News
Hartert comments on NIH COVID-10 Study
May. 6, 2020—The six-month study backed by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, seeks to understand how many children have had COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, and what share of infected children show symptoms. Early research indicates that in the U.S., just a fraction of COVID-19 patients are children,...
The Washington Post gets an COVID-19 vaccine update from Edwards
May. 6, 2020—With at least 115 vaccine projects at companies and research labs, the science is hurtling forward so fast and bending so many rules about how the process usually works that even veteran vaccine developers do not know what to expect. “We really have never made those kinds of vaccines in large, large quantities. How quickly can that...
Wilson discusses the mental health crisis among medical providers
May. 6, 2020—Little formal research has been done to quantify the psychological outcomes of Covid-19 among healthcare providers. Last month, in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), a study reported on a cohort of nearly 1300 healthcare workers involved in the management of patients in 34 hospitals across China. 71% of respondents reported general psychological distress, and half endorsed...
Hatch leads unplanned extubations in preterm infants study
May. 6, 2020—Unplanned extubations (UEs) in adult and pediatric populations have long been associated with poor clinical outcomes and increased costs to health care systems. A very common adverse event in intensive care unit settings, the long-term outcomes of (UEs) in critically ill, preterm infants have never been studied until now. In a retrospective matched cohort study,...
Schaffner: Remdesivir is a first step for a Covid-19 treatment
May. 2, 2020—Dr. William Schaffner, Professor of Medicine and Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, tells Lawrence O’Donnell that “the journey is still long” to finding a cure for Covid-19, but remdesivir is the first drug showing promising results for treating the virus.
NBC News discusses pediatric COVID-19 cases with Creech
May. 1, 2020—Ultimately, COVID-19 remains uncommon in children; just 2 percent of kids tested for the coronavirus in the U.S. are positive. By far, most COVID-19 cases — especially the most severe cases — have been among adults. Pediatric infectious disease specialists stress complications from the coronavirus are rare in children, a trend that’s been observed in...
Neuzil: Testing Possible Therapy to Prevent COVID-19
Apr. 30, 2020—Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) have begun testing the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine as a therapy to prevent infection and symptoms in individuals who have been exposed to COVID-19-positive individuals. The trial is significant because it focuses on preventing COVID-19 and does not involve individuals who are ill with infection but rather healthy individuals who...
COVID-19 particles could linger in small spaces says Schaffner
Apr. 30, 2020—Scientists agree that the virus, which has infected nearly 2 million people worldwide, is primarily transmitted through droplets — particles larger than 5 micrometers — when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or speaks. William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University, told Business Insider that coronavirus particles could also potentially...
MPH alumna oversees TN COVID-19 contact tracing efforts
Apr. 27, 2020—The extensive process of contact tracing has become a seven-day-a-week mission for Tennessee Department of Health epidemiologists like Mugdha Golwalkar and Kailey Lewis, who are overseeing statewide efforts to build a network, outrunning the virus through communication and information. “Both of us are involved in the outbreak world,” said Lewis, a 32-year-old native of Milwaukee, “but the scale...
NYT talks to Schaffner about COVID-19 and the year ahead
Apr. 21, 2020—The coronavirus is spreading from America’s biggest cities to its suburbs, and has begun encroaching on the nation’s rural regions. The virus is believed to have infected millions of citizens and has killed more than 34,000. “My optimistic side says the virus will ease off in the summer and a vaccine will arrive like the cavalry,”...
Schaffner discusses reopening the economy with The Washington Post
Apr. 21, 2020—How — and when — we can resume our comfortable past routines is rife with uncertainty because public health officials still have no idea how many people in the country are infected with the novel coronavirus, including those who may be asymptomatic and unknowingly spreading the virus to others. “We will have to reopen, but not...
Griffin to receive VUSM Excellence in Teaching Award
Apr. 20, 2020—Vanderbilt University School of Medicine has announced the 2020 faculty awards for Excellence in Teaching, Outstanding Contributions to Research and Extraordinary Performance of Clinical Service. Recipient of the ELAINE SANDERS-BUSH AWARD for Mentoring Graduate and/or Medical Students in the Research Setting: Marie Griffin, MD, MPH, professor of Health Policy and Medicine and holder of the...
Shyr awarded $9 million to study extracellular RNA in colorectal cancer
Apr. 17, 2020—A multidisciplinary team of investigators at Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center has received a program project grant from the National Cancer Institute to explore extracellular RNA in colorectal cancer. The five-year, $9 million award will support multiple projects that aim to define fundamental biological principles about extracellular RNA signaling and the development and...
Self-care crucial for providers during pandemic says McKernan
Apr. 17, 2020—High levels of stress and anxiety can be debilitating, especially for health care providers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. But there are ways they can protect themselves and their ability to provide the best and most compassionate care. That was the message delivered by Vanderbilt University Medical Center mental health professionals during...
Cooper led study named as JAMA Surgery’s top paper
Apr. 16, 2020—The world’s No.1 ranked surgery journal, JAMA Surgery, has announced that a June 2019 study led by researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center was the journal’s top paper of the year as measured by Altmetric Attention Score. The study, “Association of Coworker Reports About Unprofessional Behavior by Surgeons with Surgical Complications in Their Patients,” was also the second-most viewed...