Stafford is home to the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, the Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, as well as classroom and laboratory space. Opened in 1991, Stafford Hall was the first of a number of new life sciences facilities on this part of campus. It connects directly to the Health Sciences Research Facility and adjacent Larner College of Medicine. The building is named for the late Robert T. Stafford, longtime Vermont congressman and senator and stalwart supporter of higher education.