News

JAMA: Gonzales Finds Higher Rates of Severe Psychological Distress and Impaired Physical Health among LGBT Populations

Jun. 28, 2016—In one of the largest, most representative health surveys conducted to date, lesbian, gay and bisexual adults reported substantially higher rates of severe psychological distress, heavy drinking and smoking, and impaired physical health than did heterosexuals. This study adds to the previous research on LGBT health disparities and has important implications for policy and practice,”...

Schaffner: Flu vaccine supply may be disrupted with new panel ruling

Jun. 27, 2016—On Wednesday, a federal advisory committee on immunization voted to retract its endorsement of the vaccine after preliminary CDC study results presented to the committee showed it provided no protection from the flu strain that made most people sick last year. With many doctors, hospitals and flu clinics placing their orders for flu vaccine early...

Buntin: State drug monitoring programs can prevent one opioid-related overdose death every two hours

Jun. 24, 2016—The implementation of state prescription drug monitoring programs was associated with the prevention of approximately one opioid-related overdose death every two hours on average nationwide, according to a new Vanderbilt-led study released this week in the journal Health Affairs.Senior author, Melinda Buntin, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Health Policy at Vanderbilt, said...

Update from the field: Integrated approach to health touches all aspects of daily life in Lwala, Kenya

Jun. 22, 2016—Frist Global Health Leader and Vanderbilt MPH student, Christopher Wahlfeld, explores how an integrated approach to community health touches all aspects of daily life for the Hope Through Healing Hands blog.

MPH’s Schaffner: Too early to change guidelines based on new preliminary Zika study

Jun. 16, 2016—Zika virus infection during the third trimester of pregnancy may pose only minor risk for brain abnormalities in infants, according to a preliminary study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine. Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said the early findings seemed promising but that it was...

JAMA: MPH’s Ray lead author on VUMC study pointing to other death risks from opioids

Jun. 15, 2016—Deaths from prescribed opioids may be higher than previously known, according to a study from Vanderbilt University Medical Center with lead author Wayne Ray, that found that users had an increased risk of cardiovascular death. Long-lasting opioids, often used to treat chronic pain such as back pain, led to a 64 percent increase in the risk...

MPH’s Kripalani, Zhu and Self: Uninsured heart attack patients more likely to be transferred to another facility

Jun. 13, 2016—Patients who present to an emergency department with a type of heart attack known as a STEMI and do not have insurance are much more likely to be transferred from one medical facility to another than patients who do have insurance, according to a study published in The American Journal of Cardiology. Contributors to this...

MPH’s Schaffner praises new W.H.O. Zika Advice

Jun. 13, 2016—People living in areas where the Zika virus is circulating should consider delaying pregnancy to avoid having babies with birth defects, the World Health Organization has concluded. Dr. William Schaffner, head of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, called the W.H.O.’s advice “excellent.” “Now we just have to provide both the education and...

In MMWR, MPH grad and EIS officer Monique Foster reports on Hep C virus transmission in California

Jun. 3, 2016—Monique A. Foster, M.D., M.P.H. (class of 2014) is currently an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

MPH faculty member William Schaffner on the latest superbug and antibiotic resistance

May. 31, 2016—The first U.S. case of a bacterial infection that can’t be treated by last-resort antibiotics has been reported in a 49-year-old Pennsylvania woman. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are difficult to treat and have become a grave — and growing — concern. The CDC estimates that at least two million people are infected with such bacteria each year, and 23,000 die. To better understand what...

MPH’s Dupont weighs in on new study linking common gene variants to breast cancer

May. 27, 2016—"The bottom line is, this study provides evidence that, on a population level, a certain number of breast cancer cases would be prevented if women did these things," said William Dupont, Ph.D., a professor at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tenn.

MPH’s Schaffner: “Molecular fingerprints” used in latest Listeria outbreak to find origin

May. 24, 2016—A massive voluntary recall of multiple food items that was implemented after a relatively small listeria outbreak has highlighted how epidemiologists are now using DNA to connect seemingly unrelated infections and improve food safety, according to food safety experts. Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, said the introduction...

MPH’s Melinda Buntin brings Washington expertise to Vanderbilt’s Department of Health Policy

May. 19, 2016—Today health care accounts for nearly 20 percent of the total U.S. gross domestic product—about $3 trillion of economic activity annually. It’s also the largest item in the federal budget, making up 28 percent of all government spending. With a greater focus on how the health care system functions, particularly in the wake of the...

MPH’s Talbot: More medical centers move to mandatory flu vaccination policies

May. 13, 2016—Mandatory vaccination policies may encourage more healthcare workers to get annual flu shots and help prevent the spread of influenza to patients, a study in one Texas health system suggests.A growing number of medical centers are moving to mandatory flu vaccination policies as part of a larger infection control effort, said Dr. Tom Talbot, chief...

Urgent need for new effective antibiotics says MPH’s Schaffner

May. 13, 2016—On May 11, The Pew Charitable Trusts released a strategy aimed at overcoming the 30-year drought in the discovery of new types of antibiotics. The Scientific Roadmap for Antibiotic Discovery identifies priority research goals and provides a detailed plan to advance antibiotic discovery efforts in the public and private sectors. William Schaffner, M.D., professor of...

Medical societies honor MPH’s Hartert

May. 12, 2016—Four physicians from Vanderbilt University Medical Center have been elected to membership in two of the nation’s oldest and most respected medical honor societies — the Association of American Physicians (AAP) and the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI). MPH's Tina Hartert, M.D., MPH, the Lulu H. Owen Professor of Medicine and VUMC vice president...

MPH’s Heimburger and Moon receive 2016 Excellence in Teaching Award

May. 10, 2016—Every year since 2000, the VUMC Academic Enterprise has honored faculty members for Excellence in Teaching and Outstanding Contributions to Research. Recipients were nominated by their faculty colleagues and chosen by the 2016 VUMC Academic Enterprise Faculty Awards Selection Committees.This year both Douglas C. Heimburger, M.D., M.S. and D. Troy Moon, M.D., M.P.H. received the...

MPH alumnus: victims of hazing in youth sports often in denial

May. 9, 2016—The true incidence of hazing in youth sports is unknown because victims don’t report the mistreatment or fail to recognize it as hazing, according to a review of scientific literature on the subject by a team of Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) researchers. Alex Diamond, D.O., M.P.H., an assistant professor of Pediatrics and Orthopaedics and...

MPH’s Stevenson: Corporate churning associated with lower nursing home quality

May. 9, 2016—Over the last two decades, thousands of nursing homes have been bought and sold by corporate chains. A new study, published in the May issue of the journal Health Affairs has found that these transactions are related to lower quality of care. The results of this study suggest that chains bought and sold nursing homes...

Guillamondegui warns of “unseen trauma” as more US kids suffer head injuries at playgrounds

May. 4, 2016—Playgrounds may not be completely safe for children as more are admitted to emergency departments (EDs) for non-fatal traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). Play is an essential activity for growing children, and playgrounds provide the perfect place to increase learning, social skills, exploration, imagination, and attentiveness. However, "most people are still not attuned to the fact that something...

