Living Healthy Together

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is unpredictable, often invisible and lifelong. For those living with this spectrum of conditions, every day can be shaped by pain, uncertainty and the need to constantly adapt. 

We explore the realities of IBD through the decades-long medical journey of Joshua Peets, a North Country resident and Crohn’s disease patient, and the clinical expertise of members of the care team at the Chron’s & Colitis Center at UVM Medical Center. 

Shruti Khurana, MD, a gastroenterologist and the founder/director of the Center, and Jeremy Dressler, MD, a colon and rectal surgeon, describe how IBD care is evolving to combine medical management, surgical interventions, nutrition guidance and mental health and pharmacy support. The goal: better manage a complex spectrum of conditions that impact a person’s whole body, not just their digestive tract. 

Meta Surjaputra, PsyD, a clinical psychologist who specializes in gastroenterological psychology, explores the powerful brain-gut connection and explains why anxiety, depression and stress are closely tied to outcomes for individuals living with IBD. A member of the Clinic’s care team, she shows how psychological support can improve patients’ ability to manage their symptoms and improve their overall quality of life. 

Kathy McGinnis, RD, a clinical dietician who specializes in gastroenterological disorders, discusses the role of nutrition as a critical tool for managing symptoms and supporting long-term health. She offers practical insight into diet patterns and common misconceptions around the causes and impacts of IBD in the kitchen. 

What does it take to build a medical practice that lasts not just decades, but generations? Join us as we visit Green Mountain Family Practice in Northfield, Vermont, and explore the human connections and experiences that form the core of family medicine for the Sullivan family, over the course of a hundred years. 

Craig Sullivan, MD, began caring for families in Northfield in 1983, practicing medicine in a small town where care extends beyond clinic walls and trust and lifelong relationships with patients defined family medicine. Dr. Sullivan shares stories and insights drawn from a career shaped by house calls, handshake agreements, and a sea-change that fundamentally reshaped primary care.  

Matt Sullivan, MD, describes his own winding path to family medicine. From filmmaking to primary care and ultimately a journey home to practice alongside his father Craig. He reflects on how medicine has changed, the challenges keeping physicians from choosing to practice family medicine, and what it takes to preserve meaningful relationships in an increasingly complex and business-driven health care system. 

Together they offer an intimate look at medicine as a vocation grounded in time, trust and presence within the lives of patients. 

Health information is everywhere: online resources, third-party apps on your smartphone, artificial intelligence-driven chatbots; even the patient portal to your electronic health record. 

So why does understanding and using health information remain a challenge for millions of Americans? And how does communication, trust and misinformation shape health care experiences for patients and providers alike? 

Join Chrissy Keating, health literacy specialist at UVM Medical Center, as we explore why nearly nine in 10 adults struggle with health information; hear volunteer patient and family advisor Susanna Stinnett and patient engagement partner Vicki Mascareno-Nelson discuss how lived experiences improve patient-provider communication systems; explore the impact of misinformation and a crowded digital landscape with infections disease specialist and medical ethicist Tim Lahey, MD; and learn how preparing for your care can transform your health care appointments, with tips from professional health care risk manager Geri Amori and community outreach manager Maria Avery. 

Get a hopeful, practical look at how better communication, shared decision-making and curiosity on both sides of the exam room can lead to better health outcomes. 

Resources:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institutes of Health (searchable health condition information)

Mayo Clinic (patient-facing medical information)

Harvard Medical School (health education and condition overviews)

American Academy of Pediatrics

Infectious Diseases Society of America

American Heart Association

American Diabetes Association

Health Bytes and Insights (Request a session)

Preventing child maltreatment is complex, and everyone has a role to play. Child abuse and neglect affect every community. In this episode of Living Healthy Together, we mark Child Abuse Awareness Month by bringing together medical experts, foster parents, forensic specialists and community leaders to explore how we can keep children safe and how prevention truly works. 

