UVM Medical Center Staff Elect Community Provider as New Medical Staff President

BURLINGTON, Vt., – The University of Vermont Medical Center medical staff has elected Dr. Heather Stein, the chief medical officer for the Community Health Centers of Burlington, as its new president – strengthening ties between the medical center and community health care providers.

Dr. Stein is a native of West Virginia, and grew up in Morgantown where her father practiced family medicine for 35 years. She graduated from Virginia Tech with a B.S. in biochemistry and a B.A. in classical studies. Dr. Stein returned to West Virginia University for medical school before moving to Vermont for her family medicine residency at UVM Medical Center where she was introduced to the Community Health Centers of Burlington community (CHCB).

“I’m excited to carry on with strengthening the strong ties between community providers and the UVM Medical Center,” Stein said. “Together we will continue to provide the high quality health care that our patients and communities deserve.”

The medical staff president plays a critical role for physicians and advanced practice practitioners in the area. The position is responsible for matters of enrollment, credentialing and privileging. The medical staff president also oversees matters pertaining to peer review in cases of questionable standards of practice or disciplinary concerns.

The medical staff president also serves as the chairperson for the UVM Medical Center Medical Executive Committee, sits on the UVM Medical Center Board of Trustees as a non-voting, ex-officio member and serves on several other hospital and medical staff committees. The president first serves a 2-year term as president-elect followed by a 2-year term as president.

“Dr. Stein has a strong bond with patients in our community and the UVM Medical Center. Her experience serving the community, often some of our most vulnerable friends and family, is a wonderful asset for our entire medical staff,” said Stephen Leffler, MD, president and COO of UVM Medical Center.

Dr. Stein’s professional interests include addiction treatment and she has a board certification in addiction medicine. She also focuses on care of the underserved, as well as comprehensive care for the whole family and reducing barriers to treatment. She has been working as a primary care provider at CHCB since 2011, becoming the organization’s Chief Medical Officer in 2020. CHCB is a non-profit Federally Qualified Health Center that cares for over 30,000 patients in Chittenden and southern Grand Isle Counties.

Her husband, whom she met in medical school, is also a family doctor in the area. She enjoys cooking, gardening and spending time with her family in her personal time.

About the University of Vermont Medical Center
The University of Vermont Medical Center  is a 499-bed tertiary care regional referral center providing advanced care to approximately 1 million residents in Vermont and northern New York.  Together with our partners at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, we are Vermont’s academic medical center. The University of Vermont Medical Center also serves as a community hospital for approximately 150,000 residents in Chittenden and Grand Isle counties. 

The University of Vermont Medical Center is a member of The University of Vermont Health Network, an integrated system established to deliver high quality academic medicine to every community we serve.

For more information visit www.UVMHealth.org/MedCenter or visit our Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and blog sites at www.UVMHealth.org/MedCenterSocialMedia.

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