News
Graves looks at health insurance for the unemployed during COVID-19
Oct. 22, 2020—COBRA allows workers to continue with the same insurance plan they had through their employer, generally for up to 18 months. “It’s expensive, and particularly expensive for someone losing a job,” said John Graves, an associate professor of health policy at Vanderbilt University. That’s because employers would no longer subsidize the cost. Unemployed workers would...
Neuzil uses science to achieve health equity in her work with vaccines
Oct. 20, 2020—For some women, their dual roles as pioneers and underdogs have shaped how they view their work. “What drives me? Using science to achieve health equity!” said Dr. Kathleen Neuzil in an email. Neuzil is one of the world’s top vaccine researchers and the director of the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Center for...
For seniors on Medicare, new offerings may be appealing says Keohane
Oct. 20, 2020—Medicare provides health care to those 65 and older, and covers more than 60 million Americans. Medicare open enrollment began Thursday. This year, open enrollment looks different, and so do the options seniors have to choose from. There are federally funded helpers who assist beneficiaries. But this year with the pandemic, in-person assistance is either limited...
Aerosol spread of COVID-19 is uncommon says Schaffner
Oct. 20, 2020—Dr. Bill Schaffner, an epidemiologist at Vanderbilt University, maintained that aerosol spread of the coronavirus is “rather uncommon” and the potential risk reduction from wide use of air filters is somewhat limited. “If we thought airborne transmission were notable, then there would be a much larger call to critically evaluate air handling systems, all the...
Mask-wearers are not more likely to contract COVID-19 says Self
Oct. 20, 2020—It’s been over six months since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that Americans wear face masks in public spaces to combat the spread of COVID-19. But some internet users continue to question the effectiveness of covering their faces. There is nothing in the report to back the claim that masks collect virus particles or make patients more likely...
Opioid crisis also affects HAV and HBV rates says Foster
Oct. 16, 2020—For the last 15 years, hepatitis A virus (HAV) had been associated mostly with international travel to countries where the virus is endemic, and with contaminated food, but current U.S. outbreaks of HAV are now primarily spread by person-to-person contact. “We’re seeing really large person-to-person outbreaks of hepatitis A among persons who report drug use...
Martin Elected to CUGH Education Committee
Oct. 15, 2020—The Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH) Subcommittee on Masters and Undergraduate Degrees in Global Health (SMUDGH) has elected Marie Martin, Ph.D., M.Ed., assistant professor of Health Policy and associate director for Education and Training for VIGH to serve a 2-year term on the committee, which focuses on helping universities develop high-quality programs in global health...
Schaffner comments on new COVID-19 vaccine trial concerns
Oct. 15, 2020—Johnson & Johnson said on Tuesday it would take a few days at least to hear from a safety monitoring panel about its review of the company’s late-stage COVID-19 vaccine trial after announcing that the large study had been paused due to an unexplained illness in one participant. AstraZeneca and medical experts say trial suspensions...
Vanderbilt Health looks at why health policy matters
Oct. 12, 2020—Nestled in the heart of Nashville – a hub of U.S. healthcare operations – is a seven-year-old department taking on a grueling task: making people, and in particular lawmakers, care about health policy and health policy’s implications. In 2020, the need for this work startlingly clear as the U.S. grapples with the impact of COVID-19....
Rural communities see trend in COVID-19 infections among older population Graves says
Oct. 12, 2020—Researchers at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine say the demographics for COVID-19 infections are trending from younger people to people in their 50s or older. Elaborating on a heat map released Tuesday, Dr. John Graves, associate professor at Vanderbilt, said data suggests the older population are now spreading the coronavirus. Data for the majority of the...
Schaffner cautions against large crowds during COVID-19 pandemic
Oct. 10, 2020—“I would certainly be very cautious and suggest that people err on the side of caution rather than on the side of boldness,” said William Schaffner, a professor of infectious diseases at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. “I would certainly not recommend that anyone who has recently recovered, even 11 days after having a...
Treating appendicitis with antibiotics instead of surgery may be good option says Self
Oct. 8, 2020—Antibiotics instead of surgery may be a good choice for some, but not all, patients with appendicitis, according to results from a study reported today in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study compared immediate surgery for appendicitis against an alternative approach that used antibiotics initially to treat it, then only moved to surgery if...
Dusetzina comments on the logistics of producing drug cards quickly
Oct. 8, 2020—Career civil servants have raised questions about the Trump administration project’s goals and the drug-discount plan’s structure, concerns that have been echoed by outside experts. “There are a lot of things that seem problematic,” said Stacie Dusetzina, a Vanderbilt professor who’s studied Medicare’s drug program and reviewed the draft proposal obtained by POLITICO. “It’s an...
Schaffner discusses COVID-19 contact tracing in the White House
Oct. 6, 2020—President Trump and first lady Melania Trump announced on social media early Friday morning they had tested positive for COVID-19. Dr. William Schaffner stresses that anyone in recent contact with the president and first lady must quarantine. “I am sure there is now a very large contact tracing network going on of all those people...
Rolling Stone talks to Neuzil about COVID-19 vaccine race
Oct. 6, 2020—Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine put their lives on hold to create a Covid-19 vaccine — and with the weight of the world on their shoulders, there’s no end in sight. Following medical school, doctors complete a notoriously stressful one-year internship. It involves working long hours, dealing with intense pressure, and spending...