MPH’s Schaffner: Students not vaccinated likely source of Harvard University mumps outbreak

May. 3, 2016—There have been 40 confirmed cases of the mumps at Harvard University, even though many of those infected were vaccinated. Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt Univeristy, said in recent years colleges and universities have been at the center of many mumps outbreaks.

MPH alumnus receives Dr. William Schaffner Public Health Hero Award

May. 3, 2016—Congratulations to State Epidemiologist Tim Jones, MD, who was honored Apr. 29 with the Dr. William Schaffner Public Health Hero Award! This award is given jointly by the Tennessee Medical Association and the Tennessee Public Health Association to a person who has made significant contributions to advancing public health in Tennessee.

MPH alumnus: Warm weather heralds beginning of “trauma season”

Apr. 26, 2016—Vanderbilt University Medical Center trauma physicians are warning pedestrians and drivers to be attentive, alert and cautious as the weather warms up and the likelihood of auto-pedestrian accidents increases. Auto-pedestrian wrecks are largely attributed to distracted drivers and pedestrians who are not alert to their surroundings, and while it only takes a second to make...

MPH alumnus appointed Deputy Commissioner for Population Health for the TDH

Apr. 21, 2016—Michael Warren, MD, MPH, FAAP has been appointed deputy commissioner for population health for the Tennessee Department of Health. He previously served as assistant commissioner for Family Health and Wellness, a role in which he led TDH efforts related to maternal and child health, chronic disease prevention, health promotion and supplemental nutrition.

ABC News talks to MPH alumnus about turning point in understanding of Zika virus

Apr. 16, 2016—Researchers continue to investigate the devastating effects of the Zika virus on fetal development and are now studying whether the virus also impacts joint, eye and hearing development as well. Dr. Buddy Creech, an associate professor of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said "this idea of a virus contracted during pregnancy causing...

MPH’s Gonzales: Discriminatory laws hurt health of LGBT Tennesseans

Apr. 11, 2016—Gilbert Gonzales', Ph.D,, assistant professor of Health Policy, Op-Ed published in The Tennessean on April 3 focuses on how discriminatory laws hurt health of LGBT Tennesseans.

NPR talks with MPH graduate about the state’s efforts to track cases of neonatal abstinence syndrome

Mar. 31, 2016—Many states — including some that have been hardest hit by the opioid crisis — don't know how many of their youngest residents each year are born physically dependent on those drugs. Those states might look to Tennessee's tracking efforts. Tennessee reacted quickly when doctors started seeing a lot more cases of neonatal abstinence syndrome...

On NBC Nightly News, MPH’s Schaffner weighs in anti-vaccine film

Mar. 29, 2016—"Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe," an anti-vaccine documentary originally slated to run at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York has put a spotlight again on the debunked study that is widely believed to have contributed to the unsubstantiated impression by some that vaccines can cause autism. Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at...

MPH Program alumna Neuzil named VUSM Distinguished Alumni

Mar. 18, 2016—The late Levi Watkins Jr., M.D., and Kathleen Neuzil, M.D., MPH, have been named the 2016 Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (VUSM) Distinguished Alumni Award recipients.The pair will be honored during VUSM’s 2016 Reunion and the MPH Program 20th Anniversary festivities, Oct. 20-22.

MPH’s Aliyu: Study seeks to ease pediatric HIV infection rates in Africa

Mar. 4, 2016—Mother-to-child transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes AIDS, is still a major problem in resource-limited, rural areas of the world where health care providers are scarce. "We show that packaging individually effective interventions can have positive and measurable impacts on progress toward eliminating pediatric HIV infections in Africa,” said first author Muktar...

MPH Program alum Acra part of team to treat boy’s rare disorder

Mar. 3, 2016—Sari Acra, M.D., MPH was involved in the the team to help treat Denny Majano when he was admitted to the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital in 2011. After spending almost two and a half years in the hospital, at many times struggling to survive, Denny spent his first Christmas home this past December with...

MPH graduate finds chemo better option following pancreatic cancer surgery

Feb. 25, 2016—The study, led by Vanderbilt MPH Program graduate Alexander Parikh, M.D., M.P.H., associate professor of Surgery and director of the Vanderbilt Pancreas Center, was published online Feb. 16 in advance of print publication in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

Zika virus: Mosquito-borne transmission still the most likely in U.S. says MPH’s Schaffner

Feb. 24, 2016—Dr. William Schaffner of Vanderbilt University, past president of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, says its not likely that sexual transmission is anywhere close to the frequency of mosquito-borne transmission as the CDC reports 14 new cases of sexually transmitted Zika in U.S.

Nashville Health Care Council selects MPH graduate Neal Patel, MD, MPH

Feb. 18, 2016—Vanderbilt MPH Program alumnus Neal Patel, M.D., M.P.H., has been named to the Nashville Health Care Council's 2016 Council Fellows class. The Council Fellows initiative was launched in 2013 to engage industry leaders in clearly defining health care’s greatest challenges while exploring business strategies to navigate complex issues facing the nation’s health care system.

MPH alumna Morgans: Heart disease most common cause of death among prostate cancer survivors

Feb. 12, 2016—Prostate cancer survivors are most likely to die from something other than cancer, with cardiovascular disease as the most common cause, according to a new study led by Dr. Alicia Morgans, an assistant professor of medicine

ABC News talks to MPH’s Creech about Zika virus and ocular birth defects

Feb. 9, 2016—The Zika virus may be associated with another birth defect in infants, according to a new study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association Ophthalmology. Buddy Creech, M.D., M.P.H., an associate professor of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said other viruses, including herpes and rubella, are known to cause ocular...

MPH Alum Talbot: Travelers should be not quarantined because of Zika Virus

Feb. 8, 2016—There is no evidence that individuals who have acquired Zika abroad are causing transmission of the virus within the U.S., and isolating people with Zika symptoms in the U.S. would be impractical and unnecessary, according to a number of infectious disease experts contacted by Scientific American. “I think with this being the first emerging infection...

Prostate cancer survivors’ risk of heart disease studied by MPH alumna Morgans

Feb. 5, 2016—The 3 million prostate cancer survivors in the United States are likely to die from something other than cancer, thanks to early detection, effective treatment and the disease’s slow progression.What survivors need to be more concerned with is heart disease, the most common non-cancer cause of death for men with prostate cancer, according to a...

NYT: W.H.O. Zika Virus announcement is a wake-up call says MPH’s Schaffner

Feb. 2, 2016—The World Health Organization declared the Zika virus and its suspected link to birth defects an international public health emergency on Monday, a rare move that signals the seriousness of the outbreak and gives countries new tools to fight it. “This makes it formal,” said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University....

