August 19, 2025

NEED TO KNOW

VMS Leaders Welcome New Medical Students to Vermont

Vermont Medical Society leaders, Naiim Ali (President-Elect) and Rebecca Bell (Immediate Past President) joined by VMS Staff Stephanie Winters in welcoming the Larner College of Medicine class of 2029!  They participated in orientation presentations in the morning explaining what VMS is, what it does and how medical students can get involved.  Following morning presentations, LCOM hosted a resource fair to highlight helpful and supportive resources for new students. VMS was there with a table of giveaways, and they were able to have one on one conversations with the newest Vermont medical students.  The future is bring with the new class, who showed great interest in getting involved and a passion for advocacy.  Welcome class of ’29 and the 45 new VMS medical student members (over 1/3 of the class)!

Messaging for Patients - Changes to Health Insurance Coming

 To keep Vermonters aware of the changes coming to the Vermont Medicaid program and health insurance marketplace due to actions by Congress, the Department of Vermont Health Access has created two new dedicated webpages: https://dvha.vermont.gov/medicaidchanges (for the Medicaid program) and https://info.healthconnect.vermont.gov/2026changes (for the health insurance marketplace).  These may be useful resources for your patients with questions about changing coming to health insurance.  The websites describe that the Federal Government has passed a new law that brings a wide range of changes to both Medicaid and the health insurance marketplace. New rules will change how people apply for and stay enrolled in health insurance.  The websites also emphasize that most of the changes for Medicaid do not go into effect until 2027 or later however tax credits for affording health insurance marketplace plans will likely be much lower starting in 2026.

The AP (8/19) reports, “For the first time in 30 years, the American Academy of Pediatrics is substantially diverging from U.S. government vaccine recommendations.” In new recommendations released Tuesday, “the AAP is strongly recommending COVID-19 shots for children ages 6 months to 2 years.” The recommendation “differs from guidance established under” the HHS Secretary, “which doesn’t recommend the shots for healthy children of any age but says [children] may get the shots in consultation with physicians.” AAP Committee on Infectious Diseases Vice Chair James Campbell, MD, MS, FAAP, said, “It is going to be somewhat confusing. But our opinion is we need to make the right choices for children to protect them.”

ABC News (8/19) reports the AAP “also recommended Americans age 18 and under receive a COVID vaccine if they are at high risk of severe COVID, live in a long-term care facility or congregate setting, if they have never been vaccinated against COVID or if they live with someone at high risk for severe COVID.” AAP President Susan Kressly, MD, FAAP, said, “The academy has been making pediatric immunization recommendations since the 1930s, that has not changed. ... But what has changed is that this year, we’re doing it in the environment of misinformation, which makes it more important than ever that we provide clear and confident guidance, because the majority of American families really depend on us for this guidance.”

AAP News: AAP recommends all young and high-risk children get vaccinated against COVID-19, diverging from CDC policy

Register Today for the 2025 Collaborative Meeting – Book Your Room by October 6th

Join us for the 2025 Collaborative Meeting of the Vermont Medical Society, American Academy of Pediatrics Vermont Chapter, Vermont Academy of Family Physicians, and Vermont Psychiatric Association, November 7–8 at Topnotch Resort & Spa in Stowe, VT.

Accommodations:

• Topnotch Discounted Rooms – inclusive of all fees; block expires October 6th.
• Nearby Hotels & Airbnbs – confirm the dates and your travel time to Topnotch to ensure you arrive for the meeting start.

Childcare: Register by October 1st to access complimentary childcare.

Don’t miss this chance to learn, collaborate, and celebrate with colleagues across Vermont.

For more information about the agenda and to register, click here.

MISC.

Vermont’s Newest Family Physician Spotlight in AAFP News: “We can do anything”: Dr. Kate Tian on Family Medicine & Advocacy

At the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) FUTURE 2025 conference, Dr. Jiayu “Kate” Tian, Resident Chair, who recently completed her residency at the University of Vermont Medical Center and will start her first full-time position as a board-certified family physician in Vermont next month, shared how family medicine empowers physicians to drive social change. Inspired by work like Dr. Anita Ravi’s PurpLE Clinic, Tian champions advocacy as both essential and energizing—not an added burden.  She emphasizes starting small, making change one patient at a time, while embracing the breadth of family medicine: caring for anyone who walks through the door. Her message is clear—family physicians are uniquely positioned to advance equity, justice, and community health.

Read the full story here.

Vermont Steering Committee for Comprehensive Primary Care to Hold First Meeting Tonight

As covered in the Rounds last week, the Vermont Steering Committee for Comprehensive Primary Health Care will convene its first meeting tonight from 5:30-7:30 p.m. (view agenda here. This meeting will be held at the Waterbury State Office Complex, Waterbury Vermont and via Microsoft Teams (click to join the meeting).  These are public meetings and anyone interested may attend.

This committee was created as part of Act 68 (S.126) with the goal of informing the efforts to reform health care in Vermont as it relates to access to, delivery of, and payment for primary care services.  The committee consists of 16 members representing a diverse range of organizations, geographies, practice settings and perspectives.  More information on the committee members and future meeting dates/information can be found here.

