MPH News
Brian DuVal (MPH ’26) Brings Hemophilia Advocacy to the State Capitol
Jun. 24, 2025—By Kyra Letsinger For many Vanderbilt Master of Public Health students on the health policy track, working directly with politicians to lobby for policy is a dream experience, a stepping stone toward making the changes that inspired them to pursue the field in the first place. For first-year Vanderbilt University School of Medicine MPH student...
Erin Von Klein Honored by American Academy of Pediatrics
Oct. 8, 2024—Current Vanderbilt MPH student Erin Von Klein, M.D., was recently honored by the American Academy of Pediatrics with the 2024 Marshall Klaus Perinatal Research Award in Health Services Research for her project, “Employment Decision-Making Among Caregivers of Low Birthweight Infants.” Erin worked with mentors Gilbert Gonzales, Ph.D., Joseph Zickafoose, M.D., M.S., and Stephen Patrick, M.D.,...
Self and Audet are Helping Move Genomics into the Clinic
Oct. 2, 2024—The genomic revolution is upon us. The question is, how can the explosion of new knowledge be used — now — to prevent and treat disease and improve health? Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center believe the answer may involve a “learning” network that, by assessing the impact of genomic data and clinical informatics on...
Spalluto and Lewis Recognized for Extending Veterans’ Lung Cancer Screening
Sep. 30, 2024—Two physician-scientists at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have been recognized by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Quality Scholars (VAQS) Fellowship program for implementing and evaluating innovative lung cancer screening programs for veterans. Lucy Spalluto, MD, MPH, professor of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, and Jennifer Lewis, MD, MS, MPH, assistant professor of Medicine, are the recipients...
Peek Into the Practica: Hear from Students in Each MPH Track
Sep. 25, 2024—Vanderbilt’s public health practicum requirement provides MPH students the opportunity to apply what they’ve learned in their coursework in a practical, hands-on setting specific to their track and career goals. Over the years, Vanderbilt has developed deep and extensive networks with practicum partners across the United States and around the world, giving our students a...
Peek Into an MPH Practicum: A Q&A with a Health Policy Track Student
Sep. 25, 2024—By Kyra Letsinger Since as early as the ninth grade, second-year Master of Public Health (MPH) student Ishan Basu Ray has been working toward a career in health care. While peers spent summers relaxing, Basu Ray researched and shadowed in labs at some of his hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana’s most renowned academic institutions, including...
Peek Into an MPH Practicum: A Q&A with an Epidemiology Track Student
Sep. 18, 2024—By Kyra Letsinger From a young age, second-year Master of Public Health (MPH) student Kaylee Ebner had a passion for health and science. It wasn’t until high school, however, that she came to find her dream career path in the most unlikely of places. In her junior year Intro to Healthcare class, she watched the...
Dr. Poehling Contributes to Advisory Committee Recommendation on Immunization Practices
Sep. 18, 2024—What is already known about this topic? Adults aged 19–64 years with risk conditions for pneumococcal disease and those aged ≥65 years are recommended to receive either 15- or 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) (PCV15 or PCV20, respectively). What is added by this report? On June 27, 2024, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended...
Carolyn Audet, to Lead Implementation Science Center
Sep. 6, 2024—Two leaders in implementation science and quality improvement at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have been named co-directors of the Center for Clinical Quality and Implementation Research (CCQIR), which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. Carolyn Audet, PhD, and Amanda Mixon, MD, MSPH, recently succeeded founding CCQIR director Sunil Kripalani, MD, MSc, professor of Medicine and Health Policy, and...
Peek Into an MPH Practicum: A Q&A with a Global Health Track Student
Sep. 4, 2024—By Kyra Letsinger Before coming to Vanderbilt, second-year Master of Public Health (MPH) student Joshua Atura received his bachelor’s degree in development education from the University for Development in his hometown of Tamale, Ghana, and his master’s in development studies from the University of Ghana, Legon. While working on his master’s thesis on determinants of...
MPH Graduate Eiman Jahangir Heads to Space with Blue Origin Space Launch
Aug. 29, 2024—Eiman Jahangir’s lifelong dream to fly into space is scheduled to become a reality on Thursday, Aug. 29. Jahangir, MD, MPH, associate professor of Medicine and Radiology and director of Cardio-Oncology, is scheduled to lift off on the Blue Origin rocket New Shepard from a launch site in West Texas, Blue Origin announced. The launch...
Zheng and Sudenga Study Finds Spending Too Much Time On The Couch Can Shorten Your Life
Aug. 9, 2024—It’s well known that spending too much time on the couch can shorten your life. Now, researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have reported that moderate intensity, leisure-time physical activity can partially reduce the elevated risk of death from all causes due to prolonged sitting time. In a study of 8,337 predominantly low-income and Black...
Gastineau explains, approximately 3 million children witness a shooting each year in the US
Aug. 5, 2024—Hospitalization rates quintuple for youth who suffer nonfatal gun injuries. Health care costs are far higher for children suffering nonfatal firearm wounds when compared to their non-injured peers, even when the victim’s initial hospitalization is excluded from the tally, a recent study in Pediatrics reports. “Children with firearm-related injuries were more than five times as likely to require...
A healthy lifestyle may partially mitigate the effects of poverty on death rates says Zheng
Aug. 2, 2024—Study shows individuals from very low-income households have higher risk of early death. A new study illustrates the extent to which poverty impacts health: individuals in households with annual incomes below $15,000 are at three times the risk for early death compared to those in average-income families. The research, led by Vanderbilt University Medical Center...
Dr Natasha Halasa Discusses New Vaccine Surveillance Network Projects
Aug. 1, 2024—Natasha Halasa, MD, MPH, of Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), discusses the active population-based surveillance she helps to conduct as principal investigator (PI) of the Vanderbilt site of the New Vaccine Surveillance Network, which was established in 1999 by the CDC to predict the impact of potential new vaccines. She explained that this surveillance work...
Christianne Roumie to direct new Center of Innovation for Department of Veterans Affairs
Jul. 30, 2024—Christianne Roumie, MD, MPH, research health scientist at VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System and professor of Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine and Public Health at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has been named the director of a new Health Systems Research Center of Innovation (COIN) for the Department of Veterans Affairs. The COIN program supports...
Wesley Self named to leadership role in global clinical trials network
Jul. 22, 2024—Wesley Self, MD, MPH, Senior Vice President for Clinical Research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has been named chair of the Scientific Steering Committee overseeing a global clinical trials network focused on acute infectious disease. The network, called Strategies and Treatments for Respiratory Infections and Viral Emergencies (STRIVE), is funded by the National Institutes of...
Creech and Vanderbilt researchers launch new antibody trial to address Enterovirus threat
Jul. 3, 2024—Vanderbilt University Medical Center has launched a first-in-human clinical trial to determine the safety and efficacy of an experimental monoclonal antibody against enterovirus D68 (EV-D68), which can cause severe respiratory disease and — in rare cases — a debilitating, polio-like neurologic condition. Currently there are no approved, specific treatments in the United States for severe...
Harris named Department of Medicine’s executive vice chair for Clinical Affairs
Jun. 25, 2024—Bryan Harris, MD, MPH, MMHC, assistant professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases within the Department of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has been named executive vice chair for Clinical Affairs for the department, effective July 1. He succeeds Cecelia Theobald, MD, MPH, who is moving into new roles as VUMC’s Chief...
Audet selected for the 2024 cohort of Chancellor Faculty Fellows
Jun. 20, 2024—Thirteen outstanding faculty members from across Vanderbilt University have been selected for the 2024 cohort of Chancellor Faculty Fellows. This group is composed of highly accomplished, recently tenured faculty from a wide variety of disciplines and areas of expertise. There are five fellows from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (VUSM). Each fellow holds the title...
Wester and Vanderbilt researchers establish biomedical informatics training program in Mozambique
Jun. 19, 2024—In collaboration with Universidade Eduardo Mondlane (UEM) located in Maputo, Mozambique, the Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health (VIGH) has been awarded a five-year, $1.2 million training grant by the Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes of Health to establish the first biomedical informatics (BMI) training program for scholars and fellows using computational and information sciences approaches, primarily...
