News
Meat associated with increased risk of SSPs finds Shrubsole
Mar. 26, 2020—Research professor of medicine Martha Shrubsole, Ph.D., and colleagues at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have published the first study to evaluate intakes of meat, cooking methods and meat mutagens and risk of developing sessile serrated polyps (SSPs, also called sessile serrated lesions). Shrubsole previously reported that consuming high levels of red meat increased the risk of developing all types of...
Diamond: A First in Youth Sports Safety Ratings
Mar. 26, 2020—Around the country, sports medicine specialists are responding to increased concerns about injury risk in youth sports with heightened focus on proven protocols that enforce safety while encouraging play. In a major step, Tennessee’s general assembly plans to vote on codifying Safe Stars, the first safety rating system in the country for youth sports leagues. Developed by Alex Diamond,...
Schaffner comments on possible blood test for coronavirus immunity
Mar. 26, 2020—As the United States works overtime to screen thousands for the novel coronavirus, a new blood test offers the chance to find out who may have immunity – a potential game changer in the battle to contain infections and get the economy back on track. Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of infectious diseases at the...
CNN discusses the US coronavirus lockdown with Edwards
Mar. 26, 2020—CNN interviewed Kathryn Edwards, Sarah H. Sell and Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor in Pediatrics, regarding efforts and recommendations for treating the coronavirus.
On NBC News, Schaffner analyzes challenges NYC faces due to coronavirus
Mar. 25, 2020—With New York in a race against the “bullet train” of the coronavirus sweeping across it, public health experts warned of the challenges ahead to prevent the state from becoming the next Italy. Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious diseases specialist at Vanderbilt University, said there were certainly concerns that New York could become the next Italy, where the...
CNN talks to Schaffner about the coronavirus test shortage
Mar. 23, 2020—If you want to get a test for the novel coronavirus, you’re in good company. Across the United States, physicians are sending the same message: Not everyone who wants a test will get a test. “If we had all the resources in the world and could wave a magic wand, we would be happy to test...
Edwards comments on a coronavirus vaccine
Mar. 23, 2020—President Donald Trump has pledged to “slash red tape like nobody has even done it before” to accelerate the development of a coronavirus vaccine. But his push could backfire if the government moves too fast, according to public health officials and scientists with decades of experience in the field. In some cases, a vaccine that...
New Vanderbilt University Public Health Advisory Task Force includes MPH Leadership
Mar. 23, 2020—Interim Chancellor and Provost Susan R. Wente has established a new Public Health Advisory Task Force to serve as a resource for the university during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Public Health Advisory Task Force members include: Melinda Buntin, Mike Curb Professor of Health Policy and chair of the Department of Health Policy Marie R. Griffin, professor of health policy, professor...
Coronavirus vaccine development is on an accelerated timeline says Neuzil
Mar. 23, 2020—This week has been a tough one for Americans, as the U.S. started to grapple with the full brunt of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. There was one bright spot, however. On Monday, researchers in Seattle injected the very first patients with a possible COVID-19 vaccine. At the Kaiser Permanente Washington Research Institute in Seattle, the first...
Schaffner comments as coronavirus overshadows a deadly flu season
Mar. 23, 2020—The Global Furor over the emerging coronavirus pandemic has masked one of the worst influenza seasons on record, government data show, particularly among children and young adults. With flu season still winding down, at least 144 children younger than 18 have died, a toll topped only by the 2009 H1N1 pandemic since health authorities began tracking flu data in 2004....
Schaffner discusses new disease surveillance technology with the NYT
Mar. 20, 2020—A company that uses internet-connected thermometers to predict the spread of the flu says it is tracking the coronavirus in real time — something that had been impossible, given the lack of testing for the disease. Kinsa Health has sold or given away more than a million smart thermometers to households in which two million people reside,...
Neuzil discusses the severity of the coronavirus in the US with CNBC
Mar. 20, 2020—The new coronavirus could kill millions across the United States, said Dr. Kathleen Neuzil, director of the Center for Vaccine Development at the University of Maryland’s School of Medicine. “It would not surprise me,” she told CNBC on Thursday when asked whether the U.S. could see millions of deaths. “We need to prepare for the worst.”...
NBC News turns to Creech to understand pediatric coronavirus cases
Mar. 19, 2020—The majority of children infected with the coronavirus experience mild to moderate symptoms, although a small percentage have severe complications, according to a study published Monday. The study is important because it makes clear that children are indeed catching the coronavirus, disproving one possibility that experts had considered about why young patients did not seem...
Schaffner: Hand washing is still the best defense against COVID-19
Mar. 18, 2020—Airlines have bumped up their sanitation efforts to stem the virus’ spread, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has posted guidance on aircraft cleaning. While disinfecting is helpful, frequent hand washing is among a traveler’s best defenses, infectious disease experts say. “Even if there is virus in the inanimate environment, it’s not going...
Role of children in transmission of COVID-19 is still unknown says Edwards
Mar. 18, 2020—While some things about the new coronavirus are known — such as the risk it poses to older adults — other things remain a mystery, including whether children who have the virus but aren’t showing symptoms are helping to fuel the spread. Some pediatric experts are urging parents to keep even seemingly healthy kids away...