News
MPH’s Schaffner: Measles outbreak accelerates
Apr. 17, 2019—Measles is surging throughout the world. The World Health Organization is reporting that cases have nearly quadrupled in the first few months of this year. And U.S. public health officials say 555 cases have been confirmed nationwide.
MPH’s Dusetzina: Medicare spending increase
Apr. 15, 2019—The cost for 22 drugs shot up more than 500 percent per dose from 2013 through 2017, according to a Bloomberg Government analysis of Medicare Part D data released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. “Those very high prices on individual drugs can be barriers to any beneficiary using them at all,” said...
Acute Hepatitis A Virus Infection and HIV Connection
Apr. 12, 2019—Complete immunization against hepatitis A requires 2 doses of a monovalent vaccine or 3 doses of a combined hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccine; approximately 90% of vaccinated persons achieve protective antibody levels after a single dose of either product (1). However, persons living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection might not develop the same...
MPH’s Schaffner discusses multistate E. coli outbreak
Apr. 11, 2019—Finding the source of a multistate outbreak of E. coli will be a challenge for health investigators, a Vanderbilt University Medical Center physician said. So far, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports 96 confirmed cases of E. coli O103 in five states in the outbreak, including 26 in Tennessee. The bulk of those — 21, including...
MPH’s Heimburger: American Society of Nutrition Fellow
Apr. 11, 2019—The American Society for Nutrition (ASN) recently selected VIGH Core Faculty Member, Doug Heimburger, M.D., M.S., to be a member of the ASN Class of 2019 Fellows. Being inducted as a fellow of the ASN is the highest honor of the society, Dr. Heimburger has been an active member of the ASN for many years, and he...
MPH’s Schaffner comments on NYC Measles outbreak
Apr. 10, 2019—A growing measles outbreak in New York City has led officials to declare a public health emergency in parts of the city. There have been nearly 300 confirmed measles cases in the city since the outbreak began last October, mainly in Orthodox Jewish communities in parts of Brooklyn, according to the New York City Department...
MPH’s Dusetzina: Transparency in drug pricing
Apr. 10, 2019—The Trump administration is expected to finalize a new rule soon that would require drug makers to include list prices in their TV ads for prescription drugs. The idea is that such transparency will lead to more competition and ultimately to lower cost for consumers. Stacie Dusetzina, professor of health policy at Vanderbilt University, doubts that...
MPH’s Schaffner: Fungal infection and the emerging global threat
Apr. 10, 2019—Candida auris is getting a lot of buzz lately after reports surfaced that the dangerous fungal infection is cropping up around the world—including in the U.S. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has named it a “global emerging threat,” given that it can cause serious infections and even death. “The average person calls...
Buntin talks to Politico about health care costs
Apr. 5, 2019—Lawmakers are looking at how to start chipping away at high drug prices, or fix “surprise” medical bills that hit insured people who end up with an out-of-network doctor even when they’re at an in-network hospital. Neither effort is insignificant, and both are bipartisan. While those steps would help lower Americans’ medical bills, health economists...
Panel explores tobacco-control legislation efforts
Apr. 4, 2019—Tobacco control legislative initiatives in Tennessee and other states were discussed during the spring Research into Policy and Practice Lecture sponsored by the Department of Health Policy at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and NashvilleHealth. Speakers included State Sen. Shane Reeves, who recently sponsored a Senate bill to raise the smoking age to 21 in Tennessee;...
Student explores health equity in Nashville with Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance
Apr. 3, 2019—When asked about her goals in the medical field, Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance (MVA) intern Tamee E. Livermont couldn’t help but chuckle. “Gosh, I have a lot of them,” she said. Indeed, when she lists those goals, they become a broad and lengthy checklist of topical action items. If they could be grouped under a single umbrella,...
MPH student awarded 2019 Native American Congressional Internship
Apr. 1, 2019—The Udall Foundation and Native Nations Institute are pleased to announce that 12 students from 10 Tribes and 10 universities have been selected as 2019 Native American Congressional Interns. They were selected by an independent review committee on the basis of academic achievement and a demonstrated commitment to careers in Tribal public policy. The Udall...
Tennesseans support stricter tobacco rules
Mar. 28, 2019—Tennesseans appear to back stricter regulations on smoking, according to a poll released Tuesday by anti-smoking advocates. The statewide survey asked whether residents support raising the tobacco age and banning smoking in public places. And a sizeable and bipartisan majority said yes. Even a majority of smokers told pollsters that they wouldn’t mind if smoking were...
MPH’s Guillamondegui discusses appendicitis treatment
Mar. 28, 2019—Appendicitis is the inflammation of the appendix, a finger-shaped organ that projects from the colon to the lower right side of the abdomen. The painful condition is common, with about 300,000 cases every year in the US. “The major risk of not having surgery from appendicitis is that it would continue to inflame and then rupture...
MPH’s Schaffner comments on NY Measles outbreak
Mar. 27, 2019—A county just north of New York City declared a state of emergency Tuesday and banned children not vaccinated against measles from public spaces, officials said. The declaration was the most aggressive step taken by New York health officials since the outbreak began in Oct. 2018. “What they’ve done is re-created the old concept of...