Sharp Increase in Reporting of Cannabis-Related Incidents 

New data released by the American Poison Centers shows that as cannabis legalization and commercialization has increased around the nation, edibles and THC gummies have caused a spike in reports of cannabis-related incidents. The data shows that reported cases have grown from 930 calls in 2009 to 22,000 calls in 2024. 13,000 of these cases were classified as "nonlethal poisonings" with negative outcomes including seizures and life-threatening breathing probems. 75% of these serious cases occurred in children and teenagers under the age of 20. The poison centers report that pediatric cannabis exposures have risen by 12.4% just in the last 12 months. A recent New York Times article, "Cannabis Poisonings Are Rising, Mostly Among Kids," called most of the reported exposures unintentional, but clinicians and public health officials are concerned with the growing public perception that T.H.C. Is completely benign and safe. “We’re seeing a lot of accidental overdoses just because of the packaging,” said Dr. Stephen Sandelich, a pediatric emergency physician and assistant professor at Penn State, who had intubated several children who had ingested cannabis products."

AMA Offers Model AI Governance Tools

Having an overarching policy that helps identify risks and spell out when AI can be used is key to managing a rapidly changing tech landscape. The AMA can help you structure one. 

VDH Health Advisory: Mosquito-borne Virus Risk in Vermont

Mosquito-transmitted arboviruses that can potentially cause severe disease in humans were detected in mosquitoes: West Nile virus (WNV) in St. Albans and Stowe, and Jamestown Canyon virus (JCV) in Rutland, Marshfield, and Whitingham. Mosquito surveillance results are posted weekly to our website during mosquito season.

Requested Actions 

• Consider Arboviral Infection: Maintain a high index of suspicion for arboviral infections in patients presenting with febrile or neurologic illness (e.g., meningitis, encephalitis) who have had recent mosquito exposure, especially during late summer and early fall.
• Diagnostic Testing: Test for arboviral infections, including Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV), WNV, and JCV, by ordering IgM antibodies in serum and/or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Acute and convalescent samples may be necessary for accurate diagnosis.
• Reporting: Report all suspect or confirmed arboviral infections to the Health Department Infectious Disease Epidemiology Program by calling 802-863-7240.
• Clinical Guidance: Review updated clinical guidance for arboviral neuroinvasive diseases.

View the full alert here.

Register Now for the Vermont ACP Chapter Annual Scientific Meeting

The Vermont ACP Chapter's Annual Scientific Meeting is scheduled for Friday, October 3, 2025. This will be an in-person meeting at Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, VT. We will again host a poster competition for resident and student members.

The ACP is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The American College of Physicians designates this live activity for a maximum of 5.25 AMA PRA Category 1 credits (s).

Successful completion of this CME Activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 5.25 medical knowledge MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine's (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. Participants will earn MOC points equivalent to the amount of CME credit claimed for the activity. It is the CMA activity providers responsibility to submit participant information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.

Visit the Meeting Hub for registration, agenda, and details of the meeting here.

EVENTS

Vermont Suicide Prevention Coalition Meeting

August 21st from 11am to 3pm

Capitol Plaza Hotel, Montpelier, VT

The next statewide Vermont Suicide Prevention Coalition meeting will provide suicide prevention grant activity updates from state partners, discuss resources for Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, receive information and provide input to Strategic Plan activities, and launch a concerted effort in developing and supporting a network of regional suicide prevention groups in Vermont.

If you are someone interested in championing or getting involved with local suicide prevention efforts in your area, join us on the 21st to be part of the discussion, exchange ideas & resources, and identify concrete next steps.

Facing Suicide Together Through Stories of Hope and Healing

August 21st from 4pm to 6pm

Capitol Plaza Hotel, Montpelier, VT

Learn more and register here.

VAHHS Annual Meeting: Era of Change: Healthcare Transformation, Challenges & Opportunities

September 25 - 26, 2025

Please join VAHHS at our Annual Meeting on September 25^th and 26^th at Jay Peak!

Our theme is Era of Change: Healthcare Transformation, Challenges and Opportunities

Sessions include:

• Transforming Rural Healthcare Through Purposeful Regionalization
• What the Heck is Interoperability, and How Do We Get It?
• Mobile Integrated Health (MIH): Where Leveraging Community Partnerships, Population Health and the Quadruple Aim Meet

Learn more and register here.

What the Living and the Dead Owe Each Other: How the Burke and Hare Murders Changed Medicine and How We Think About Bodies

September 30, 2025

We will be taking a look at how the 1828 Burke & Hare Murders in Edinburgh changed both the medical and legal practice of human dissection, as well as current events that continue to make us think about how we view dead bodies and their role in medical education.

Anastasia Arvin-DiBlasio is a medical student at University of Vermont, just finishing her 3rd year. She became interested in medical history when her AP US History teacher did a lesson on Civil War amputations - she was hooked! The 19th century is her favorite for medical history. What fascinates her is how many things were discovered or pioneered in this era (and others) that are still in use today, and the far reach it has outside medicine proper.

Register here. 

Clinical Quality Symposium: Building & Expanding Collaborative Systems for Maternal Health

October 28, 2025

Join us for a one-day symposium focused on strengthening partnerships across maternity care, primary care, and public health. Designed for maternity providers, primary care clinicians, public health professionals, and community organizations, this event will explore collaborative models to improve maternal health outcomes—particularly in the face of growing maternity care deserts in Vermont and New Hampshire.

Sessions will include:

• Innovative approaches to integrating maternity and primary care
• Dedicated breakout tracks for maternity and primary care providers
• Strategies to support postpartum care and mental health
• Practical tools for building cross-sector collaboration

Register here.

For more information about offerings from UVM CMIE, visit here.

Vermont Medical Society

134 Main Street

Montpelier, VT 05602

-- Unsubscribe --