James Metz, MD, a pediatrician, division chief of child abuse medicine and director of the Child Safe Program at Golisano Children’s Hospital, explains why child maltreatment is more common than many childhood illnesses; the role of pediatricians and how multidisciplinary teams investigate and respond to reports of suspected abuse while putting children and families at the center of everything they do. 

Whitney Barkhuff, MD, a neonatologist and foster parent, shares what families should understand about foster care, addresses common misconceptions and explores the many ways individuals and families can support children without committing to long-term foster placements. 

Tracey Wagner, MSN, RN, CPN, SANE-P, a forensic and sexual assault nurse and longtime foster parent, explains the spectrum of child maltreatment, how science is evolving, the importance of education, and how honest conversations can help protect children. 

Meghan Masterson, MA, BCBA, a board-certified behavior analyst and executive director of Kidsafe Collaborative, Chittenden County’s only independent agency dedicated to prevention of child abuse and neglect, explains how prevention is a shared responsibility. Learn how individual action, community support and strong systems create safer environments for children 

Occupational Therapy helps people do the everyday things that make life meaningful, from getting dressing and preparing meals to returning to work, driving and caring for family. 

On this episode of Living Healthy Together, we celebrate the impact occupational therapists have on lives across our region, and explore how this collaborative, relationship-focused approach to rehabilitation made a difference for three patients dealing with vastly different challenges. Together, these stories reveal how occupational therapy goes beyond rehabilitation, helping people reconnect to purpose, preserve dignity, and take control of their everyday lives. 

Vermonter Brian Stevens shares his journey of resilience and recovery with his occupational therapist, Janet Conk, MOT,  following a devastating motorcycle accident in 2025 that left him paralyzed. 

Greta Irwin, OTR-L, a multi-site manager on the Rehabilitation team at UVM Medical Center, explains the scope of occupational therapy, rising demand for services across our region, and the growing, unmet needs facing patients.  

Heidi Faunce, a pipefitter who suffered a traumatic hand injury, takes listeners behind the scenes of her rehabilitation with certified hand therapy specialist Krista Schestag, OT, CHT, and describes the specialized, relationship-driven care that helped her return to work and reclaim her ability to do everyday tasks. 

University of Vermont professor Sefakor GMA. Komabu-Pomeyie, PhD, shares her lifelong medical journey dealing with the impacts of Polio and how her work with driver rehabilitation specialist Heather Zuk, OT, helped her preserve independence through adaptive driving technology. 

Alcohol is deeply woven into American culture and its health risks often go unrecognized or minimized. Join us as we explore alcohol use disorder as a major public health issue impacting our region. 

You’ll hear from clinicians, public health experts, recovery professionals and a Vermonter who shares his lived experience on how alcohol affects individuals, families and communities across Vermont and northern New York. 

Peter Jackson, MD, director of the Addiction Treatment Center at UVM Medical Center, and Mallory Richardson, a certified recovery roach with Turning Point of Central Vermont who works in the emergency department at Central Vermont Medical Center (CVMC), explain why alcohol use disorder is uniquely challenging to treat, why alcohol withdrawal is among the most dangerous and potentially-lethal experiences, and why many people delay seeking help. 

Eva Patrick, a public health specialist at CVMC and program manager of Central Vermont Prevention Coalition, and Marissa Patrick, NP, a primary care nurse practitioner at CVMC and the architect of the hospital’s primary care treatment pathway for alcohol use disorder, discuss Vermont’s high rates of alcohol consumption, the underuse of medication-assisted treatment, and how strategies for treatment and support are shifting. 

Chris Collins, a father and recovery advocate from Washington, Vermont, shares his powerful personal journey of addiction and recovery following a devastating motorcycle accident that left him with severe nerve damage. 

Bone issues and injuries affect millions of Americans, often without warning. Join us as Living Health Together hosts a wide-ranging conversation about osteoporosis, low bone mass, and why bone health is a critical but often overlooked part of lifelong wellness. 

