Beloved family physician and U.S. Army Medical Corp veteran was committed to teaching the art of medicine
Dr. John J. Saia, beloved family physician, passed away peacefully on February 25, 2025, at the McClure Miller Respite House in Colchester, Vt., surrounded by his family. Born on September 4, 1939, in Barre, Vt., he was the son of Dr. John L. and Margaret V. Saia. John graduated Spaulding High School in 1957, where he played football and baseball. He was a 1961 graduate of Bowdoin College and the University of Vermont College of Medicine in 1966. Following graduation, John completed two years of medical residency at Rochester General Hospital in Rochester, N.Y., concurrently commissioned as a captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corp. He fulfilled one year of his military obligation as a battalion surgeon stationed on the DMZ in South Vietnam, and the second year was completed at Schilling Air Force Base in Selina, Kan., as a general medical officer. Upon discharge from active military duty with the rank of major, John entered his third year of residency at the Medical Center Hospital of Vermont, becoming one of the first residents to embark on the primary care track. At the completion of his residency, John began a career which spanned the practice and lifestyle of the solo country doc and the institutional teamwork of a university teaching hospital. Initially practicing in Waitsfield, Vt., in the decade of the ‘70s, John was recruited by the chairman of the Department of Family Practice to serve as residency program director. For the next nearly 30 years, John would enjoy an extensive career at the University of Vermont College of Medicine. He was elected by medical students for induction into AOA, twice recognized by residents as Family Practice Teacher of the Year and honored by his peers as Vermont Family Physician of the Year. John was the recipient of the 2016 A. Bradley Soule Award for his loyalty and dedication to the UVM College of Medicine. His commitment to teaching the art of medicine — the dynamics of health and illness through wisdom, wit, humility and equanimity — was legend among his students and residents. He demonstrated this art admirably in his care and empathy for his own patients. Outside of the realm of medicine was an equally important family and social life. His talent as a photographer allowed him to capture the beauty around him and the many sporting and social events of his children and grandchildren, preserving memories…
Beloved family physician and U.S. Army Medical Corp veteran was committed to teaching the art of medicine
Dr. John J. Saia, beloved family physician, passed away peacefully on February 25, 2025, at the McClure Miller Respite House in Colchester, Vt., surrounded by his family. Born on September 4, 1939, in Barre, Vt., he was the son of Dr. John L. and Margaret V. Saia. John graduated Spaulding High School in 1957, where he played football and baseball. He was a 1961 graduate of Bowdoin College and the University of Vermont College of Medicine in 1966. Following graduation, John completed two years of medical residency at Rochester General Hospital in Rochester, N.Y., concurrently commissioned as a captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corp. He fulfilled one year of his military obligation as a battalion surgeon stationed on the DMZ in South Vietnam, and the second year was completed at Schilling Air Force Base in Selina, Kan., as a general medical officer. Upon discharge from active military duty with the rank of major, John entered his third year of residency at the Medical Center Hospital of Vermont, becoming one of the first residents to embark on the primary care track. At the completion of his residency, John began a career which spanned the practice and lifestyle of the solo country doc and the institutional teamwork of a university teaching hospital. Initially practicing in Waitsfield, Vt., in the decade of the ‘70s, John was recruited by the chairman of the Department of Family Practice to serve as residency program director. For the next nearly 30 years, John would enjoy an extensive career at the University of Vermont College of Medicine. He was elected by medical students for induction into AOA, twice recognized by residents as Family Practice Teacher of the Year and honored by his peers as Vermont Family Physician of the Year. John was the recipient of the 2016 A. Bradley Soule Award for his loyalty and dedication to the UVM College of Medicine. His commitment to teaching the art of medicine — the dynamics of health and illness through wisdom, wit, humility and equanimity — was legend among his students and residents. He demonstrated this art admirably in his care and empathy for his own patients. Outside of the realm of medicine was an equally important family and social life. His talent as a photographer allowed him to capture the beauty around him and the many sporting and social events of his children and grandchildren, preserving memories…