Vanderbilt research team awarded $1.8M from NINDS to conduct research on multiple sclerosis biomarkers using advanced imaging, says Reynolds
Jun. 7, 2024—Kristin Poole O’Grady, PhD, assistant professor of Radiology and Radiological Sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has received research support totaling more than $2.4 million for her investigations of progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) using advanced imaging. MS is a potentially disabling disease caused by an attack by the body’s immune system on the myelin sheath...
Ely’s rehabilitation research honored by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Jun. 5, 2024—Wesley Ely, MD, MPH, Grant W. Liddle Professor of Medicine, co-director of the Center for Critical Illness, Brain Dysfunction, and Survivorship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and associate director for research for the VA’s Tennessee Valley Geriatric Research Education Clinical Center (GRECC), received the Paul B. Magnuson Award for Outstanding Achievement in Rehabilitation Research and...
Alex Diamond to chair national high school sports medicine advisory committee
May. 30, 2024—Alex Diamond, DO, MPH, professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Pediatrics and Neurological Surgery at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, was recently named the chair of the National Federation of State High School (NFHS) Associations Sports Medicine Advisory Committee. His duties will begin immediately as he replaces the former chair, Greg Elkins, MD, who died in...
Aliyu and VIGH awarded $1.2M training grant to develop an ethics-based genetic and genomic research program in Nigeria
May. 29, 2024—The long-standing partnership between Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health (VIGH) and collaborators Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) and Bayero University (BUK) is poised to address the growing demand for research in precision medicine in Africa. This collaborative effort has been recognized with a five-year, $1.2 million training grant from the Fogarty International Center for an innovative research...
Zheng leads study on breast cancer risk variants for women of African ancestry
May. 28, 2024—A study led by researchers from Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center sheds light on some of the genetic variants that make breast cancer more deadly for women of African ancestry and significantly reduces the disparity in knowledge for assessing their genomic risk factors. The study, which was published May 13 in Nature Genetics, is the largest genome-wide association study ever...
Spalluto and Lewis investigate military exposures on veterans’ lung cancer risk
May. 16, 2024—Recruitment has begun for a national, multisite Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) study that seeks to expand lung cancer screening eligibility, reduce the time to lung cancer diagnosis, and increase veteran engagement. Jennifer A. Lewis, MD, MS, MPH, assistant professor of Medicine, is the principal investigator of the MAS-EXPAND study that is being conducted at...
Mathew and colleagues develop global ranking system to encourage poverty reduction
May. 1, 2024—Nearly half of the world’s population, including one billion children, lives in poverty (defined as income of less than $2 U.S. per day). With an eye toward better understanding how the private sector can help reduce poverty, four students at Vanderbilt University Peabody College of education and human development collaborated with the Center on Business and Poverty,...
Diamond supports Smart Heart Act, a new legislation requiring that automated external defibrillators be available in Tennessee schools for cardiac-related medical emergencies
Apr. 29, 2024—New legislation requiring that automated external defibrillators (AED) be located within 1,000 feet of any high school athletic activity in Tennessee is a win-win for a team of physicians at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. The Smart Heart Act, a sudden cardiac arrest prevention law, establishes various requirements for AEDs in schools serving grades 9-12...
Vanderbilt biostatisticians continue to revolutionize pragmatic clinical trials, says Self
Apr. 25, 2024—Progress across biomedicine and health is attended by a series of well-knit statistical inferences. Statistical inference tells you whether that obscure human trait that has seized your imagination is apt to be a blind alley or a useful (and publishable) biomarker of disease risk. It estimates how many willing patients you’ll need to test your...
Ajayi amongst recipients of Margaret Cuninggim Women’s Center Leadership Award for promotion of women’s goals and gender equity
Apr. 24, 2024—This spring, the Margaret Cuninggim Women’s Center named five people from the Vanderbilt community as recipients of its annual awards. The Margaret Cuninggim Women’s Center Leadership Award honors an undergraduate or graduate student who demonstrates leadership in activities that contribute to the achievements, interests and goals of women or that promote gender equity. This year, two students...
Intensive systolic blood pressure (SBP) treatment likely not associated with increased diabetes, but may be associated with elevated blood sugar, says Roumie
Apr. 23, 2024—Intensive systolic blood pressure (SBP) treatment is likely not associated with increased diabetes, but may be associated with more impaired fasting glucose, according to new findings published in Hypertension. Researchers arrived at their conclusion in a new analysis of data from The Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT). In the present analysis, the researchers compared the impact of...
Aliyu discusses future of Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health
Apr. 15, 2024—Muktar Aliyu, MD, DrPH, MPH, is director of the Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health (VIGH) and professor of Health Policy and Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He holds the Endowed Directorship in Global Health. VIGH facilitates the expansion and coordination of global health research, technical assistance and training initiatives at VUMC. What do you see as...
Horst introduces billable asynchronous eVisits as a care option at VUMC to facilitate telehealth communication efforts
Apr. 11, 2024—New program establishes eVisit protocol using asynchronous messaging that may address the concern or lead to a more in-depth telehealth or in-person appointment. Health care delivery and communications with patients through online portals has grown immensely in recent years — and in some ways has increased the complexity of interactions between clinicians and patients. To...
Talbot appointed as chair to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for the CDC
Apr. 10, 2024—Infectious diseases researcher H. Keipp Talbot, MD, MPH, has been appointed chair of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ACIP advises the CDC on adult and childhood immunization, including the age when a vaccine should be given, the number of doses needed, the amount of...
NIH selects Dr. Kathleen Neuzil as director of the Fogarty International Center and NIH associate director for international research
Apr. 2, 2024—National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Monica M. Bertagnolli, M.D., has named Kathleen M. Neuzil, M.D., as the 13th director of the Fogarty International Center (FIC) and NIH associate director for international research. Dr. Neuzil will be the first woman to hold the permanent FIC directorship since the center’s founding in 1968. She is currently...
Fecal microbiota transplants have been highly successful in treating patients who are ill with Clostridioides difficile, says Nicholson
Apr. 1, 2024—Fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) has been highly successful in treating patients who are ill with Clostridioides difficile. However, research is just beginning to determine its potential for treating other inflammatory conditions. At Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, pediatric gastroenterologist Maribeth R. Nicholson, M.D., M.P.H., was the senior author on a Cochrane Review article that synthesized the findings of 12...
Fill continues to lead disease surveillance efforts at the Tennessee Department of Health as deputy state epidemiologist
Mar. 25, 2024—On March 13, 2020, the Department of Health Policy established an ad-hoc committee of researchers, clinicians, and others who shifted their daily focus to advising and informing local, state, and federal leaders on the response to the global pandemic. A novel coronavirus was sweeping the globe, shutting down businesses, schools, and transforming how health and...
Slide 1: VUSM in Top 10 NIH Funding 2024
Mar. 14, 2024—
Rosenbloom to chair scientific review committee at National Library of Medicine
Mar. 11, 2024—Trent Rosenbloom, MD, MPH, professor of Biomedical Informatics, Medicine, and Pediatrics, on July 1 will begin a one-year term as chair of the Biomedical Informatics, Library and Data Sciences Review Committee of the National Library of Medicine (NLM). Founded in 1836 and incorporated into the National Institutes of Health in 1968, the NLM is a research award-making...
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary of Global Affairs Loyce Pace delivers 15th annual Satcher Lecture
Mar. 4, 2024—Loyce Pace, assistant secretary for global affairs within the United States Department of Health and Human Services, delivered the 2024 Satcher Lecture on Feb. 28 at Light Hall. Introduced by Dr. Adriana Bialostozky, associate professor of pediatrics, and second-year M.P.H. candidate Stacey Riddick, Pace spoke on global health diplomacy and equity followed by an audience...
Godfrey and colleagues refine machine learning model for lung-cancer prediction
Feb. 23, 2024—Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have built and refined a machine learning-based model for lung cancer prediction to support lung specialists in diagnosing and evaluating indeterminate pulmonary nodules (IPNs). The team developed the model for more accurate disease prediction in higher-risk populations evaluated in pulmonology and surgical specialty clinics. The team’s data and findings, recently published...