Hear from experts in orthopedics, physical therapy, nutrition, primary care and gynecolocy about how bones grow, weaken and respond to stress; what puts you most at-risk for fractures and bone health issues; and what you can do to build and protect strong bones at every stage of life. 

Orthopedic nurse practitioner Deborah Brown, FNP, explores how bone health develops over time, the role genetics play, and why fragility fractures can have devastating consequences for independence and longevity – and how early screening and knowing your family history can change outcomes. 

OB/GYN and menopause specialist Colleen Horan, MD, explains how hormonal changes before and during menopause accelerate bone loss and cost women up to 10% of their bone density; and how lifestyle changes and hormone therapy can help slow that decline. 

Emily Byrne, FNP, discusses the critical role primary care practitioners play, why osteoporosis is considered a “silent disease,” and how you can advocate for screening and early prevention with your own health care provider. 

Physical Therapist and orthopedic certified specialist Jackie Jancaitis, PT, breaks down the science of how bones respond to stress; why lifting heavy (safely!) is essential for bone density; and how strength, balance and fall prevention work together to reduce fracture risk. 

Registered dietician nutritionist Nancy Wagner, RDN, CDCES, explains how nutrition influences bone health starting in early childhood – and how a surprise diagnosis of osteopenia, or low bone density, brought the risks home for her. 

What happens when personal loss sparks not just grief, but the desire to ensure no one dies alone? In this episode of Living Healthy Together, sit down with Louella Richer, manager of palliative care support services at University of Vermont Health - Porter Medical Center, and explore her deeply personal journey through caregiving, grief and healing. 

After caring for both parents through terminal illness, and losing them both in 2009, Louella transformed trauma into purpose through creative expression, memoir writing, yoga and ultimately a career in palliative care. She now leads a team of more than 100 volunteers who provide companionship, bereavement support and more for patients and families navigating the end of life. 

This powerful conversation examines what it truly means to be present, why creative expression matters in grief, and how compassion, music and human connection can shape some of life’s most profound moments. 

Each year since 2022, University of Vermont Healthy and the University of Vermont bring together clinicians, students, community leaders, educators, artists and advocates for the annual Health Equity Summit – a gathering focused on advancing equitable, person-centered care across Vermont and northern New York. 

In this episode we explore what health equity truly means, why it matters, and how it shows up in homes, hospitals, classrooms and communities. Hear from Summit organizers Taylor Small of UVM Medical Center and Hajar Anvar of UVM Health - Home Health and Hospice about the summit’s evolving vision and the growing role of community voices, patient advisors and diverse partners in shaping solutions. 

You’ll also hear powerful stories from Burlington-based artist and storyteller Ferene Paris, who is using creativity to support healing and learning; executive assistant Elle Semsey, who is channeling her lived experience as a survivor of intimate partner violence into action; and Dr. Jill Rinehart, a pediatrician at Golisano Children’s Hospital at UVM Health working to eliminate care disparities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. 

From the role social determinants of health play, to the importance of cultural humility, lived experience and patient-centered design, we offer a deeply human look at what it takes to build health care systems – and relationships – that allow everyone the opportunity to reach their highest level of health. 

Artificial intelligence is reshaping medicine: Ambient documentation tools free clinicians to be fully present with patients; AI trained to read medical images helps speed diagnoses in critical moments; chatbots connect patients with clear and prompt information through messages via their electronic medical record. 

Medical artificial intelligence tools are reducing burnout, improving clinical workflows and raising important questions about trust, privacy and the future of care. In this episode of Living Healthy Together, UVM Health physicians discuss how artificial intelligence is tested, vetted and used across Vermont and northern New York. 

Join Dr. Justin Stinnett-Donnelly, Dr. Tim Lahey, Dr. Dan Peters and Dr. Alician Jacobs to explore the promise, power and potential pitfalls of bringing artificial intelligence into health care’s most sacred space: the patient-provider relationship.