VUMC in the news

Again this week, growing concern about the corona virus that began in Wuhan, China, and has now spread to many other countries, including the U.S., has brought numerous members of the national and international press to request interviews with William Schaffner, MD, professor of Preventive Medicine and Mark Denison, MD, professor of Pediatrics and director of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases.

A small sampling of a few of the most prominent includes The New York Times, NPR, Bloomberg News, USA Today, Fox News, The Washington Times, PBS Newshour, CNN, ABC News, American Public Media’s “Marketplace,” CNBC, Yahoo France, Reuters and NBC News.

Sean Donahue, MD, PhD, Sam and Darthea Coleman Professor of Pediatric Ophthalmology at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, participated in a FaceTime interview with Stephanie Officer, a digital reporter with CBS “Inside Edition,” to gain additional insight on Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON), a condition that leads to sudden onset of vision loss. Donahue is the principal investigator at the Vanderbilt Eye Institute for a gene therapy trial for this condition. The reporter highlighted one of Donahue’s patients, who received expanded access/use of investigational therapy.

Associated Press national reporter Lauran Neergaard interviewed Seth Karp, MD, chair, Section of Surgical Sciences, for a story about the new liver transplant rules that went into effect on Tuesday that could increases wait times for patients in Tennessee, Kansas and other states.

The death of Vanderbilt biochemist and winner of the Nobel Prize Stanley Cohen, PhD, was noted by many news outlets, including The New York Times.