Talbot reappointed to the Department of Health and Human Services committee as chair
Feb. 21, 2024—The Department of Health and Human Services announced Thursday that it is filling eight vacancies, including the chairmanship, on an important advisory panel on vaccine policy that was down to less than half of its normal roster for months. It’s still not clear why so many positions were left unfilled on the Advisory Committee on...
Tennessee parents rank education and school quality as leading concerns for children for third consecutive year, says Gastineau
Feb. 14, 2024—The latest results from an annual poll of Tennessee parents from the Vanderbilt Center for Child Health Policy again show education and school quality is the leading concern parents have for their children for the third consecutive year. Statewide, parents listed their top concerns as 1) education and school quality (43%), 2) bullying, including cyberbullying (39%), 3) mental health...
APOL1 gene variant tied to higher COVID-19 mortality, says Hung
Feb. 6, 2024—Nationwide analysis finds variants may confer more than elevated risk of kidney disease. A sweeping analysis published in JAMA Internal Medicine found people harboring apolipoprotein 1 (APOL1) gene variants were at increased risk of developing acute kidney injury (AKI) and dying following hospitalization for COVID-19. The APOL1 variants protect against a parasitic infection native to Africa but are associated...
Collegiate golfers and tennis players reportedly underuse sunscreen; habits may be attributable to increase in melanoma cases, says Karpinos
Jan. 9, 2024—Collegiate tennis players aren’t using enough sunscreen, a new survey finds. And collegiate golfers aren’t either. As reported in Clinics in Dermatology, Georgina Sellyn, MA, Ashley Karpinos, MD, MPH, and research partners surveyed members of tennis and golf teams in five National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I conferences. Spending up to four hours per day outside practicing their sport,...
Gastineau and colleagues find youth who suffer nonfatal firearm injuries experience greater likelihood for future health issues
Jan. 8, 2024—According to a recent study released in Pediatrics, youth who suffer nonfatal firearm injuries have a significantly increased risk of hospitalizations, emergency department (ED) visits, outpatient visits and costs in the 12 months following injury compared to youth without a firearm injury. “We’ve seen firearm injuries in youth dramatically climb over the last few years, wreaking...
Halasa and colleagues find infants in intensive care for RSV did not have preexisting conditions
Dec. 22, 2023—New study findings from JAMA Network Open announced that most infants that were admitted to the intensive care or high acuity unit during fall of 2022 due to infection with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) were healthy and born at term prior to infection. The study results aid preventative interactions to protect infants from being infected with RSV,...
Acknowledging traditional definitions of health care-associated influenza can lead to gross undercounting of patient cases, says Talbot
Dec. 21, 2023—The traditional definition of health care-associated influenza leads to gross undercounting, a recent study suggests. As reported in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, Erin Gettler, MD, Thomas Talbot, MD, MPH, and colleagues analyzed data on 5,904 patients from eight counties in Middle Tennessee who were hospitalized with influenza from 2012 to 2019. Only 147 cases, or 2.5%, met the...
Belcher and colleagues advocate for more in-depth audiology screenings in infants with cleft palates to minimize risks of hearing loss
Dec. 13, 2023—Newborn screening alone cannot fully predict hearing loss in children born with a cleft palate. Hazards faced by children born with cleft palate include the risk of temporary or permanent hearing loss, particularly before their palate is repaired between 9 and 12 months. During this time, these babies are vulnerable to repeated bouts of otitis media...
Cooper named interim chair of the Department of Pediatrics
Dec. 12, 2023—William Cooper, MD, MPH, Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Pediatrics and Health Policy and Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs for Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (VUSM) has been named Interim chair of the Department of Pediatrics. He will assume this role Feb. 1, 2024. Cooper succeeds Steven Webber, MBChB, MRCP, James C. Overall Professor and Chair,...
Hung and colleagues challenge NOSTONE trial and reaffirm positive attributes of thiazide diuretics for kidney stone protection
Dec. 11, 2023—A new Vanderbilt University Medical Center genetic association study of more than 1 million adults supports the use of thiazide diuretics for kidney stone prevention. Kidney stones affect nearly 10% of the global population. For more than three decades, thiazide diuretics, a common medication used for high blood pressure, have been the standard of care...
VUMC receives $10 million research award; Heerman to lead study on childhood obesity interventions in rural and minority communities in Tennessee and Louisiana
Dec. 6, 2023—Vanderbilt University Medical Center has received a $10 million, five-year research funding award from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to study the ideal “dose” of behavioral interventions to treat childhood obesity in rural and minority communities across Tennessee and Louisiana. Bill Heerman, MD, MPH, chief of the Division of General Pediatrics a Vanderbilt, will...
Study finds many patients don’t seek more health services after receiving genetic screening results, says Wilmayani and colleagues
Nov. 24, 2023—If you sequence the DNA of adult research participants with respect to pathologic variants that, if found, could be expected to prompt diagnostic tests and perhaps also preventive measures, and you return that information to participants and their doctors along with preventive care recommendations, many of those found at risk will seek the relevant diagnostic...
Iron storage “spheres” inside the bacterium C. diff may offer targets for drug therapy, says Nicholson and colleagues
Nov. 22, 2023—Iron storage “spheres” inside the bacterium C. diff — the leading cause of hospital-acquired infections — could offer new targets for antibacterial drugs to combat the pathogen. A team of Vanderbilt researchers discovered that C. diff (Clostridioides difficile) produces the spheres, called ferrosomes, and that these structures are important for infection in an animal model....
Antiviral treatment, when used early, improves health outcomes in children with influenza, says Antoon
Nov. 16, 2023—Despite national medical guidelines supporting the use of antiviral medications in young children diagnosed with influenza, a recent study reports an underuse of the treatment. “Trends in Outpatient Influenza Antiviral Use Among Children and Adolescents in the United States” was published in Pediatrics, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. “Antiviral treatment, when used...
Erves joins VUMC as director of Community Engaged Research
Nov. 14, 2023—Jennifer Cunningham Erves, PhD, MPH, MAEd, MS, CHES, has joined Vanderbilt University Medical Center as associate professor of Health Policy, director of Community Engaged Research, Office of Health Equity, and scholar, Vanderbilt Center for Health Services Research. Erves is a public health oncology researcher focused on cancer prevention behaviors and lowering cancer disparities. Her current research...
Flu season starting late but expected to increase for the holidays, says Schaffner
Nov. 13, 2023—Flu season is ramping up, and it’s important for everyone, especially health care professionals, to not only get the flu vaccine but also educate patients about what to expect. The current flu season has started later and more gradually than last year, according to William Schaffner, MD, professor of Preventive Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical...
Talbot and Grijalva investigate association of Acute Respiratory Illness with work attendance before and during the COVID-19 pandemic
Nov. 8, 2023—COVID-19 cases in the United States, first reported on January 22, 2020, began to increase in March 2020 (1). The pandemic resulted in a substantial number of employed persons being laid off or furloughed, especially during spring 2020, and increased prevalence of teleworking (2–4). Employers were advised to actively encourage employees with symptoms of any...
Antoon investigates association of antiviral medications with neuropsychiatric complications among children with influenza
Oct. 24, 2023—Neuropsychiatric complications among children and adolescents with influenza are poorly studied and often attributed to antiviral medication, or a combination of antivirals and influenza. But a better understanding these events and their causes is important for determining risk stratification and prevention strategies, according to Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers, who have conducted the first in-depth study...
Second-year MPH Students Use Shared Passion to Make a Global Impact
Oct. 17, 2023—By: Kyra Letsinger When applying to Vanderbilt’s Master of Public Health (MPH) program, prospective students immediately face a pivotal choice: Do they want to follow the Epidemiology, Global Health, or Health Policy track? For those who choose the Global Health track, there is a passion for education, an interest in diverse perspectives, and a belief that all...
Stevenson named chair of Department of Health Policy
Oct. 16, 2023—David Stevenson, PhD, MS, professor of Health Policy, has been named chair of the Department of Health Policy at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, effective Oct. 1. Stevenson began serving as interim chair in July, succeeding former chair Melinda Buntin, PhD. He has been a member of the Department of Health Policy since it was established in...
