News
Schaffner joins U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy on NPR to discuss the impact of the Zika virus and prospects for a vaccine
Sep. 1, 2016—William Schaffner, M.D., professor of Preventive Medicine, appeared on the national NPR broadcast "On Point." Host John Harwood interviewed Schaffner and other guests about the impact of the Zika virus, the prospects for a vaccine.
Gonzales receives first Chancellor’s Award for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Aug. 30, 2016—Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos presented seven faculty research awards, including two new awards for efforts that advance understanding of diversity, at the Fall Faculty Assembly on Aug. 25. The newly established Chancellor’s Research Awards for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion went to Gilbert Gonzalez, assistant professor of health policy, for his research documenting that LGBT couples...
Schaffner makes the case for quality measures for vaccines
Aug. 25, 2016—William Schaffner, professor of preventive medicine and health policy, and Michael Hodin, CEO of the Global Coalition on Aging, write that the United States has made incredible strides on childhood vaccinations over the past century—immunization rates for most vaccine-preventable diseases among children are well over 90 percent—but we’re far behind when it comes to adults.
Tennessee Medicaid expansion discussed by lawmakers and MPH’s Buntin
Aug. 18, 2016—A group of lawmakers and health care officials working on a health care expansion plan gathered in Nashville once again on Wednesday, this time to further delve into the details of a proposal that will need approval from the federal and state government.During a meeting at Vanderbilt University, four lawmakers serving on the 3-Star Healthy Task Force met with TennCare chief Dr....
MPH’s Diamond: Late afternoon, early evening best time of day to break Olympic records
Aug. 11, 2016—Multiple studies have found that circadian rhythm—a kind of biological clock that governs mood, appetite and sleepiness—can affect athletic performance. As a result, at certain points of the day, athletes will biologically be at their peak for competition. Alex Diamond, assistant professor of orthopedic surgery and rehabilitation at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said there is...
Schaffner: NIH clinical trial of Zika vaccine could prevent future outbreaks globally
Aug. 9, 2016—As health officials work to contain the country's first Zika outbreak, centered in a Miami neighborhood, scientists at the National Institutes of Health announced the launch Wednesday of a clinical trial of an experimental Zika vaccine. Even if the Zika vaccine isn't ready in time to prevent many infections in Brazil, the country hardest hit by the virus,...
MPH’s Schaffner optimistic about Zika Vaccine as First Local Outbreak Hits Florida
Aug. 3, 2016—Researchers are one step closer to creating an approved Zika vaccine, with the first round of safety trials already underway. Drug companies have shown success in preclinical trials, in which they have induced immunity in mice and monkeys, indicating a greater likelihood that the vaccine could prevent infection in humans. “In the last couple decades...
MPH graduate Vasilevskis receives Faculty Fellowship to Advance Medical Education
Jul. 28, 2016—Vanderbilt MPH Program graduate Ed Vasilevskis, M.D., M.P.H.,assistant professor of Medicine, is a recipient of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine's inaugural Faculty Fellowship to Advance Medical Education (FAME). He will work with Tyson Heller, M.D., assistant professor of Clinical Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine and Public Health, to develop a rotation focusing on bedside procedures for medical students, residents...
As part of NIH-StoryCorps partnership, Raffanti discusses his work with HIV/AIDS patients
Jul. 28, 2016—A new collaboration between StoryCorps, the NIH, and Vanderbilt is a first-of-its-kind partnership for an academic medical center, recognizing persons who enable health care work while capturing and preserving the stories of those connected with the extensive and diverse NIH community. Stephen Raffanti, M.D., M.P.H., professor of Medicine, and Beverly Byram, M.D.N., A.D.N., assistant in...
MPH grad Creech one of six selected to share his story for NIH-StoryCorps collaboration
Jul. 28, 2016—A new collaboration between StoryCorps, the NIH and Vanderbilt is a first-of-its-kind partnership for an academic medical center, recognizing persons who enable health care work while capturing and preserving the stories of those connected with the extensive and diverse NIH community. Buddy Creech, M.D.,M.P.H., associate professor of Pediatrics, and patient Cole Christopher. Cole was born...
Schaffner: New Zika modeling provides evidence about who is most at risk
Jul. 26, 2016—Just weeks before the Olympics are slated to start in the nation at the center of the Zika virus outbreak, researchers have found new evidence about who is likely to contract the disease. Of the hundreds of thousands of visitors expected to visit Brazil for the Olympics, researchers found that just three to 37 attendees...
MPH’s Hartert to lead Project 1 Team to study RSV’s role in asthma formation
Jul. 22, 2016—Investigators in the Division of Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine recently received a $4.5 million Asthma and Allergic Diseases Cooperative Research Center (AADCRC) grant from the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). The award will be used for research at Vanderbilt and Emory University to investigate how respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is...
MPH’s Young featured in Next Nashville Storytellers Series
Jul. 21, 2016—The next Nashville Storytellers event, “Through hell and back," will focus on our storytellers’ personal anecdotes about addiction and recovery. This live storytelling night, to be held Aug. 15 at Blair School of Music, will blend the authentic discipline of storytelling with the truthful, community-building power at the heart of great journalism. Our featured storytellers will include: Trina Frierson,...
Washington Post: MPH’s Schaffner agrees prisons around the world are reservoirs of infectious disease
Jul. 21, 2016—Prisoners around the world and people who were formerly incarcerated have a higher burden of HIV and other infectious diseases than the general population, worsening the spread of diseases inside and outside of prison, according to new research. William Schaffner, professor of preventive medicine and health policy, who was not involved in the study, is...
MPH’s Buntin: Uninsured Tennesseans struggle after state doesn’t expand Medicaid coverage
Jul. 13, 2016—Kentucky and Tennessee are similar in many ways: geography, demographics, income. But in 2013, the governor of Kentucky embraced the Affordable Care Act, expanding Medicaid coverage to tens of thousands of low-income families. Tennessee did not. As one of many results, uninsured Tennesseans have a particularly hard time getting treatment for mental health and substance...