NYT: MPH’s Schaffner puzzled by new C.D.C. Zika guidelines

Jan. 21, 2016—Pregnant women who feel sick and have visited countries in which the Zika virus is spreading should see a doctor soon and be tested for infection even though the tests are imperfect, federal health officials said on Tuesday. “That had me scratching my head,” Dr. William Schaffner,the chairman of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University, said....

Graduate Student Epidemiology Program–HRSA Maternal & Child Health Bureau

Jan. 15, 2016—The Graduate Student Epidemiology Program (GSEP) provides opportunities to gain professional experience in a real-world situation while providing help and fresh perspectives to a public health agency during a 3-month summer project. Participate in a project with a special focus area: Data Analysis and Monitoring Needs Assessment Program Evaluation Help an MCH department or tribal epidemiology center...

MPH faculty member featured as part of Global Health & Innovation Conference

Jan. 12, 2016—Vanderbilt MPH Program faculty member Brian Heuser, Ed.D., M.T.S., Assistant Professor of Leadership, Policy & Organizations, has been a presenter at Unite for Sight's Global Health & Innovation Conference for several years and he is featured in their latest video. The Global Health & Innovation Conference is the world's leading and largest global health conference as well as the...

MPH alum-led study shows veteran, civilian patients at risk of ICU-related PTSD

Jan. 12, 2016—Led by Mayur Patel, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of Surgery and Neurosurgery at VUMC and staff surgeon and surgical intensivist at the Nashville VA Medical Center, the first-of-its-kind study of veterans and civilians, researchers found that one in 10 patients is at risk of having a new post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following their time in...

Chipotle’s E. Coli Outbreak: contaminated food source not likely found says Schaffner

Jan. 8, 2016—The first reports of E. coli sickening Chipotle customers were revealed in October. Three months and thousands of tests later, health investigators still can't find the source of the outbreak, which has since sickened 53 people in nine states. Dr. William Schaffner, infectious-diseases specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center explained that most people who dine at Chipotle eat some combination...

MPH’s Schaffner: Antibodies in blood plasma from Ebola survivors still may be a treatment

Jan. 7, 2016—Reuters: Treating Ebola victims with blood plasma donated by Ebola survivors failed to significantly increase the odds of recovering from the deadly virus, according to a field test of the experimental treatment. The conclusion is based on the cases of 84 people treated with plasma in Conakry, Guinea, in the hope that the antibodies in...

MPH study one of Vanderbilt’s most popular research stories of 2015

Jan. 6, 2016—A study on ankyloglossia from MPH faculty member Melissa McPheeters, Ph.D., M.P.H., ranked among Vanderbilt's most popular research stories of 2015. MPH graduates Richard Epstein, Ph.D., M.P.H. (Psychiatry); and Sahar Kohanim, M.D., M.P.H. (Ophthalmology); were also co-authors on the report.

MPH alum urges prostate surgery patients to not only focus on surgeon experience

Jan. 4, 2016—Men who get prostate cancer surgery at hospitals that do a lot of these procedures may have better results, and those better outcomes might help offset the added cost of care at specialized facilities, a U.S. study suggests. Patients should be careful not to focus on the surgeon's experience level until after they determine whether...

MPH’s Schaffner emphasizes need for funding as new TFAH outbreak report is released

Dec. 18, 2015—Using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, TFAH devised a scoring system with metrics such as flu vaccination rates, food safety and HIV/AIDS surveillance — and then evaluated each of the 50 states to see how they stacked up. The report details ways in which the whole nation could be doing better...

On NBC Nightly News: MPH’s Schaffner weighs in on tuberculosis exposure in CA hospital

Dec. 14, 2015—William Schaffner, professor of preventive medicine and health policy, weighs in about hundreds of people, including newborns, who may have been exposed to tuberculosis in the maternity wing of a California hospital after a nurse was diagnosed with an active case.

Hypertension-related visits to emergency rooms on rise in U.S. says MPH alumna

Dec. 10, 2015—The number and percentage of patients treated at emergency departments for hypertension are on the rise across the United States, according to a Vanderbilt study published recently in The American Journal of Cardiology. “We found that around 25 percent of all emergency department visits involved patients with hypertension, and that the rate of hypertension-related visits...

MPH alum named Nashville Health Care Council fellow

Dec. 8, 2015—The Nashville Health Care Council is delving into innovation, consumerism and retail health care for its 2016 Council Fellows, which is stitching together a diverse collection leaders from around the city's health care community. Headed by former Sen. Bill Frist and Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management health care and economics professor Larry Van Horn,...

WSJ: Schaffner’s advice for staying healthy during flu season

Dec. 4, 2015—Should you sleep off a flu? When should you seek a doctor's help? What should parents of sick children with the flu do? National Foundation for Infectious Diseases director Dr. William Schaffner joins Tanya Rivero with advice for staying healthy.

In the New York Times, Schaffner weighs in on the fight against HIV and AIDS in the US

Dec. 2, 2015—Vanderbilt's William Schaffner, M.D., is quoted in the New York Times' recent article about the war on AIDS in the United States.

New diagnoses of prostate cancer decreased according to study from MPH alum

Dec. 1, 2015—New prostate cancer diagnoses declined by almost 30% in the first year after the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended against routine screening PSA tests, a review of a national database showed. An analysis by disease stage at diagnosis showed that the number of new diagnoses of intermediate- and high-risk prostate cancer also decreased,...

MPH Program faculty led study links opioids, infection risk for patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Nov. 20, 2015—Use of opioid analgesics is associated with an increased risk of hospitalization for serious infections among patients with rheumatoid arthritis, according to a Vanderbilt study published in Arthritis & Rheumatology. “Future studies will examine the association between specific opioids and the risk of infections. Identifying opioid formulations that are particularly problematic would be important to...

On NPR, MPH graduate says new law may keep women from getting medical care

Nov. 20, 2015—Vanderbilt MPH alumna Jessica Young, M.D., M.P.H., speaks with NPH on All Things Considered about how a new law could prevent women struggling with addiction seek the medical care they need for themselves and their children.

NYT: MPH’s Penson recommends to “screen smarter” for prostate cancer

Nov. 17, 2015—Fewer men are being screened for prostate cancer, and fewer early-stage cases are being detected, according to two studies published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. An editorial accompanying the articles, by Dr. David F. Penson, the chairman of urologic surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, acknowledged that too much screening can...

MPH Program’s Schaffner honored with APHA 2015 John Snow Award

Nov. 12, 2015—William Schaffner, M.D., professor of Preventive Medicine, is this year’s recipient of the American Public Health Association’s (APHA) 2015 John Snow Award, a longstanding award given in recognition of “enduring contributions to public health through epidemiologic methods and practice.”

CEPH invites comments on proposed revised criteria for schools and programs of public health

Nov. 6, 2015—The Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) invites comments on its proposed revised criteria for schools of public health and public health programs. Comments must be submitted using the designated form and are due by the close of business on January 8, 2016. The Council will review comments at its January 2016 meeting and...