Mariam Saad (VUSM MPH ‘24) explores new methods to reduce VUMC’s carbon footprint through silicone recycling pathway
Oct. 3, 2023—Research fellow and MPH candidate Saad combines passions for sustainability and plastic surgery to reconstruct approaches to medical waste. By: David Cohen Since collaborating with Climate Vault in 2021, an award-winning non-profit organization focused on reducing emissions, Vanderbilt University has achieved carbon neutrality decades ahead of its original goal. The university continues to seek opportunities...
Gastineau honored by the Tennessee Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
Sep. 28, 2023—The Tennessee Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (TNAAP) has awarded top honors to three physicians in the Vanderbilt Department of Pediatrics. TNAAP is a statewide professional membership and child advocacy organization dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children and adolescents. Each year, the organization’s annual awards recognize and honor pediatricians...
Vanderbilt Youth Sports Health Center to offer online CPR and AED emergency training courses, says Diamond
Sep. 21, 2023—The Vanderbilt Youth Sports Health Center recently collaborated with the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) to offer an online CPR and AED training course to help schools be more prepared for emergencies that arise. There are more than 8 million high school athletes in the United States, and NFHS is the national...
Talbot urges for more diverse demographics in RSV vaccine clinical trial populations
Sep. 11, 2023—The recently approved RSV vaccines have been celebrated as key public health tools, but some vaccine experts have lamented one aspect of the trials that led to their approval — namely, that older adults were largely left out of them. Among adults, RSV poses the biggest threat to the oldest seniors and people with certain preexisting health conditions. But...
Belcher and colleagues develop PTeye, a novel probe technology that helps identify and preserve the parathyroid during pediatric surgical procedures
Sep. 6, 2023—Researchers at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt have developed a probe technology using near-infrared autofluorescence (NIRAF) that helps identify and preserve parathyroid glands during pediatric endocrine surgery. Damage or removal of calcium-regulating parathyroids during endocrine surgery is especially damaging for children because it can put them at risk for poor growth and slow...
Leech finds combination drug treatment of mifepristone and misoprostol most effective for miscarriage management
Sep. 5, 2023—Since November 2018, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has recommended a combination of two drugs for pregnant women who have a miscarriage before 13 weeks of gestation. According to a Vanderbilt University Medical Center study published in JAMA, only 1% of 22,116 commercially insured women ages 15-49 with medically managed miscarriages received the recommended...
Halasa finds most infants receiving ICU-level care for RSV had no underlying medical condition
Aug. 21, 2023—Most infants admitted to the intensive care or high acuity unit for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections during fall 2022 were previously healthy and born at term, according to a new study reported in JAMA Network Open. The findings from this study support the use of preventative interventions in all infants to protect them from RSV,...
Grogan and Barocas named as leaders for Vanderbilt-Ingram research programs
Aug. 18, 2023—Seven new leaders have been appointed to guide Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center’s research programs. “The researchers who have been appointed to lead these programs are committed to continuing the record of excellence established by their predecessors,” said Ben Ho Park, MD, PhD, Benjamin F. Byrd Jr. Professor of Oncology and director of Vanderbilt-Ingram. “These programs are...
VUMC receives $51 million in NIH grants to improve efficiency of conducting clinical trials across the U.S., says Self
Aug. 16, 2023—Researchers in the Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (VICTR) have been awarded two five-year federal grants totaling $51 million to harness new and existing approaches for boosting recruitment and removing roadblocks to the efficiency of conducting clinical trials throughout the country. The grants, from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, part of...
Effective medications for opioid use disorder rarely used, says Leech
Aug. 15, 2023—Most individuals diagnosed with opioid use disorder are not on recommended medications and even fewer remain in care, according to a research letter published today in JAMA Internal Medicine by lead author Ashley Leech, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Health Policy at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC). In 2021, there were more than 100,000 overdose...
VUMC receives $28 million to lead national study on COVID-diabetes link; Rothman to serve as principal investigator
Aug. 10, 2023—Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have received a four-year, $28 million grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, to study the relationship between COVID-19 and diabetes. Several studies have found that infection with SARS-CoV-2 and a COVID-19 diagnosis are associated with a...
Antoon investigates how often children diagnosed with flu experience serious neuropsychiatric side effects
Jul. 31, 2023—While the incidence of influenza-associated neuropsychiatric events in children in the United States is unknown, the controversy over the use of a common antiviral medication typically administered to treat flu in children has sparked concern among parents and medical professionals alike. The dilemma about whether the treatment causes neuropsychiatric events or if the infection itself...
MPH faculty receive renewed funding to support patient-centered outcomes research training program
Jul. 20, 2023—The federal government has renewed its support of a learning healthcare system (LHS) T32 training program headed by two Vanderbilt MPH program graduates and faculty. The grant prepares investigators to discover, evaluate and implement strategies for improving patient outcomes and, ultimately, the overall health of the community.
Grijalva to serve on leadership team for Peru-Vanderbilt Prevention through Vaccination Training (PREVENT) program
Jul. 18, 2023—In partnership with the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH) and the Instituto de Investigacion Nutricional (IIN), the Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health (VIGH) has received $1.2 million for a five-year training grant funded by the Fogarty International Center to establish the Peru-Vanderbilt Prevention through Vaccination Training (PREVENT) program. The PREVENT program trains researchers and scientists...
New study finds female health care workers more likely to have left their profession during the Covid-19 pandemic, says Apple
Jul. 17, 2023—Female health care workers were more likely to leave or intend to leave the profession compared to male health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report published recently in the journal PLOS ONE. The study analyzed survey data from the Healthcare Worker Exposure Response and Outcomes (HERO) registry, a national registry with more...
Stevenson to serve as interim chair of Health Policy
Jul. 14, 2023—David Stevenson Jr., PhD, MS, professor of Health Policy, has been named interim chair of the Department of Health Policy at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He succeeds Melinda Buntin, PhD, Mike Curb Professor and founding chair of the department, who has joined Johns Hopkins University to establish a Center for Health Systems and Policy Modeling....
Second-year student Joshua Woods earns prestigious David A. Winston Scholarship
Jul. 14, 2023—Second-year Vanderbilt Master of Public Health student Joshua Woods has earned a 2023 David A. Winston Health Policy Scholarship. The program recognizes students’ outstanding early-career contributions to health policy. Awardees demonstrated deep interest in and commitment to health policy in addition to academic achievement. Woods, a first-generation student from Bolivar, Tennessee, came to the Health...
Vanderbilt alumna Tsosie reflects on career journey in human biology as Arizona State University’s first Indigenous geneticist
Jul. 5, 2023—Krystal Tsosie, MPH, PhD, is a historical figure of sorts. She is Arizona State University’s first Indigenous geneticist in human biology and is one of the top quoted professors by the media at the university, receiving coverage by outlets as The New York Times, PBS NOVA, Washington Post, NPR, The Atlantic, Forbes and The Boston Globe, among others....
Safe Stars sports safety rating system to expand into private schools and community youth organizations, says Diamond
Jul. 4, 2023—The Safe Stars youth sports safety rating system is expanding to include private schools and community youth sports organizations participating on public property. Safe Stars is a collaboration between the Vanderbilt Youth Sports Health Center and the Tennessee Department of Health and was originally aimed at public schools statewide when it debuted in 2021. “The...
Implementing family-based treatment paradigms in primary care settings may prevent obese children from gaining excess weight, says Heerman
Jun. 27, 2023—Family-based treatment (FBT) in primary care settings prevented children with overweight and obesity from gaining more excess weight over time, the randomized PLAN trial found. In kids ages 6 to 12 years, there was a significant 6.21% (95% CI -10.14 to -2.29) difference in percentage above median body mass index (BMI) that favored FBT versus...
Novel probe technology helps positively identify and preserve the parathyroids during endocrine surgery, says Belcher
Jun. 14, 2023—Damage or removal of calcium-regulating parathyroid glands during endocrine surgery can put children at risk for poor growth and slow mental development. Preserving the often rice-sized organ in children is vital, but not always easy. In a first-of-its-kind study in children, researchers at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt and Vanderbilt University Medical Center...
Nicholson discusses pediatric treatments for Clostridioides difficile infection
Jun. 12, 2023—Aptly named, the Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) bacteria is hard to kill and hard to cleanse from the hospital environment. Recent stewardship efforts have driven a small but significant decline in cases. Pediatric gastroenterologist Maribeth Nicholson, M.D., M.P.H., has focused much of her career on finding ways to help children win the fight against C. difficile infection (CDI). Her research has led to...
