News
In the Tennessean, MPH’s Graves provides analysis of draft legislation for American Health Care Act
Mar. 8, 2017—House GOP legislation aimed at revamping the Affordable Care Act would pave the way to an overhaul of Tennessee’s Medicaid system and shrink the credits meant to offset health insurance costs for many Volunteer State residents. John Graves, assistant professor of health policy, is quoted throughout the article.
MPH’s Schaffner: Avian flu unlikely to spread among people despite positive tests in TN chickens
Mar. 7, 2017—An outbreak of avian flu in Tennessee has health officials on alert as the virus has surged across parts of Asia in recent months.The Tennessee Department of Agriculture confirmed yesterday that approximately 74,000 chickens from a commercial farm in Lincoln County were culled after some of the animals tested positive for a strain of the...
NPR: MPH’s Schaffner discusses rise in nationwide flu cases
Mar. 2, 2017—Flu cases are up nationwide. Dr. William Schaffner, professor of preventative medicine in the department of health policy at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, was a guest on the March 1 show of On Point to discuss the steep increase in flu cases this year.
Flu-related doctor visits cut by 48 percent, MPH’s Schaffner comments
Feb. 20, 2017—The current seasonal influenza vaccine has been found to be 48 percent effective in preventing flu-related medical visits, according to a preliminary report in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. "We know that influenza vaccine is a good but not perfect vaccine," said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious...
MPH’s Cooper: Patient complaints helps identify surgeons with higher rates of bad surgical outcomes
Feb. 17, 2017—Recording and analyzing patient and family reports about rude and disrespectful behavior can identify surgeons with higher rates of surgical site infections and other avoidable adverse outcomes, according to a study led by Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) investigators in collaboration with six other major academic health systems. The study, published online Feb. 15 in...
MPH alumni works to uncovers cellular responses to bird flu vaccine
Feb. 17, 2017—Vanderbilt MPH Program alumna Leigh Howard, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of Pediatrics and alumnus Buddy Creech, M.D. collaborated with other members of the team to study a vaccine for bird flu subtype H5N1, which is far more lethal in humans than seasonal flu. Reported in the journal PLOS One, the study exposes cellular responses associated...
MPH’s Buntin weighs in on Chattanooga’s latest health ranking
Feb. 16, 2017—Chattanooga ranked 132nd, behind Nashville and Knoxville in Tennessee, although well ahead of Memphis, which ranked third from the bottom — a dishonor awarded to Detroit.As with any such survey, the results depended on the criteria used for the ranking. The "health care" category, for example, was based on the cost of a medical or...
As Mumps hit a 10-year-high, MMR’s lifelong protection may be false says MPH’s Schaffner
Feb. 13, 2017—Mumps is on the rise in some parts of the U.S., and some public health professionals are wondering whether the current vaccine may be not quite up to the task. Our long-held assumption that the MMR's protection is lifelong may not be entirely true. After 10 to 15 years, effectiveness against the mumps may diminish,...
MPH alumnus receives grant to bolster Trauma program’s research initiatives
Feb. 9, 2017—The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) awarded Mayur Patel, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of Surgery, Neurosurgery and Hearing and Speech Sciences, a $3 million, five-year grant to advance his study on cognitive impairment after trauma and critical illness (Grant No. R01 GM120484). Patel’s INSIGHT-ICU Study: Illuminating Neuropsychological...
MPH’s Buntin: Social risk factors influence outcomes, Medicare payment
Feb. 9, 2017—Social risk factors including income, education and ethnic background influence health outcomes and should be taken into account in Medicare payment models, according to a New England Journal of Medicine “Perspective” published today titled “Social Risk Factors and Equity in Medicare Payment.” Co-authored by Melinda Buntin, Ph.D., chair of Health Policy in the Vanderbilt University...
MPH student David Isaacs leads effort to better serve patients with Tourette syndrome
Feb. 9, 2017—Heather Riordan, M.D., and David Isaacs, M.D., are working to establish a multidisciplinary medical home at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) for children and adults with Tourette syndrome.
MPH alumna Robinson: New 2017 Immunization Schedule for Children and Adolescents
Feb. 9, 2017—In October 2016, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) approved the Recommended Immunization Schedule for Children and Adolescents Aged 18 Years or Younger—United States, 2017. Changes in the 2017 immunization schedules for children and adolescents aged 18 years or younger include new or revised ACIP recommendations for influenza; human papillomavirus; hepatitis B; Haemophilus influenzae...
MPH graduate Patel serves as a VUMC site investigator for US DOD award
Feb. 9, 2017—MPH graduate Mayur Patel is one of the VUMC site investigators for the US DOD award to create a nationwide network of trauma systems and centers capable of conducting detailed research to improve military care. In its initial project, the LITES Network is expected to provide epidemiological data on moderate and severe injuries in the...
MPH’s Grijalva selected as 2017 Chancellor Faculty Fellow
Feb. 6, 2017—Twelve outstanding faculty members from across the university have been named to the 2017 class of Chancellor Faculty Fellows. The class comprises highly accomplished, recently tenured faculty from the social sciences, life and physical sciences, clinical sciences and humanities, as well as law, mathematics and engineering. The 2017 Chancellor Faculty Fellows are as follows: Julia...
NEJM: MPH’s Graves’ finds smaller insurers earning profits in new market
Feb. 2, 2017—“Success and Failure in the Insurance Exchanges,” a New England Journal of Medicine “Perspectives” article released this week, examines whether the financial struggles of some major insurers under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) reflect a policy failure that should be addressed via repeal or reform, or a mismatch of these firms’ capabilities and strategies to...