NPR Morning Edition: Health insurers control costs with narrow networks states MPH Program’s Van Horn

Nov. 6, 2015—When open enrollment began on the nation's healthcare exchanges on November 1, many people who bought insurance for 2015 found that the 2016 plans they had to choose from have narrower networks of hospitals. Insurers are trying to control costs by funneling more patients to fewer hospitals. Larry Van Horn, associate professor of management and...

MPH Program graduate receives Excellence in Mentoring Translational Scientists Award

Nov. 5, 2015—Tina Hartert, M.D., MPH, assistant vice chancellor for Translational Science and director of the Vanderbilt Center for Asthma and Environmental Health Research, was honored on Oct. 30 during the annual Vanderbilt Translational Research Forum, a celebration and showcase of research that brings the fruits of lab bench science to the patient’s bedside. Dr. Hartert s...

MPH Program graduate finds prenatal folic acid and asthma correlation

Nov. 5, 2015—In a study published in the November issue of Epidemiology, Kecia N. Carroll, M.D., MPH, and colleagues report that the timing of folic acid-containing prescription filling during pregnancy was associated with childhood asthma.

The Washington Post: MPH’s Schaffner advises adults to get vaccinated

Nov. 4, 2015—Some adult vaccines are boosters, building your immunity against those illnesses. Others protect against diseases that are more common in adulthood. All adults should have these key vaccines, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: an annual flu shot; a Td booster every 10 years to ward off tetanus and diphtheria; a zoster...

In The Atlantic: MPH student advocates making indigenous peoples equal partners in gene reserach

Oct. 27, 2015—Speaking at the 2015 meeting of the American Society for Human Genetics (ASHG), Krystal Tsosie from Vanderbilt University said the case of The Akimel O’odham (Pima), a group of Native Americans from Arizona, withdrawing their partnership with the NIH in 2003, and signing a $5 million agreement with a non-profit organization called the Translational Genomics...

NashvilleHealth gets help from MPH Program’s Buntin

Oct. 26, 2015—Former Senator Bill Frist wants to improve the overall health of the entire city by putting healthy living in the public consciousness and helping Nashville’s sickest and most disadvantaged citizens. Working with MPH Program's Melinda Buntin on the data and research behind the initiatives, Frist wants NashvilleHealth to focus, at first, on hypertension, smoking cessation and...

MPH Program student testing new treatment for Alzheimer’s

Oct. 23, 2015—Researchers say a new drug, T-817, is on the horizon to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease, and Vanderbilt is one of 50 clinical trial sites across the country testing the drug. "It's basically a drug that is shown to have neuro-protective effects to prevent the early death of those brain cells that we're trying to...

MPH Program graduate: One standard needed to track concussions

Oct. 22, 2015—Data in sports concussion studies will continue to be disputed as long as the injuries are diagnosed by differing standards instead of universal guidelines. That’s the conclusion of Oscar D. Guillamondegui, M.D., MPH, associate professor of Neurological Surgery at Vanderbilt, in a review of a study on concussion incidence among peewee, youth and college football...

NBC talks to MPH’s Schaffner about $1.6 billion effort to prevent the flu this season

Oct. 21, 2015—The process of putting the flu vaccine together begins in February, when the World Health Organization determines which strains of the virus should be included, based on what's circulating around the globe. Dr. William Schaffner, medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, explains that "flu is fickle. Last season was unusual because not...

IDWeek: MPH Program graduate learned from last year’s “not perfect” flu vax

Oct. 16, 2015—The flu vaccine last season was almost completely ineffective at preventing the disease, but it might have helped some people stay out of hospital, researchers reported here."The flu vaccine is not perfect and it varies in efficacy from year to year," commented H. Keipp Talbot, MD, MPH, of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville....

Halloween treat Listeria connection low states MPH Program’s Schaffner

Oct. 14, 2015—A deadly 2014 Listeria outbreak linked to caramel apples has puzzled researchers attempting to understand how the favorite Halloween treat could be the source of the deadly bacteria. The 2014 outbreak left at least seven dead and 35 infected, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease...

ABC News talks to MPH graduate about risk of MRSA infection among athletes

Oct. 13, 2015—Buddy Creech, M.D., M.P.H., Vanderbilt MPH graduate and pediatric infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has worked with professional teams on how to clean up after a MRSA outbreak and has studied how both contact and non-contact athletes can develop the bacteria.

MPH Program alum awarded major federal grant to boost AIDS education, training efforts

Oct. 12, 2015—Vanderbilt University has been awarded a major federal grant — $16 million over four years — to coordinate AIDS education and training efforts in Tennessee and seven other southeastern states.The grant will provide training in HIV care and prevention skills to physicians, nurses, pharmacists and other allied health professionals, said Stephen Raffanti, M.D., MPH, professor...

MPH Program faculty and alumni led study: Flu vaccine helps reduce hospitalizations due to influenza pneumonia

Oct. 8, 2015—More than half of hospitalizations due to influenza pneumonia could be prevented by influenza vaccination, according to a study led by MPH Program faculty, published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association.The Vanderbilt team included Carlos Grijalva, M.D., MPH; Yuwei Zhu, M.D., M.S.; Derek Williams, M.D., MPH; Wesley Self, M.D., MPH; Marie Griffin,...

H3N2 strain is included in 2015 flu shot says MPH Program’s Schaffner

Oct. 7, 2015—This year's flu shot is expected to be more effective than last season's vaccine. Last year was a pretty bad flu season because the H3N2 strain was the predominant strain, according to Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine who works at Vanderbilt University's Department of Medicine. Last year, when the virus mutated, the...

What’s Luck Got To Do With Health Care? NPR talks with Vanderbilt MPH student about her practicum in Guatemala

Oct. 5, 2015—Vanderbilt MPH student, Grace Fletcher, spent her summer practicum in rural Guatemala working with an NGO called Wuqu' Kawoq.

Babies with NAS treatable, best way to stay with their mothers says MPH Program alumna

Oct. 2, 2015—In 2014, Tennessee passed a bill allowing women to be charged with assault if they use narcotics while pregnant, health advocates warned that the law would deter women from seeking vital medical care out of fear of being prosecuted. Now, Dr. Jessica Young, an obstetrician at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville who has a...

MPH Program’s Dr. Barocas: Reduced prostate screening could miss advanced tumors

Sep. 30, 2015—Relaxed guidelines on prostate cancer screening may delay diagnosis and treatment of aggressive tumors, a new study suggests. In 2011, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended against routine prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing, to curb over-diagnosis and overtreatment of prostate cancer. Since then, PSA screening has dropped by 28 percent, the researchers report. MPH...

MPH Program alumna study: Patients prefer online post-surgical care to in-person visit

Sep. 28, 2015—A small study at Vanderbilt University Medical Center shows that patients who have routine, uncomplicated surgeries prefer to have their postoperative visits done online, rather than go to a doctor's office in person. MPH Program alumna, Dr. Kummerow Broman, a resident physician in general surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center said "Some operations simply require an...