Patel named Chief of the Division of Acute Care Surgery
Jun. 9, 2023—Mayur Patel, MD, MPH, associate professor of Surgery and Ingram Chair in Surgical Sciences, has been named chief of the Division of Acute Care Surgery in the Department of Surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. An internationally renowned trauma surgeon-scientist, Patel has been a member of the VUMC faculty since 2012. He has secondary appointments...
Dupont finds tumor mutation burden a fundamental predictor of cancer survival outcomes
Jun. 8, 2023—The expected course of a patient’s cancer prognosis has traditionally been judged by its type, stage and microscopic aggressiveness, but patients with the same presentation can still have widely divergent outcomes. Researchers from Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center have discovered that differences in tumor mutation burden are a major reason for this divergence. The study, published June...
Spalluto and colleagues named to Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) program
Jun. 5, 2023—Four faculty members from Vanderbilt University Medical Center have been selected to participate in the highly competitive 2023-2024 Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) program, with two on the ELAM track now celebrating its 28th year, and two on the Executive Leadership in Academic Health Care (ELH) track launched in 2022. Their...
Creech reflects on Spring Donor Celebration and advancements in clinical research
Jun. 1, 2023—Members of Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Canby Robinson Society recently joined CEO and President Jeff Balser, MD, PhD, and his wife, Melinda, at Cheekwood Botanic Hall for the Spring Donor Celebration, an annual event honoring donors for their loyal support. In addition to members of the Canby Robinson Society, those in attendance included members of...
Nationwide analysis on men with low-risk prostate cancer diagnoses finds increasing trend toward staving off definitive treatment, says Al Hussein
May. 30, 2023—Nearly 60 percent of men who receive a low-risk prostate cancer diagnosis now opt for a “wait-and-see” approach, up from just 16 percent less than a decade ago, according to the latest numbers published in JAMA Internal Medicine. The climb suggests urologists are adopting clinical guidelines that recommend active surveillance for low- and some intermediate-risk cases, said first...
Buntin receives $3.2 Million NIH grant to investigate school-based interventions and their effects on children’s mental health and education outcomes
May. 22, 2023—A four-year, $3.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health will support the research of Carolyn Heinrich, University Distinguished Professor of Leadership, Policy and Organizations, and Melinda Buntin, University Distinguished Professor of Health Policy, into how school-based health interventions affect children’s mental health and education outcomes. Schools are serving children with ever-increasing mental health needs, which were...
Self and colleagues awarded $31.6 million federal grant to pursue phenotyping research on acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), pneumonia and sepsis
May. 16, 2023—Vanderbilt University Medical Center has received a six-year, $31.6 million federal grant to lead a national effort to better understand acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), pneumonia and sepsis, which together kill hundreds of thousands of people in the United States each year. Grant HL168478 is jointly funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute,...
GLP1 receptor agonists are more effective than DPP4 inhibitors in reducing adverse cardiovascular events in veterans with diabetes, says Roumie
May. 15, 2023—GLP1 receptor agonists — a class of diabetes medications — are associated with fewer major adverse cardiovascular events than another type of diabetes drug (DPP4 inhibitors) in older veterans with no prior heart disease. The findings, reported May 9 in Annals of Internal Medicine, will aid clinicians in choosing a diabetes drug regimen for older patients....
Antoon investigates psychiatric comorbidities in adolescents and children to better understand self-harm risks
May. 10, 2023—The United States is in the midst of a mental health crisis with rising rates of hospitalization for suicide and self-harm events among children and adolescents. A recent study, “Characteristics Associated with Serious Self-Harm Events in Children and Adolescents,” set to be published in the June issue of Pediatrics, looked at how best to determine which children...
Heerman named Chief of General Pediatrics
May. 9, 2023—Bill Heerman, MD, MPH, associate professor of Pediatrics, has been named chief of the Division of General Pediatrics, effective May 1. Heerman, who has spent his entire career at Vanderbilt, was selected following a national search led by Kathryn Edwards, MD, who retired at the end of 2022, and S. Todd Callahan, MD, MPH, professor...
Mild-to-moderate COVID-19 cases can alter upper respiratory tract microbiota for several weeks, says Rosas-Salazar
May. 8, 2023—The microbes that live in our upper respiratory tract (URT microbiota) play a role in respiratory health. Disturbances of the URT microbiota during respiratory infections can impact disease severity, immune response, and even development of chronic lung diseases such as asthma. Justin Turner, MD, PhD, Suman Das, PhD, and colleagues used ribosomal RNA gene sequencing to...
Theobald appointed Chief of Staff for Corporate Clinical Affairs and SVP for Clinical Affairs
May. 2, 2023—Cecelia Theobald, MD, MPH, associate professor of Medicine and executive vice chair for Clinical Affairs in the Department of Medicine, has been appointed as Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Chief of Staff for Corporate Clinical Affairs and Senior Vice President for Clinical Affairs. Theobald’s appointment is effective July 1. Theobald will assume a number of responsibilities...
Cooper investigates professionalism and interpersonal communication skills among physicians-in-training and likelihood of patient complaints
May. 1, 2023—The first study to examine evaluation scores for professionalism and interpersonal communication skills among physicians-in-training and what happens afterward as these doctors begin their practice was reported April 11 in JAMA Network Open. The study tracked 9,340 early-career physicians from across the country. The study finds a strong association between lower ratings for these competencies among residents in...
Hartert finds early RSV infection linked to significantly increased risk of asthma in children
Apr. 28, 2023—Severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection has long been associated with the onset of childhood wheezing diseases, but the relationship between RSV infection during infancy and the development of childhood asthma has remained unclear. A new observational study by Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers has found that RSV infection in the first year of life...
Marmor finds adding biomarkers to predictive model algorithms for Indeterminate pulmonary nodules (IPNs) helpful in expedition of cancer diagnoses and less invasive than current screening methods
Apr. 27, 2023—Indeterminate pulmonary nodules (IPNs) are a common finding on CT imaging of the lungs and often require costly and invasive testing to diagnose. IPN diagnosis is especially difficult in regions like Middle Tennessee where fungal diseases such as histoplasmosis are endemic. Hannah Marmor, MD, MPH, and colleagues combined imaging and blood biomarkers with the Mayo...
Anxiety can impact hypersensitivities in women, contributing to an overactive bladder, says Reynolds
Apr. 26, 2023—A common feature associated with an overactive bladder is elevated anxiety. While this link has been demonstrated in animal studies, no human studies have been conducted to evaluate the link between hypersensitivity symptoms in women with overactive bladder and anxiety. W. Stuart Reynolds, MD, MPH, and colleagues assessed 120 women with overactive bladder for associations...
Vanderbilt Interdisciplinary Care Program likely to incorporate shared medical appointments into their care delivery model, says Liu
Apr. 25, 2023—A patient recently looked around a conference room full of other patients and their health care providers and shared how this group had helped her open up and feel supported about her health concerns: “Y’all know us. It’s kind of like family here.” The Vanderbilt Interdisciplinary Care Program (VICP) at Vanderbilt University Medical Center is...
MPH student Layan Ibrahim named 2023-2024 Luce Scholar
Apr. 24, 2023—Layan Ibrahim, Master of Public Health Class of 2023, was named to the 2023–24 class of Luce Scholars. The Luce Scholars Program is a nationally competitive fellowship program launched by the Henry Luce Foundation to enhance the understanding of Asia among potential leaders in American society. The Luce Scholars Program aims to provide young scholars who have...
Rosenbloom investigates new algorithms for improving electronic health records: Intervention enhanced patient problem list but had no effect on clinical quality measures
Apr. 21, 2023—In a multisite randomized trial reported in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, completeness of the patient problem list, a pivotal section of the electronic health record (EHR), was improved with automated disease surveillance and suggestions for clinicians to consider adding specific problems that appeared to be missing from the list. Adam Wright, PhD, Dean Sittig,...
Self finds renin-angiotensin system [RAS] drugs ineffective in treating Covid-19
Apr. 19, 2023—Despite the success of vaccines for preventing COVID-19, and of drugs for treating the disease, outcomes for severely ill patients admitted to the hospital remains poor. Identifying new therapies for severe COVID-19 remains a high priority and one in which Vanderbilt University Medical Center is taking a leading role. A study published April 11 in...
