News
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,...
McKernan discusses mental health and negative impacts of excessive news exposure
Nov. 1, 2022—A constant influx of bad news — pandemic, shootings, inflation, natural disasters, political turmoil — can feel, at best, soul-crushing. Now, a new study from Spain confirms the negative toll constantly being plugged into the news cycle can take. The researchers looked at how people were best able to manage feelings of anxiety and depression...
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...
Clayton to co-lead ethics core for NIH Bridge to Artificial Intelligence Program
Oct. 11, 2022—Faculty members at Vanderbilt University Medical Center will have a central role in a National Institutes of Health (NIH) program called Bridge to Artificial Intelligence, or Bridge2AI. The four-year, $104 million program is designed to accelerate use of machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) in biomedical and behavioral research. VUMC researchers will lead and comprise...
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...
Belcher investigates racial disparities in pediatric thyroid cancer diagnoses
Sep. 26, 2022—A team of investigators at Vanderbilt University Medical Center has identified health disparities in diagnosis of pediatric thyroid cancer, with young Black and Hispanic patients presenting with larger tumors and an increased likelihood of having distant disease. The findings, presented at the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology (ASPO) 2022 Annual Meeting, highlight the need to...
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...
Taking two supplements in pregnancy could lower a baby’s odds for Croup, says Antoon
Sep. 7, 2022—Many new parents have been jarred awake in the dead of night when they hear their baby let out that telltale barky cough that signals a bout of croup. Until now, nothing was thought to stave off the disease in babies who are prone to it, but a new study has discovered that when women took...
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.,...
Schaffner debunks use of ivermectin and fluvoxamine as possible Covid-19 drug treatment alternatives
Aug. 24, 2022—Two drugs touted as potential COVID-19 treatments, ivermectin and fluvoxamine, don’t do a thing to improve patients’ oxygen levels and keep them out of the hospital or the morgue, a new clinical trial has shown. Neither of the two repurposed drugs proved effective against COVID among overweight or obese patients who received them within seven...
Neurologic complications are relatively common in children hospitalized for Covid-19, says Antoon
Aug. 22, 2022—Although severe Covid-19 requiring hospitalization is generally rarer in children than in adults, a new study has shown that in children who are hospitalized with the virus, a significant number experience complications affecting the brain. “We determined that neurologic complications are relatively common, occurring in about 8% of children hospitalized with Covid-19,” said James Antoon,...