MPH student reflects on practicum experience in Guatemala

Sep. 25, 2015—Grace Fletcher is a candidate in Vanderbilt's M.P.H. in Global Health and M.A. in Latin American Studies programs. She completed her public health practicum working with Wuqu’ Kawoq, a non-governmental organization dedicated to improving the health of Maya communities and Mayan languages in Guatemala. Grace focused specifically on monitoring and evaluation efforts for nutrition and education programs in Santiago Sacatepéquez, Guatemala. Click here...

Vanderbilt MPH Program’s new track fosters next generation Health Policy leaders

Sep. 25, 2015—Vanderbilt’s Master of Public Health (MPH) Program welcomed a new health policy track to its curriculum starting this fall semester. For almost 20 years, Vanderbilt’s MPH program has provided outstanding epidemiologic training, primarily to physicians. In 2013, the program added a global health track, and began recruiting a greater variety of students, including those without...

ABC News: Infections spreading in hospitals critical issue says Creech, MPH Program alum

Sep. 21, 2015—An ABC News report about a British study documenting the spread of infections in hospitals quotes Buddy Creech, M.D., MPH, associate professor of Pediatrics.

Vaccination remains the best defense against flu says MPH Program’s Schaffner

Sep. 18, 2015—It doesn't matter if you get the traditional shot, the needle-free injection, or the nasal spray, the flu vaccine remains the best defense says Dr. William Schaffner of Vanderbilt University and the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.

MPH Program’s Heimburger on a 21st Century Health Policy Vision

Sep. 11, 2015—MPH faculty and Global Health track director, Douglas Heimburger, M.D., M.S., co-authored The Atlanta Declaration: A 21st Century Vision For US-Based Global Noncommunicable Disease Research, on Health Affairs Blog. Focusing on the innovation in the United States, Heimburger says that US institutions must better align opportunities, pathways, and resources for 21st century scientists and future leaders...

“Mystery” outbreak actually common says MPH Program’s Schaffner

Sep. 8, 2015—More than 100 students and teachers in a North Carolina school district were sent home this week after exhibiting signs of a mystery illness. While the idea of an unknown illness causing an outbreak is slightly terrifying, William Schaffner, MD, chairman of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine’s Department of Preventative Medicine, tells Yahoo Health...

Grants bolster MPH Program HIV-focused research capacity

Aug. 21, 2015—The Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health (VIGH) has received two new grants from the Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to build HIV-focused research capacity with key partners in Zambia, Mozambique and Brazil. Douglas Heimburger, M.D., MPH Program track director and associate VIGH director for education and training, is co-principal investigator...

Older population at higher risk for Legionnaires says MPH Program’s Schaffner

Aug. 11, 2015—In the midst of the NY Legionnaires' outbreak, health experts are studying why reported cases have risen in recent years. Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, said epidemiologists and other disease detectives are trying to determine whether there are other factors that are making people more...

Schaffner: Interns and residents ‘fibbing and shimmying’ to give care before Medicare, Medicaid

Aug. 3, 2015—Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical School, clearly remembers the struggle for his patients to pay medical bills before President Johnson signed the amendment to the Social Security Act to establish Medicare and Medicaid in 1965.

Schaffner talks with ABC News about the safety of Louisiana Parish water supply

Jul. 30, 2015—For the second time in two years, officials have found potentially deadly amoeba in the water supply of a parish outside New Orleans. William Schaffner, M.D., an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, said people in the area should take steps to stay safe, including keeping their pool chlorinated, and stopping children from...

On NPR’s Marketplace, Buntin provides insight into the recent report on increasing health care expenditures

Jul. 30, 2015—On NPR's Marketplace, Melinda Buntin, Ph.D., chair of the department of health policy, provides insight into the recent report on increasing health care expenditures.

Restrained growth in the use of health care services may be new normal, writes MPH Program’s Buntin

Jul. 29, 2015—A more restrained growth in the use of health care services, even as the economic recovery continues and rates of uninsured declines might be the "new normal" writes Melinda Buntin, chair of the department of health policy, in Health Affairs blog.

MPH Program’s Schaffner emphasizes imperative food inspection as sushi sickens 62

Jul. 24, 2015—As a widespread salmonella outbreak partially linked to sushi reportedly infected 62 people in 11 states, Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical School, said that the outbreak underscores the need for "excellent surveillance … [so that] when something like this happens we can minimize the impact.” According to the CDC report,...

Creech, MPH Program alum, treats patient with rare Stevens-Johnson Syndrome

Jul. 23, 2015—Dr. Buddy Creech, M.D., M.P.H, reassures the public that Stevens-Johnson Syndrome is rare after a Fort Wayne, IN resident triggered a major reaction resulting in burns to 40 percent of her body after simply taking a couple of Tylenol. Creech said other common side effects of over-the-counter drugs, such as nausea and gastrointestinal bleeding should...

Contaminated Sand May Make Beachgoers Sick, MPH Program’s Schaffner comments

Jul. 17, 2015—When beaches are closed due to pollution, a few fearless beachgoers may think that they're safe as long as they remain on land. But a newly published study says even the sand may not be safe from dangerous bacteria, and can potentially recontaminate the water. William Schaffner, M.D., professor of preventive medicine and health policy...

Cooper, MPH faculty and alum, talks with ABC News about new study on SSRIs and risk of birth defects

Jul. 10, 2015—A new study has shed light on the complex interaction between anti-depressants and pregnancy by looking at thousands of women who took them before giving birth. William Owen Cooper, M.D., M.P.H., said these large studies are key to help pregnant women make the best decisions about their health care. The study published in The BMJ,...

MPH Program faculty finds monitoring over surgery for prostate cancer patients positive

Jul. 9, 2015—Study finds men with low-risk disease often getting monitoring over surgery, radiation, hormone therapy. Dr. David Penson, the Hamilton and Howd Chair in Urologic Oncology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., says that the statistics are "very good news."

MPH Program’s Schaffner not supurised by return of Ebola in Liberia

Jul. 1, 2015—Forty-eight days after the World Health Organization declared Liberia free of Ebola, a 17-year old boy has died and tested positive for the virus. Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical School, said it’s not surprising an Ebola case reappeared in Liberia but it appears the government have taken quick and...

NPR: William Schaffner, M.D., advises insurance coverage for meningitis B vaccine

Jun. 29, 2015—The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine committee has expand edits recommendation for immunization against meningitis B, a rare butpotentially deadly strain of meningitis. William Schaffner, professor of preventive medicine and health policy,was interviewed for the report at VUStar, Vanderbilt’s campus broadcastfacility.

MPH Program alumna recommends not withdrawing from drugs durning pregnancy

Jun. 29, 2015—MPH Program alumna, Jessica L. Young, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology, agrees with The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists by advising against withdrawing from drugs during pregnancy.