Creech and colleagues awarded $7.85 Million from NIH to launch the Vanderbilt Antibody and Antigen Discovery for Clostridioides difficile Vaccines
Apr. 14, 2023—The National Institutes of Health awarded a five-year, $7.85 million grant to Vanderbilt University Medical Center to launch the Vanderbilt Antibody and Antigen Discovery for Clostridioides difficile Vaccines, or VANDy-CdV. The grant will support a team of over 25 VU and VUMC multidisciplinary researchers to discover novel Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) antigens through genetic and...
Hartert to co-lead two environmental research projects on adoption of electric vehicles and corresponding public health benefits
Apr. 13, 2023—Michael Vandenbergh, co-director of the Energy, Environment, and Land Use Program at Vanderbilt Law School and director of the Vanderbilt Climate Change Research Network, and Tina Hartert, MD, MPH, of Vanderbilt University Medical Center will lead two research projects that aim to identify the barriers to and potential health benefits of adoption of electric vehicles in...
U.S. prostate cancer patients with low to intermediate-risk diagnoses are more likely to prefer active surveillance over surgery or radiation treatment, says Al Hussein
Apr. 11, 2023—The number of prostate cancer patients in the U.S. choosing active surveillance over surgery or radiation has rapidly increased since 2010, rising from 16% to 60% for low-risk patients and from 8% to 22% for patients with favorable intermediate-risk cancers, according to a study published today in JAMA Internal Medicine. Active surveillance includes actively monitoring prostate...
Diamond co-authors online course for adolescents on opioid use
Apr. 3, 2023—Addressing opioid overdose deaths among adolescents, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, in collaboration with the Tennessee Department of Health, is providing a short online course for educators via QuizTime, VUMC’s innovative on-demand learning platform. The course, “Preparing Educators to Help Save Lives: What You Should Know about Opioid Use and Adolescents,” arrives in three- to five-minute installments via...
Murry investigates Tennessee parents’ perspectives regarding school firearm safety measures
Mar. 31, 2023—School-based gun violence was among the top five concerns identified by Tennessee parents in the 2022 Vanderbilt Child Health Poll, and the highest majority of parents, 83%, agree that schools are safer if one or more school resource officers work in the school. Generally, a majority of Tennessee parents agree on several firearm-related school safety measures....
Bala awarded NYC Hayes Innovation Prize for development of Public Health Partners Connect, a data visualization platform that helped facilitate COVID-19 and Monkeypox vaccine distribution
Mar. 30, 2023—New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York City Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Matthew Fraser, and Jonathan Weiner, president of the Frederick O’Reilly Hayes Prize Foundation, last night presented 15 city employees with the first NYC Hayes Innovation Prize of his administration during an awards ceremony at Gracie Mansion. The winning projects — originating from 10 city...
Serious pneumococcal infections increase the risk of heart attack, says Wiese
Mar. 29, 2023—Patients with serious pneumococcal infections, including pneumonia and sepsis, are at a substantially increased risk of heart attack after the onset of infection according to a Vanderbilt study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases. Prior work has demonstrated that infections can potentially lead to systemic inflammatory responses that can trigger the development of major cardiovascular events, including...
Increasing intensity of physical and occupation therapy treatment can shorten delirium duration in medical patients, says Vasilevskis
Mar. 28, 2023—Delirium — a form of acute brain failure — affects 8-17% of older adults who present to the emergency department (ED). It is associated with adverse outcomes including higher health care use, accelerated functional decline, and increased mortality. James Jordano, Jin Han, MD, MSc, and colleagues evaluated the impact of physical and/or occupational therapy (PT/OT) on...
Hatch investigates association of medical supply shortages with increased invasive lung treatment in critically ill infants
Mar. 27, 2023—A three-year shortage of a common cannula used in young infants needing lung support forced hospitals across the United States to switch to a more invasive form of lung support, according to researchers at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. Published March 3 in the journal Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, the study evaluated the changes during...
Halasa finds high-dose flu vaccines most effective for pediatric stem cell transplant patients
Mar. 24, 2023—Vanderbilt was the lead site for an NIH-funded, phase 2, multicenter influenza vaccine study in pediatric allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HCT) recipients that may lead to a change in the current flu vaccine recommendations in this vulnerable population. The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, and the authors found that two...
Self elected to American Society for Clinical Investigation: 1 of 66 VUMC faculty members to be inducted since 1974
Mar. 16, 2023—Four Vanderbilt University Medical Center faculty members have been elected this year to membership in the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI), the organization has announced. Four others from VUMC have received ASCI Council Young Physician Scientist Awards this year, and two have received ASCI Emerging Generation Awards. Founded in 1908, the ASCI is one of the...
Tennessee parents reportedly trust their children’s health care providers the most for information about vaccines, says Williams
Mar. 15, 2023—New analyses of the latest annual Tennessee Child Health Poll conducted by the Vanderbilt Center for Child Health Policy in late 2022 has found parents across the state reporting their children’s health care providers as the most trusted source for information about vaccines. The analysis is the latest in an ongoing study of annual poll results of more than...
Vasilevskis develops Shed-MEDS protocol to limit unnecessary medications for overprescribed patients
Mar. 14, 2023—An estimated one in six older adults in the United States who take multiple prescription drugs risk major drug-drug interactions and other adverse drug effects that can worsen their medical conditions, increase the likelihood of cognitive impairment and falls, and lead to hospitalization or death. Deprescribing is a systematic effort to identify, reduce the dose...
Self leads study on sepsis interventions for blood pressure management
Mar. 10, 2023—Vanderbilt University Medical Center had a leading role in a large national study designed to compare two early interventions in the treatment of patients with sepsis, the body’s severe response to an uncontrolled infection. Sepsis can cause dangerously low blood pressure, which is typically treated with intravenous (IV) fluids and/or a vasopressor, a drug that...
MYO5B genetic mutations disrupt maturation of intestinal epithelial cells, says Acra and colleagues
Mar. 9, 2023—Mutations in the gene MYO5B cause microvillus inclusion disease (MVID), which prevents nutrient absorption in the intestines and is characterized by severe watery diarrhea that typically starts in the first hours after birth. People with MVID usually require lifelong intravenous feedings (parenteral nutrition) or small bowel transplantation. Izumi Kaji, PhD, and colleagues developed a mouse...
Davis leads research team in developing machine learning algorithms for a quality improvement implementation trial on acute kidney injury
Mar. 8, 2023—Acute kidney injury, or AKI, is a common complication of cardiac catheterization, posing higher costs, longer hospital stays and increased short-term and long-term mortality risk. In a large, randomized trial conducted over a period of 18 months at 19 medical centers of the Veterans Health Administration, a quality improvement implementation trial found a 46% reduction...
Influenza cases continue to surge following COVID-19, says Grijalva
Mar. 6, 2023—New research from Vanderbilt University Medical Center investigators found that the household spread of flu during the 2021-2022 season was more than twice as high as it was prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. During that season, 50% of household contacts of someone with flu were infected within seven days after the first person became sick,...
Talbot, Self, and other Vanderbilt Health Policy Researchers continue to progress CDC vaccine effectiveness research efforts
Feb. 20, 2023—Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s participation in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccine effectiveness research continues to grow, with the Medical Center playing critical roles in several networks focused on surveillance of vaccine-preventable respiratory diseases. Here’s a list of networks and projects, in reverse chronological order based on the year of VUMC’s first participation....
Grijalva to lead new study investigating COVID’s impact on non-health care essential workers
Feb. 16, 2023—Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers are inviting non-health care essential workers to participate in a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-funded study to better understand how they continue to be impacted by COVID-19 and to guide efforts to keep them and their families safe as new variants emerge. “Early in the pandemic, essential...
Schaffner and Emerging Infections Program land National Award for COVID response
Jan. 25, 2023—The Tennessee Emerging Infections Program (EIP) was recently recognized with the Toby Merlin Award for Excellence in Emergency Response, presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. The award was given for the EIP team’s collaboration with partners across 14 states and agencies for...
