Meaningful Caregiving. She is currently Professor and Director of the Steven S. Elbaum Family Center for Caregiving in the Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. 

Applebaum works with healthcare systems worldwide to develop support programs for caregivers, draw attention to their unique needs across various illnesses and care settings, and implement systems-level changes that facilitate support and integrate caregivers more formally into the healthcare team.

Part of the Osher Center for Integrative Health's 2026 Laura Mann Integrative Healthcare Lecture Series. Presented by UVM Medical Center, Family Medicine, UVM Larner College of Medicine. 

Zoom Meeting [LINK COMING SOON]

Food & Mood: Culinary Medicine for Group Medical Appointments

Monday, November 17

8:00 - 9:00 am

• Sravan Kakani, MD, Assistant Professor, Psychiatry, University of Vermont Larner, College of Medicine
• Rachel Boyers, Garden Educator, University of Vermont Medical Center
• R. Leah Pryor, Executive Chef Manager, Culinary Medicine Manager, University of Vermont Health
• Melissa Kelly, Clinical Dietician , University of Vermont Medical Center

Hybrid: UVM Medical Center Davis Auditorium and online via Zoom.

Osher Affiliates Sravan Kakani, MD, R. Leah Pryor, Rachel Boyers, and Melissa Kelly present the impact of UVM Health's “Food and Mood” program--an initiative blending nutrition, mental health, and community connection--on group medical appointments like Seneca.

Presented by: University of Vermont Medical Center, Family Medicine, University of Vermont, Larner College of Medicine during Family Medicine Hybrid Grand Rounds. 

Part of the Osher Center for Integrative Health at UVM's Laura Mann Integrative Healthcare Lecture Series.

Zoom Meeting ID: 933 3942 1409

The First Nations' Collective is proud to present:

Live Cooking Demonstration & Lecture with Chef Brian Yazzie: Indigenous Food Sovereignty

October 13, 2025
4:00 - 5:00 pm
Dudley H. Davis Center, Frank Livak Ballroom, 417

Free. Open to students, staff, and faculty. Learn more at Indigenous Food Sovereignty's UVM Calendar event listing.

Join Chef Brian Yazzie, a renowned Indigenous chef and advocate for food sovereignty, for an inspiring live cooking demonstration and lecture. Chef Yazzie will prepare traditional Indigenous dishes while sharing the deep cultural significance behind the ingredients and culinary practices.

Brian Yazzie (a.k.a. Yazzie the Chef) is a Diné Chef from Dennehotso, Arizona which is located on the Northeastern part of the Navajo Nation. He currently resides in Saint Paul, MN and has a degree in Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Culinary Arts from Saint Paul College.

Yazzie focuses on bringing together hyper-local indigenous ingredients from the streams, rivers, and forests to revitalize healthy indigenous cuisine.  He brings creativity to ancestral knowledge through modern techniques.  

Through this engaging presentation, attendees will learn about Indigenous food sovereignty—its importance in preserving Indigenous knowledge, protecting natural resources, and fostering community health and resilience. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to experience the rich flavors and powerful stories of Indigenous cuisine firsthand.

Samples will be available after the presentation. 

If you have any questions, reach out to Isaac Shoulderblade (ishoulde@uvm.edu).  

Sponsored in part by the Osher Center for Integrative Health at UVM’s Laura Mann Integrative Healthcare Lecture Series.

Supporting Women's Health Across the Lifespan with Acupuncture Therapy: Current Science and Clinical Applications

Lisa Taylor-Swanson, PhD, MAcOM, LAc, Dipl OM

Clinician-researcher in the fields of women's health and traditional East Asian medicine, Lisa Taylor-Swanson, PhD, MAcOM, LAc, Dipl OM, is known for her passionate dedication to research and has published in the areas of menopause and women's health, patient-practitioner relationships, and acupuncture in the context of IVF. She is an Assistant Professor at the University of Utah, College of Nursing and is pursuing a program of research focused on women's health, integrative health, and Traditional East Asian Medicine. She is co-president of the Society of Acupuncture Research.

Recorded during OBGYN Department Grand Rounds at University of Vermont Medical Center's Davis Auditorium on September 16, 2025.

BONUS RESEARCH SEMINAR!

We Are Stronger Together: Collaboratively Developing Interventions with Midlife Women

Lisa Taylor-Swanson, PhD, MAcOM, LAc, Dipl OM

Recorded following OBGYN Department Grand Rounds at University of Vermont Medical Center's Davis Auditorium on September 16, 2025.

Maggie Connors, MT-BC, Music Therapist, Maple Tree Music Therapy, Medical Music Consultant, UVM Children’s Hospital
Danica Cunningham, MT-BC, Music Therapist, As You Are Studio, Medical Music Consultant, UVM Children’s Hospital

Osher Affiliates Maggie Connors, MT-BC, and Danica Cunningham, MT-BC, sharing research and perspective on the transformative impact of their clinical work on patients, caregivers, families, staff, and more. Featuring an introduction by Lewis First, MD, MSc.

Free, open to the public, and presented during Pediatric Grand Rounds, this session has been approved for 1 CME credit. (Recorded February 26, 2025)

Jonathan Patz, MD, MPH  

Jonathan Patz, M.D., MPH, is a Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor and the John P. Holton Chair of Health and the Environment with appointments in the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies and the Department of Population Health Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Patz served as the Inaugural Director of UW’s Global Health Institute and continues to direct the Planetary Health Scholars Program. 

For 15 years, Patz served as a lead author for the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)—the organization that was awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. He also served as Health Co-Chair for the first US National Climate Assessment and in 2019, was elected into the U.S. National Academy of Medicine for his pioneering research on climate change and human health. (Recorded Jan. 6, 2025)

Eric Garland, PhD, LCSW

MORE integrates complementary aspects of mindfulness training, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and principles from positive psychology into a structured treatment designed to restructure brain reward system function. MORE has been shown to reduce opioid misuse by 45%, nearly tripling the effect of standard supportive group therapy, while enhancing neurophysiological mechanisms integral to self-control and responsiveness to natural, healthy rewards. 

Eric Garland, PhD, LCSW, is the Distinguished Endowed Chair in Research, Distinguished Professor and Associate Dean for Research, University of Utah College of Social Work; Director, Center on Mindfulness and Integrative Health Intervention Development; and Associate Director of Integrative Medicine, Huntsman Cancer Institute. (Recorded September 27, 2024)