MPH Program graduates publish antibiotic choice for treating childhood pneumonia study

Jun. 25, 2015—MPH Program graduate, Derek Williams, M.D., M.P.H. and MPH Program graduate and current faculty, Carlos G. Grijalva, M.D., M.P.H., co-authored new Vanderbilt-led research showing hospitals are doing a better job of using antibiotics less commonly associated with antibiotic resistance to treat children hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP).

CNN talks with MPH Program’s Schaffner about the meningitis vaccine

Jun. 25, 2015—The Center for Disease Control’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices holds its quarterly meeting today and will discuss whether to add a new meningitis vaccine just recently approved by the FDA to the immunization guidelines. William Schaffner, M.D., professor of preventive medicine and health policy and medical director for the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases...

MPH Program graduate featured in new C. diff and fecal transplants National Geographic documentary

Jun. 24, 2015—A documentary about C. diff and fecal transplants that features Vanderbilt is now featured on National Geographic's website. The documentary from local filmmaker Michael Graziano, follows Lauren Giuntini before and after the procedure at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt. Maribeth Nicholson, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of Pediatrics, is also featured. Graziano was the documentary...

MPH graduate led study finds significant drop in new prostate cancer diagnoses

Jun. 18, 2015—Led by first author Daniel Barocas, M.D., MPH, assistant professor of Urological Surgery and Medicine at Vanderbilt Medical Center, a new study found new diagnoses of prostate cancer in the U.S. declined 28 percent in the year following the draft recommendation from the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) against routine PSA screening for...

National Foundation for Infectious Diseases Selects William Schaffner, M.D., as New Medical Director

Jun. 18, 2015—The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) has appointed William Schaffner, MD, as its new medical director. His work has focused on all aspects of infectious diseases, including epidemiology, infection control and immunization. Schaffner will continue to serve as professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. From 2010 to...

MPH graduate Leigh Howard, M.D., M.P.H., receives 2015 Turner-Hazinksi Award

Jun. 15, 2015—During Department of Pediatrics annual research retreat on May 22, 2015, Vanderbilt MPH Program alumna Leigh Howard, M.D., M.P.H., was named a 2015 Turner-Hazinksi Award winner. The award provides grants to support research by young pediatric faculty members. Howard’s current and future research will focus on the epidemiology of respiratory illnesses in young children in...

CBS talks with the MPH Program’s Schaffner about the recent MERS outbreak in South Korea

Jun. 12, 2015—CBS This Morning interviewed MPH faculty member William Schaffner, M.D., about the CDC alert issued to U.S. doctors to be on the lookout for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, also known as MERS, amid a current outbreak in South Korea.

Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis arrives in U.S., Schaffner warns it’s serious business

Jun. 10, 2015—

MPH alum gives a glimpse into her work as a “disease detective” with EIS

Jun. 4, 2015—In this week's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) from the CDC, Vanderbilt MPH Program alumna Candice Williams Robinson, M.D., M.P.H., gives readers a glimpse into her work with the Epidemic Intelligence Service.

In NYTimes, Schaffner says new test for all virus exposure has vast potential

Jun. 4, 2015—The Vanderbilt MPH Program's William Schaffner, M.D., comments on the news of a single test to detect past exposure to more than 1,000 strains of viruses from 206 species.

MPH Program’s Schaffner talks to Men’s Health about chicken pox in adults

Jun. 3, 2015—The Vanderbilt MPH Program's William Schaffner, M.D., professor of preventive medicine and medicine, talks to Men's Health about the varicella zoster vaccine for adults.

Kaiser Health News speaks with MPH alum about his research on hospitalization and delirium

Jun. 2, 2015—Kaiser Health News speaks with Vanderbilt MPH Program alumnus Wes Ely, M.D., M.P.H., professor of medicine and founder of Vanderbilt’s ICU Delirium and Cognitive Impairment Study Group, about his research on hospitalization and delirium.

New research from MPH faculty shows need for more focus on hospital to nursing home discharges

May. 26, 2015—John Graves, co-author and assistant professor of health policy and medicine at Vanderbilt, spoke to The Tennessean about a new study pinpointing the juncture where patients are discharged from hospitals to skilled nursing facilities for rehabilitation as a place where greater focus could prolong lives and reduce costs.

NIH director to present Discovery Lecture on May 28

May. 21, 2015—National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., will deliver a special Discovery Lecture on Thursday, May 28, 2015 at 3 p.m. in Light Hall 208. Collins also will address a workshop May 28-29 convened at Vanderbilt by the Precision Medicine Initiative Working Group of the Advisory Committee to the NIH Director. The agenda: how to build...

MPH faculty receive 2015 Faculty Awards for Excellence in Teaching and Outstanding Contributions to Research

May. 18, 2015—Three Vanderbilt MPH Program faculty members named 2015 Faculty Awards for Excellence in Teaching and Outstanding Contributions to Research 2015 Faculty Awards for Excellence in Teaching: Kathryn M. Edwards, M.D., Sarah H. Sell and Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Pediatrics E. Wesley Ely, M.D., M.P.H., professor of Medicine 2015 Faculty Award for Outstanding Contributions to Research Wayne A. Ray,...

Schaffner speaks with ABC News about long-term health effects for Ebola survivors

May. 12, 2015—The Vanderbilt MPH Program's William Schaffner, M.D., talks with ABC News for the latest story about Ebola survivor and Vanderbilt School of Medicine alumnus Ian Crozier, M.D., having Ebola in his eye less than two months after his blood had been declared Ebola-free.

Growing number of babies have drug withdrawal symptoms, study shows

May. 1, 2015—Time spoke with Vanderbilt MPH Program faculty member William O. Cooper, M.D., M.P.H., about his new study on neonatal abstinence syndrome.

Low health literacy raises mortality rates for patients with acute heart failure

May. 1, 2015—Recent research from Vanderbilt MPH Program alumna Candace McNaughton, M.D., M.P.H., shows that patients with low health literacy hospitalized for acute heart failure have an increased mortality risk.

Study links post-acute care costs with lower survival rates

Apr. 30, 2015—A nationwide study from Vanderbilt MPH Program faculty member John Graves, Ph.D., finds that spending on post-acute care in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) provides a key signal of inefficiency in the health care system, leading to higher spending and lower patient survival.

On ABC News, Schaffner weighs in on bird flu outbreak

Apr. 21, 2015—Vanderbilt MPH Program faculty member, William Schaffner, M.D., speaks with ABC News about the outbreak of bird flu in Iowa.

MPH graduate featured in National Library of Medicine exhibit celebrating black surgeons

Apr. 16, 2015—Selwyn O. Rogers Jr., M.D., M.P.H., will be featured in a National Library of Medicine traveling exhibit, “Opening Doors: Contemporary African American Academic Surgeons,” on display at Vanderbilt University's Eskind Biomedical Library through May 22, 2015. Rogers is a surgeon and public health expert who was recently named vice president and chief medical officer for the Health System...

