VUMC sources interviewed for stories in the Washington Post, NPR, Voice of America, more

William Schaffner, MD, professor of Preventive Medicine, continues to be one of the most in-demand sources about COVID-19, influenza and other subjects in the news. Among the news organizations he has spoken with recently: Voice of America, NBC News, HuffPost, MSNBC, and CNN.

NPR health policy reporter Selena Simmons-Duffin interviewed Melissa McPheeters, PhD, research professor, Health Policy, for a “Morning Edition” story about national hospital capacity data being gathered and analyzed by HHS but not shared publicly. The Washington Post posted a story including the new coronavirus data released last week by the Department of Health Policy.

Associated Press reporter Jonathan Mattise interviewed John Graves, PhD, associate professor of Health Policy, for a story about areas of Tennessee where masks are not required seeing a larger increase of COVID patients.

Conde Nast Traveler reporter Kristi Kellogg interviewed David Aronoff, MD, director, Division of Infectious Diseases, for a story about face shields. Aronoff also spoke to Elemental reporter Rob Britt for a story about masks — the science/effectiveness, the psychology of making it a habit, and how to choose them and use them properly. Elemental is the health publication on Medium.

Reuters Health reporter Marilynn Larkin interviewed Joanna Stollings, PharmD, clinical pharmacy specialist in the Medical ICU, for a story about a new study on using melatonin in the ICU.

CBS News interviewed Stephen Patrick, MD, director, Center for Child Health Policy, for a story about his American Academy of Pediatrics guidance report on opioids and pregnancy.

EFE Spanish News Agency reporter Ricardo Segura interviewed Subramaniam Sriram, MBBS, William C. Weaver III Professor of Neurology and chief of the Division of Neuroimmunology, for stories about his PNAS study that found a chemical compound from the shell of the cashew nut promotes the repair of myelin, a protective sheath surrounding nerves. Damage to this covering — demyelination — is a hallmark of multiple sclerosis and related diseases of the central nervous system. The stories in Spanish are now published and broadcast in outlets including Panama America, RevistaQ, El Horizonte, mundosano, TV Pacifico, and El Debate de Mazatlan.