Murry appointed to national advisory board for mental health
Jan. 23, 2023—The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently appointed Velma McBride Murry to the National Advisory Mental Health Council. The council advises the current U.S. secretary of health and human services and the director of the National Institute for Mental Health. McBride Murry, University Distinguished Professor of Human and Organizational Development at Vanderbilt Peabody...
Self oversees ACTIV-4 Host Tissue Clinical Trial for Covid-19 Therapy Analysis
Jan. 10, 2023—COVID-19 hospitalizations are again increasing this winter, and researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center are redoubling their efforts to aid the recovery of patients hospitalized with severe disease from the viral infection. VUMC’s Sean Collins, MD, MSc, Wesley Self, MD, MPH, and Matt Shotwell, PhD, oversee the nationwide ACTIV-4 Host Tissue clinical trial platform, which is designed to investigate therapies...
Cooper investigates workplace behavior outcomes following training via a peer messaging tool
Jan. 9, 2023—A tool developed at Vanderbilt University Medical Center to address disrespectful workplace behaviors through trained peer-to-peer messaging can be successfully implemented in the nursing workforce with the appropriate support, according to a new study published in the January 2023 issue of The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety. The first author of the article,...
Shroder uses clinical tool to assess surgical outcomes and survival in colorectal cancer patients
Dec. 15, 2022—Surgeons introduce a nomogram to more accurately quantify risk of positive circumferential resection margins. Nomograms are commonly used in oncology for risk assessment and to predict a patient’s surgical outcomes and survival. However, colorectal cancer surgeons have lacked such a tool. Instead, they have relied on their own risk calculations after considering MRI images and...
Phibbs and VUMC’s Parkinson’s Disease Quality Improvement Committee receive national certification for patient care
Dec. 6, 2022—Vanderbilt University Medical Center recently became the nation’s second health care organization to receive The Joint Commission’s (TJC) Gold Seal of Approval for Parkinson’s Disease Certification. A nonprofit organization better known for accrediting hospitals and other health care organizations, TJC, based in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, also offers more than 100 specialized certification programs based on...
Starnes investigates Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients and likelihood for early age mortality
Nov. 30, 2022—by Kelsey Pinckard Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a genetic disorder affecting boys and characterized by progressive muscle loss and weakness. This muscle deterioration eventually involves the heart, culminating in cardiac-related death. While some DMD patients survive into their 40s, others have accelerated disease onset and die before adulthood. Joseph Starnes, MD, MPH, and colleagues sought...
Reid investigates high risk breast cancer genes and needs for surgical treatment
Nov. 25, 2022—Women with inherited mutations in breast cancer genes have lifetime varying breast cancer risks, ranging from high (e.g., 40% or more for BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2) to moderate (e.g., 20% or higher for ATM, CHEK2) risk genes. Per national practice guidelines, risk-reducing bilateral mastectomy is a consideration for patients with inherited mutations in high- but not...
Tsosie to be ASU’s first Indigenous human geneticist
Nov. 17, 2022—Krystal Tsosie, MPH (Diné/Navajo Nation) is an advocate for Indigenous genomic and data sovereignty. She is a co-founder of the first U.S. Indigenous-led biobank, a 501(c)3 nonprofit research institution called the Native BioData Consortium. Her current research at Arizona State University centers on ethical engagement with Indigenous communities to ensure Indigenous peoples equitably benefit from precision...
Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine proves save for young children from 6 months to 5 years, says Creech
Nov. 15, 2022—Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective in children 6 months to 5 years of age, a clinical trial co-led by Vanderbilt University Medical Center vaccine expert C. Buddy Creech, MD, MPH, has found. Results of the two-part KidCOVE study of nearly 13,000 children conducted last year at 87 sites in the United States and Canada...
Nicholson studies adverse events in hospitalized children from Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) bacterial infections
Nov. 10, 2022—Clostridioides difficile (C. diff), labeled an urgent threat by federal health officials, is a bacterium that can be associated with severe gastrointestinal events and is frequently hospital-acquired. While the incidence of C. diff infections increased from the 1990s to the early 2000s, studies looking at the rate of infections more recently in a pediatric population...
Horst takes on new roles in advancing digital health
Nov. 2, 2022—Sara Horst, MD, MPH, associate professor of Medicine, has been named associate vice chair for Digital Health Operations for the Department of Medicine and assistant chief for Clinical Informatics for the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. The appointments recognize Horst’s expertise in advancing digital health technologies, including telehealth in the inpatient and outpatient arenas,...
VUMC recognized as a level-two Age-Friendly Health System for adherence to the highest standards of care for older adults.
Oct. 31, 2022—Systems-wide updates aid in implementation of the 4Ms, a framework for providing high-quality care for older patients. Vanderbilt University Medical Center was recognized by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement in March 2022 as a level-two Age-Friendly Health System, adhering to the highest standards of care for older adults. The Age-Friendly Health System standards require participating institutions...
McKernan investigates gender differences in interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome patients
Oct. 12, 2022—Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) is a chronic condition that causes bladder pressure, pain and lower urinary tract symptoms. It affects 3-8 million women and 1-4 million men in the U.S. Lindsey McKernan, PhD, MPH, and colleagues assessed gender differences in IC/BPS using validated patient-reported outcome measures and qualitative analysis of focus group discussions. They...
Self named co-principal investigator of Vanderbilt’s Clinical and Translational Science Award
Oct. 10, 2022—Wesley Self, MD, MPH, a physician-scientist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has been named co-principal investigator (co-PI) of Vanderbilt’s Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA). Nationally known for designing and conducting clinical research and advancing the treatment of patients with severe infections, Self is VUMC Vice President for Clinical Research Networks & Strategy, and Vice...
Buntin discusses incarceration, community resources, and substance use disorders in health policy panel
Sep. 27, 2022—A panel of experts on opioid use disorder (OUD) discussed the importance of building recovery ecosystems or networks of resources to respond to the opioid epidemic during the recent Department of Health Policy’s Research into Policy & Practice Lecture at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The panel included Ernie Fletcher, MD, former governor of Kentucky and...
Creech leads VUMC trial for monkeypox vaccine administration strategies
Sep. 15, 2022—Vanderbilt University Medical Center is seeking about 30 healthy adults of diverse backgrounds to participate in a national clinical trial to evaluate alternative strategies for administering the monkeypox vaccine to increase the number of available doses. “We have a limited supply of the JYNNEOS vaccine, which is authorized for the prevention of monkeypox,” said C. Buddy...
Gastineau supported by Dr. William R. Long Fund to pursue research in pediatric injury prevention
Sep. 14, 2022—The legacy left behind by the late William (Bill) Long, MD, goes far beyond his many years as a beloved Nashville pediatrician. He was a quintessential clinician-educator, always helping advance the mission of Vanderbilt’s Department of Pediatrics and Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. The family of the longtime pediatrician at Old Harding Pediatric...
Alumnus Rogers nominated for Dean and Vice President of Medical Affairs at Carver College of Medicine
Sep. 1, 2022—The third finalist candidate for the University of Iowa vice president of medical affairs and Carver College of Medicine dean, Selwyn Rogers Jr., MPH, focused on equity in health care during his open forum in the Medical Education Research Facility on Monday. “We’re all striving to achieve equity in the spaces in which we work,...
Barocas investigates treatment decision regrets in prostate cancer patients
Aug. 26, 2022—Patient regret over choices related to treatment of localized prostate cancer has been the focus of a recent subanalysis of data from CEASAR (Comparative Effectiveness Analysis of Surgery and Radiation for Localized Prostate Cancer), which contains the survey results from more than 3,600 men in the United States treated between 2010 and 2012. The latest research – led by Daniel Barocas, M.D.,...
Diamond to serve as Director for Vanderbilt Youth Sports Health Center at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital
Aug. 16, 2022—Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt recently launched an innovative program geared to treat pediatric and adolescent athletes. The Vanderbilt Youth Sports Health Center, the only one of its kind in the region, opened through a partnership between Vanderbilt Sports Medicine and Children’s Hospital. “The same specialists who care for our elite sports teams...