Vermund named assistant vice chancellor for Global Health

Apr. 16, 2015—Sten Vermund, M.D., Ph.D., has been named assistant vice chancellor for Global Health in recognition of the growing importance of globalization to Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s research, teaching and patient care missions.

Newsweek recounts MPH graduate’s role in the tracing the 2012 fungal meningitis outbreak

Apr. 16, 2015—Newsweek's cover story for April 24, 2015 recounts the 2012 fungal meningitis outbreak, including the role of MPH graduate April Pettit, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of Medicine, and her important medical detective work.

MPH graduate named to top leadership position at the University of Maryland’s new Institute for Global Health

Apr. 13, 2015—Kathleen Neuzil, M.D., M.P.H., has been named to two key leadership positions at the University of Maryland School of Medicine's newly established Institute for Global Health. She will serve as the Deputy Director of Institute for Global health and the Director of the Center for Vaccine Development. Dr. Neuzil is one of the most influential research scientists and...

MPH grad advocates nationally for youth sports health, safety

Mar. 19, 2015—Alex Diamond, D.O., M.P.H., director of the Program for Injury Prevention in Youth Sports (PIPYS) and assistant professor of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation and Pediatrics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, continues to be a national advocate for youth sports safety.

U.S. Ambassador addresses progress fighting AIDS

Mar. 19, 2015—U.S. Ambassador-at-Large Deborah Birx, M.D., who oversees the President’s Emergency Program for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), updated the Vanderbilt community on AIDS relief efforts during a visit last week.

MPH graduate named executive director of the Vanderbilt Medical Group and COO for Adult Clinical Operations at VUMC

Feb. 26, 2015—Titus Daniels, M.D., M.P.H., M.M.H.C., (MPH class of 2007) associate professor of Medicine, has been named executive director of the Vanderbilt Medical Group (VMG) and chief operating officer for Adult Clinical Operations at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

In NEJM, Vanderbilt MPH graduates find respiratory viruses to be main childhood pneumonia culprit

Feb. 26, 2015—Respiratory viruses, not bacterial infections, are the most commonly detected causes of community-acquired pneumonia in children, according to new research released Feb. 26 in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study's authors include: Derek Williams, M.D., M.P.H. (class of 2010), assistant professor of Pediatrics and member of the Vanderbilt Vaccine Research Program and the Division of Hospital...

ABC News talks with Schaffner about potential measles exposure sites

Feb. 23, 2015—The Vanderbilt MPH Program's William Schaffner, M.D., recently spoke with ABC News about the range of potential measles exposure sites.

MPH’s Aliyu named an inaugural Chancellor Faculty Fellow

Feb. 12, 2015—Vanderbilt MPH Program faculty member, Muktar Aliyu, M.D., Dr.P.H., has been named a 2015 Chancellor Faculty Fellow. The Chancellor Faculty Fellows Program was launched in September 2014 to support outstanding faculty who have recently received tenure. Aliyu, associate professor of health policy and associate professor of medicine, teaches in the Global Health track of the Vanderbilt...

MPH student calls for a better understanding of catatonia and improved screening tools

Feb. 12, 2015—In her recent publication, current MPH student, Jo Ellen Wilson, M.D., argues that the restrictive definition of catatonia in the most recent Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) could be resulting in a lower detection of catatonia, especially in patients with no known psychiatric history.

MPH students take top prize at 2015 Vanderbilt Global Health Case Competition

Feb. 10, 2015—First-year MPH students Emily Sheldon, Shellese Shemwell, and Erin Hamilton along with Ajay Sundaram and Jieun Park of Peabody College, and Kaya Zhu of the Owen Graduate School of Management, beat out fifteen other interdisciplinary teams of Vanderbilt students to win the 2015 Vanderbilt Global Health Case Competition. They will travel to Atlanta next month to represent the...

MPH faculty to play key roles in CDC autism surveillance network

Feb. 6, 2015—Vanderbilt MPH Program faculty members Melissa McPheeters, Ph.D., M.P.H., and Richard Epstein, Ph.D., M.P.H., will take on key roles with the CDC's Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network site at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. McPheeters will serve as director of epidemiology and Epstein as director of epidemiology for vulnerable populations.

MPH student Alicia Morgans, M.D., helps patients manage prostate cancer through new therapy options

Jan. 29, 2015—Vanderbilt MPH student Alicia Morgans, M.D., assistant professor of Medicine, is featured in a story about about new prostate cancer therapies available to patients.

Schaffner weighs in on how Tom Brady’s cold could affect the Super Bowl

Jan. 29, 2015—ABC News talks with Vanderbilt MPH Program faculty member William Schaffner, M.D., about how a cold might affect New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's performance at the Super Bowl this weekend.

The Wall Street Journal speaks with Schaffner about recent measles outbreak

Jan. 23, 2015—The Wall Street Journal interviewed Vanderbilt MPH faculty member William Schaffner, M.D., about the measles virus and what people can do to stay healthy.

Stevenson talks about the changing U.S. hospice industry

Jan. 21, 2015—David Stevenson, Ph.D., director of the Vanderbilt MPH Program's Health Policy track, discusses his recent research about the changing U.S. hospice industry.

Study from Ray finds use of methadone to treat pain carries increased risk of death

Jan. 21, 2015—Research from Vanderbilt MPH Program faculty member Wayne Ray, Ph.D., M.S., finds that outside the hospital, use of methadone to treat pain carries a 46 percent increased risk of death when compared to the equally effective but more costly alternative, morphine SR (sustained release). Ray worked with Vanderbilt MPH graduates Cecilia Chung, M.D., M.P.H., and William O. Cooper,...

Vanderbilt ranked among top 10 in NIH grant support

Jan. 15, 2015—According to annual figures available through the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (VUSM) continues to be ranked among the top 10 in the nation among U.S. medical schools in total grant support provided through the nation’s medical research agency.

MPH graduate on the front line of Ebola outbreak

Jan. 15, 2015—2014 Vanderbilt MPH Program graduate Rachel Idowu, M.D., M.P.H., spent five weeks in Monrovia, Liberia last summer assisting the Ebola outbreak response for the CDC’s Division of Global Health Protection.

Buntin briefs legislators and stakeholders on status of health care in Tennessee

Jan. 15, 2015—Melinda Buntin, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Health Policy and MPH faculty member, was one of the health care experts invited to brief state legislators and other stakeholders at the recent Nashville Community Health Forum. Click here to see Dr. Buntin's slides.

NPR interviews Schaffner about measles outbreak originating at Disneyland

Jan. 14, 2015—The Vanderbilt MPH Program's William Schaffner, M.D., speaks with Hear & Now about the outbreak of measles which originated at Disneyland in December 2014.

AAMC’s Public Health Pathways Database

Jan. 12, 2015—Public Health Pathways is a searchable database of domestic and international public and population health training opportunities in academic, government, and community settings for pre-med students, medical students, residents, and post-residents.

