Dartmouth Health leaders recognized by Becker's Hospital Review as some of the best in rural healthcare nationwide. * May 8th, 2026 Three Dartmouth Health system leaders have been named to Becker's Hospital Review in its 2026 list of "Rural Hospital and Health System Presidents and CEOs to Know." Estevan Garcia, MD, DrPH, president and CEO of Southwestern Vermont Health Care; Michael Lynch, MD, MBA, president and CEO of Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital; and Joseph Perras, MD, president and CEO of Cheshire Medical Center, received the nod. Becker's recognized 146 rural hospital and health system leaders nationwide for their roles in expanding services, recruiting talented caregivers and investing in community health through thoughtful facility improvements and strategic growth. The list was developed through editorial research and nominations, and organizations cannot pay for inclusion. Garcia became president and CEO of Southwestern Vermont Heath Care, a rural $220 million integrated delivery system, in January 2026. He draws on nearly 30 years of clinical practice and leadership across public health, higher education, and health system settings. A board-certified pediatrician and pediatric emergency medicine specialist, he previously served as chief medical officer for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and wellness officer for Dartmouth College. Garcia has held senior leadership roles in community, academic and integrated delivery systems and has served on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's national commission to transform public health data systems and on the boards of the Child Advocacy Center of Northampton, Mass., and GLMA, the nation's oldest and largest association of LGBTQ+ and allied health professionals. Lynch was appointed president and CEO of Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital (APD) in September of 2025, having joined the organization in 2019 as chief medical officer. In that role, he led the implementation of Epic as the hospital's electronic health record, integrated Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center's (DHMC) hospital medicine team into APD's patient services and transitioned DHMC's emergency providers into the emergency department staffing. He also helped grow surgical services, guided the hospital through the Covid-19 pandemic and reinforced primary care as a cornerstone of community health. Prior to his tenure at APD, he served as executive medical director of same day services at Reliant Medical Group in Worcester, Mass. Lynch also practiced as an emergency physician at Concord Hospital, where he served as medical director of urgent care, president of Concord Emergency Medical Associates, chair of emergency medicine and chair of the Concord Hospital Charitable Trust. Lynch continues to practice clinically in emergency services and is a clinical instructor at Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine. Perras serves as president and CEO of Cheshire Medical Center (Cheshire) in Keene, N.H., where he oversees efforts to deliver the highest quality of care in the safest possible environment. Cheshire is the largest provider of healthcare in Cheshire County and serves as a regional referral center for parts of New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts. Under Perras' leadership, Cheshire has strengthened its commitment to patients, employees, and the community through growth of clinical service lines and a focus on long-term financial sustainability. He previously served as a chairperson of the American Hospital Association's Small or Rural Hospital Council and was appointed to the AHA's Institute for Diversity and Health Equity. Perras is a graduate of the Academy of GE Fellows Program and is focused on building successful value-based care programs in rural environments. Dartmouth Health extends its congratulations to Garcia, Lynch, and Perras for this national honor and reaffirms its commitment to leadership excellence, clinical innovation and community-centered care across the system. About Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital (APD). Known for personalized, high-quality care, Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital (APD) has been a community-based healthcare organization in the Upper Valley of New Hampshire and Vermont since its founding in 1932. A member of Dartmouth Health, APD has been recognized nationally for quality care. Its areas of clinical excellence include surgical services, primary care, geriatric care, sleep health, and emergency services in partnership with Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. The APD campus is also home to a senior living community with assisted and independent living facilities. Learn more at alicepeckday.org.

Duodenal mucosal resurfacing may prevent weight regain following GLP-1 withdrawal. By Allison Casey - Last Updated: April 24, 2026 Photo Credit: istock.com/e-crow According to a pivotal trial, the investigational endoscopic procedure duodenal mucosal resurfacing (DMR) may safely and effectively prevent weight regain following tirzepatide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) therapy, withdrawal. Lead author Shelby Sullivan, MD, of Dartmouth Health Weight Center and Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine will present these data at Digestive Disease Week 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. While GLP-1 therapies can result in substantial weight loss with continuous use, an estimated 60% to 70% of patients taking these agents discontinue therapy within the first year. In a press release, Dr. Sullivan stated that when patients discontinue GLP-1 therapy "weight regain occurs in the vast majority of patients, and the metabolic benefits are lost." DMR uses hydrothermal ablation to target and remove the duodenal mucosa, which is a known site for metabolic dysfunction. In this way, DMR may "induce a sustained 'metabolic reset,' potentially reducing reliance on chronic pharmacotherapy and preventing post-withdrawal weight regain," as explained by Dr Sullivan and colleagues. REMAIN-1 is a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled clinical trial that enrolled adults with obesity who achieved at least 15% total body weight loss. In the Midpoint prospective pilot cohort, all participants (n=45) were aged 21 to 70 years, had not previously been exposed to GLP-1, did not have diabetes, and had BMI of 30 to 45 kg/m[2]. All patients received a tirzepatide run-in and discontinued therapy once they had achieved at least 15% total body weight loss. After at least 1-week post-withdrawal, participants were randomized on a 2-to-1 basis to undergo either DMR (n=29) or the sham procedure (n=16). All patients additionally received structured lifestyle counseling. There were no device- or procedure-related serious adverse events. At three months, there was an additional weight loss of 2.1 kg (+/-2.2 kg) with DMR, compared to an 8.2 kg (+/-3.5 kg) regain with the sham procedure (P=0.014). The total body weight loss in the DMR arm was 2.5% (+/-2.7%) compared to a 10.0% (+/-4.3%) regain in the sham arm. Additionally, the difference between the arms seems to be widening from one to six months, following the procedure. This indicates that that the procedure may provide durable weight maintenance. As Dr Sullivan commented, "the benefit appears to increase over time rather than fade, and that it behaves like a drug in terms of dose response." Dr Sullivan and colleagues concluded that these results "support DMR as a promising, procedure-based strategy to maintain weight loss and potentially enable shorter-duration GLP-1 therapy." In a press release, Dr Sullivan noted, "Finding a treatment that allows patients to stop [GLP-1] medications without weight regain or loss of metabolic benefit is a huge unmet need." She continued, "These findings indicate that this minimally invasive procedure may provide lasting weight-loss maintenance." Six-month cohort data from the REMAIN-1 trial are expected to be reported late in 2026. References. Sullivan S, et al. Digestive Disease Week 2026; May 1-May 5, 2026; Chicago, IL.