Horst investigates effects of video versus audio based telehealth communication on health literacy
Aug. 15, 2022—Video telehealth visits are an increasingly important part of health care, and increasingly video connection during such visits is required for insurance coverage. Yet many patients do not achieve a video connection and convert to audio-only visits, which are not as effective in communicating important health information. Sarah H. Brown, MD, Michelle L. Griffith, MD, Sunil...
Hartert conducts study on respiratory syncytial virus in asthma development
Aug. 2, 2022—When a team of Vanderbilt scientists in the Division of Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine received a $4.5 million grant to study the role of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in asthma development, they had no idea that a global pandemic would not only interfere with and delay their initial project, but also introduce an...
Cooper investigates trauma surgery patient outcomes and physician unprofessionalism in new study
Jul. 28, 2022—William Cooper, MD, MPH, and colleagues previously reported that patients of surgeons with higher numbers of reports from co-workers about unprofessional behavior are more likely to experience complications, and that patient and family reports about rude and disrespectful behavior can identify surgeons with higher rates of surgical site infections and other avoidable adverse outcomes. In...
Heimburger to co-lead Vanderbilt-Zambia Cancer Research Training Program
Jul. 27, 2022—Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the University of Zambia (UNZA) are partnering on a program to develop a cadre of researchers and educators to lead cancer epidemiology research and training in Zambia and to encourage U.S.-based researchers to engage in cancer research in low- and middle-income countries. In partnership with UNZA and the Zambia Cancer...
Self investigates effects of convalescent plasma transfusion on improving clinical outcomes in COVID patients
Jul. 26, 2022—Convalescent plasma, widely given to severely ill patients hospitalized with COVID-19 during the pandemic, does not improve their ability to survive or recover, according to a national clinical trial led by Vanderbilt University Medical Center and published in the journal CHEST. The multicenter blinded, randomized placebo-controlled, Passive Immunity Trial for our Nation (PassITON), looked at the...
COVID vaccinations during pregnancy reduce likelihood for viral infection in newborns, says Halasa
Jul. 25, 2022—Infants younger than 6 months were better protected from COVID-19 complications when mothers received two doses of the vaccine while pregnant, according to researchers. Mothers who received COVID-19 vaccinations during pregnancy reduced the risk of hospitalization for this age group by 80% during the delta wave and nearly 40% during the omicron wave, according to...
Celebrating a legacy: Raffanti discusses journey into medicine and combatting AIDS
Jul. 19, 2022—On June 29 Stephen Raffanti, MD, MPH, hung up his scrubs at the Vanderbilt Comprehensive Care Clinic for the last time. It was a bittersweet moment for the man who helped lead Nashville out of the darkest days of the AIDS epidemic 30 years ago. “I’ll miss you,” Raffanti told colleagues who gathered to honor...
Horn leads study on opioid use after childbirth and associated death risks
Jul. 6, 2022—In a new study led by Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers, women who filled two or more prescriptions for opioids after childbirth faced a 46% greater risk of death than women who did not. The study, led by the late Arlyn Horn, PharmD, MPH and Margaret Adgent, MSPH, PhD, research assistant professor in the Division...
Children with chronic medical conditions may benefit from hospital and community based interventions, says Fritz
Jul. 1, 2022—Children with medical complexity (CMC) — children with one or more complex chronic conditions — who live in low opportunity areas utilize more acute care than those who live in higher opportunity areas, according to a new study in the Journal of Hospital Medicine. Cristin Fritz, MD, MPH, and colleagues used the Pediatric Health Information Systems database to...
Aliyu named Director of Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health
Jun. 30, 2022—Renowned physician-epidemiologist Muktar Aliyu, MBBS, MPH, DrPH, who is the associate director for Research with the Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health (VIGH), has been named the new director of the institute, beginning July 1. Aliyu, who joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 2009, is professor of Health Policy and Medicine at Vanderbilt and professor of Family and...
Horst honored with Physician Builder Award
Jun. 23, 2022—In recognition of significant hands-on contributions to health information technology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Sara Horst, MD, MPH, associate professor of Medicine, and Barron Patterson, MD, associate professor of Pediatrics, have received 2022 Physician Builder Awards. The eStar Physician Builder Program supports VUMC physicians and other employees in devising and implementing new content and tools for...
Young leads clinical recovery program to assist postpartum women facing substance abuse
Jun. 21, 2022—Ninety-eight Tennessee women died in 2020 during or shortly after pregnancy. More than a quarter of those deaths were tied to substance abuse. Numbers like that are why Firefly — a rigorous program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center — is helping mothers in recovery have a healthy pregnancy and postpartum experience. Firefly launched in September...
Gillaspie discusses life as a female surgeon alongside sister
Jun. 20, 2022—Erin Gillaspie, MD, MPH, has a number stuck in her head that she’s not likely to ever forget: 289. That’s because the Vanderbilt University Medical Center thoracic surgeon is only the 289th female surgeon in her specialty in the United States. “There aren’t a lot of women in my field in particular – so few, that...
Peetz and Patel run clinical trial to investigate resuscitation techniques for trauma patients
Jun. 17, 2022—Emergency Medicine and Trauma Surgery researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center are joining Vanderbilt LifeFlight in a Department of Defense (DOD)-funded clinical trial aimed at improving survival with resuscitation techniques used to keep patients alive after a traumatic injury. Emergency medicine services (EMS) personnel currently use one of two common strategies to treat a trauma patient who...
Aliyu helps train Nigerian biostatisticians for HIV research in West Africa
Jun. 16, 2022—The Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health, Vanderbilt Department of Biostatistics, and Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) have partnered on a new program to train a cohort of highly skilled Nigerian biostatisticians to lead and supervise high-level biostatistics activities for HIV research studies in West Africa. Biomedical HIV research is growing in West Africa, but biostatistics...
González Peña receives Excellence in Public Health award from VUSM; March receives the Geoffrey David Chazen Award
May. 19, 2022—Each spring, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine recognizes members of the graduating MD class for outstanding academic achievement, service, research, and leadership. VUSM faculty and fellow students celebrated the following recipients of school and departmental awards at the MD Class Day ceremony on Thursday, May 12, 2022: Excellence in Public Health The Excellence in Public...
Horst named Medical Director for Telehealth at VUMC
May. 17, 2022—During the COVID-19 pandemic, outpatient telehealth appointments at Vanderbilt University Medical Center reached a peak of 2,700 in one day as clinicians worked to ensure patients received uninterrupted care as the public health crisis continued. In response to the pandemic, Tennessee legislators passed a law in August 2020 requiring health insurers to cover telehealth the...
Rosenbloom discusses adolescent confidentiality policies for health care services
May. 16, 2022—When it comes to health care for adolescents, patient autonomy and parental responsibility are at times forced into opposition, and when adolescent patients in the U.S. seek care for sensitive issues — sexually transmitted infections, mental health problems, drug use, contraception, etc. — the health care team’s ability to render treatment without involving a parent...
Antoon receives career development award to investigate neurological and psychiatric side effects of flu treatment
Mar. 8, 2022—For more than a decade, a rare side effect reported by patients with influenza has puzzled clinicians and researchers. In some cases, patients with flu have experienced neuropsychiatric symptoms, such as behavior changes, hallucinations and even attempted suicide. The question: Are these neurologic or psychiatric complications due to the infection or are they related to...
Halasa honored with Craig-Weaver Chair in Pediatrics
Mar. 3, 2022—Vanderbilt Chancellor Daniel Diermeier and Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs C. Cybele Raver honored faculty from across the university at an endowed chair investiture ceremony on campus Feb. 24, conferring the university’s highest scholastic rank on those who had received the designation during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. “As a milestone...
McNaughton analyzes digital health interventions and their associations with patient engagement and clinical outcomes
Feb. 25, 2022—Digital health interventions — delivered via technologies including text messages, apps and websites — are increasingly common for supporting chronic disease self-care. Although studies have focused on improving patient engagement with these interventions, limited research has addressed the association between engagement and clinical outcomes. Lyndsay Nelson, PhD, Andrew Spieker, PhD, and colleagues evaluated multiple statistical approaches...
Halasa elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation
Feb. 25, 2022—Three faculty members of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine have been elected this year to membership in the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI), an elite honor society of physician-scientists from the upper ranks of academic medicine and industry. They are: Natasha Halasa, MD, MPH, Craig Weaver Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Pediatric...