In New York Times, Schaffner comments on new antibiotic breakthrough

Jan. 9, 2015—On the front page of the New York Times, Vanderbilt MPH Program faculty member William Schaffner, M.D., is quoted in a story a new type of antibiotic that is less likely to lead to resistant strains.

Faculty and graduates’ flu surveillance study tracks pediatric vaccination rates

Jan. 8, 2015—Vanderbilt MPH Program faculty members and alumni Carlos Grijalva, M.D., M.P.H., Astride Jules, M.D., M.P.H., Yuwei Zhu, M.D., M.S., Keipp Talbot, M.D., M.P.H., William Schaffner, M.D., and Marie Griffin, M.D., M.P.H., worked with researchers at the Wake Forest University and the CDC on a study appearing in the January edition of Pediatrics on how Nashville children ages 6 months through 5 years fared...

Schaffner’s advice to readers of Women’s Health: respect the flu

Jan. 7, 2015—Vanderbilt MPH Program faculty member and infectious disease specialist William Schaffner, M.D., tells Women's Health, "Influenza is a virus that needs to be respected," and offers advice on how to stay healthy this winter.

In Wall Street Journal, Schaffner weighs in on this season’s flu outbreak

Jan. 6, 2015—MPH Program faculty member William Schaffner, M.D., speaks with the Wall Street Journal about the severity of this season's flu outbreak in the Nashville area and across the country.

NBC News interviews Schaffner about whooping cough outbreak

Dec. 29, 2014—On NBC News, the Vanderbilt MPH Program's William Schaffner, M.D., cautions about the potential for the whooping cough outbreak in California to spread to other states.

MPH faculty member talks to ABC News about listeria outbreak

Dec. 29, 2014—William Schaffner, M.D., speaks with ABC News about a recent listeria outbreak linked to pre-packaged caramel apples.

On NPR, Graves explains Tennessee’s new Medicaid expansion plan

Dec. 29, 2014—On NPR's "All Things Considered," Vanderbilt MPH Program faculty member John Graves, Ph.D., explains Tennessee's new Insure TN Medicaid expansion plan.

USA Today talks to Schaffner about the mumps and those most vulnerable

Dec. 16, 2014—Vanderbilt MPH Program faculty member William Schaffner, M.D., speaks with USA Today about the mumps vaccine and those most vulnerable to the virus.

MPH researchers team up to examine link between flu vaccine and kids’ hospitalizations

Dec. 10, 2014—Vanderbilt MPH graduates Astride Jules, M.D., M.P.H., Carlos G. Grijalva, M.D., M.P.H., H. Keipp Talbot, M.D., M.P.H., and Katherine A. Poehling, M.D., M.P.H., recently teamed up with MPH faculty members William Schaffner, M.D., and Marie R. Griffin, M.D., M.P.H., to investigate the correlation between influenza vaccination rates for children under 5 years old and a decline in children...

Schaffner discusses CDC’s warning about severe flu strain with NPR

Dec. 9, 2014—William Schaffner, M.D., speaks with NPR's Here are Now about H3N2 flu strains, and what measures to take this flu season.

Faculty research one of “biggest HIV/AIDS research breakthroughs of 2014”

Dec. 3, 2014—A recent study from MPH Program faculty member Carolyn Audet, Ph.D., M.P.H., on the role of traditional healers in contributing to delays in care for people living with HIV in rural Mozambique is listed as one of the "biggest HIV/AIDS research breakthroughs of 2014" by the Huffington Post.

Athletes in contact sports more likely to carry MRSA, according to MPH graduate

Nov. 21, 2014—Research from 2006 MPH graduate C. Buddy Creech, M.D., M.P.H., finds that contact sport athletes are more likely to carry methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus compared with non-contact sport athletes.

On ABC News, Schaffner offers advice for staying healthy when temperatures drop

Nov. 20, 2014—The Vanderbilt MPH Program's William Schaffner, M.D., clears up a common misconception about preventing colds and the flu in wintry weather on ABC News.

MPH graduate’s study finds national decline in one type of serious heart attack

Nov. 20, 2014—2011 Vanderbilt MPH graduate Wesley Self, M.D., M.P.H., is assistant professor of Emergency Medicine and senior author of a Vanderbilt University study released in the American Journal of Cardiology and presented at the national American Heart Association meeting in Chicago this week.

Mastectomies to treat early-stage breast cancers increasing in U.S., according to research from MPH student

Nov. 20, 2014—Vanderbilt MPH student Kristy Kummerow, M.D., is the lead author of a study published in JAMA Surgery on the rising number of early stage breast cancer patients in the U.S. who choose to undergo mastectomy, including removal of both breasts, instead of choosing breast conservation surgery even when they have early stage disease that is confined...

MPH faculty member finds traditional healers contribute to HIV care delays

Nov. 11, 2014—A recent survey of symptomatic HIV-positive people in rural Mozambique, led by Carolyn Audet, Ph.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of Health Policy, found that individuals who initially consulted traditional healers had a 2.4 times longer delay between the onset of symptoms and diagnosis of HIV than those who did not consult healers. The study appears in the Journal of...

MPH graduate talks to NPR about revised advice for flu vaccine

Nov. 7, 2014—Vanderbilt MPH Program graduate H. Keipp Talbot, M.D., M.P.H., recently published a study on the efficacy of high-dose influenza vaccine in older adults. She spoke with NPR about differences in flu vaccines, and how some vaccines may be more appropriate for people at different ages.

Pneumonia vaccine reducing pediatric admissions

Nov. 6, 2014—Vanderbilt MPH Program director Marie Griffin, M.D., M.P.H., MPH faculty member Carlos Grijalva, M.D., M.P.H., and colleagues from Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) find that the 2010 introduction of a new pneumococcal vaccine for infants and young children in Tennessee coincides with a 27 percent decline in pneumonia hospital...

MPH’s Schaffner speaks with ABC News about ongoing health problems in Ebola survivors

Nov. 4, 2014—Vanderbilt MPH Program faculty members William Schaffner, M.D., speaks with ABC News about ongoing health problems for those who are cured of Ebola. (Photo: Michelle Nichols/Reuters)

In Fitness Magazine, MPH faculty member explains the risk of Ebola transmission at the gym

Oct. 31, 2014—Vanderbilt MPH faculty member William Schaffner, M.D., speaks with Fitness Magazine about the risk of Ebola transmission at the gym.

MPH graduate and mentor weighs in about mandatory Ebola quarantines

Oct. 28, 2014—Vanderbilt MPH Program graduate and Vanderbilt University Medical Center chief epidemiologist, Tom Talbot, M.D., M.P.H., is quoted in a story for Vox about mandatory quarantines for returning Ebola workers.

MPH’s Schaffner argues that quarantine could harm efforts to contain spread of Ebola

Oct. 27, 2014—In an article for Bloomberg News, Vanderbilt MPH Program faculty member William Schaffner, M.D., argues that a mandatory quarantine of Ebola health workers returning from West Africa could make the situation worse by discouraging doctors and other health care workers to volunteer and help contain the virus.