Type of psychotherapy matters in treatment of irritable bowel syndrome
Dec. 12, 2016—Worldwide, roughly one adult in 10 suffers from a painful and sometimes debilitating condition called irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS. Previous studies have found that, on average, psychotherapy is just as effective as medications in reducing the severity of symptoms of this gastrointestinal disorder and the type of psychotherapy did not seem to matter. Now,...
Vanderbilt earns top rankings, including a No. 1, for successful minority recruitment in master’s and Ph.D. programs
Dec. 12, 2016—Diverse: Issues In Higher Education has ranked Vanderbilt University No. 1 in the United States for the number of doctoral degrees awarded to African Americans in the biological and biomedical sciences for 2014-15. Vanderbilt also earned top 10 rankings for graduate-level degrees in the physical sciences, education and nursing. For several years, the magazine has...
Blood-brain barrier on a chip sheds new light on “silent killer”
Dec. 6, 2016—Illustration shows how the cells that make up the blood-brain barrier surround the blood vessels that run through the brain. This is the living structure that the new microfluidic device developed at Vanderbilt has succeeded in mimicking. (Ben Brahim Mohammed/Creative Commons License) The blood-brain barrier is a network of specialized cells that surrounds the arteries...
VUSM Establishes New Giving Societies
Dec. 5, 2016—
Basic Science Research Advisory Committee formed
Dec. 1, 2016—Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (VUSM) has formed a new Basic Science Research Advisory Committee. The committee, which is inclusive across all VUSM departments, will hold quarterly meetings that will serve as a forum for generating ideas and opportunities. The committee’s first meeting will take place on Dec. 9. The committee’s formation is in response...
Nine Vanderbilt faculty members elected AAAS fellows
Nov. 25, 2016—Nine Vanderbilt University faculty members have been elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science this year. They are among 391 fellows from around the country selected by their peers “because of their efforts toward advancing science applications that are deemed scientifically or socially distinguished.” “It is a tremendous honor for our faculty to...
School of Medicine’s newest teaching award honors Nanney
Nov. 17, 2016—Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (VUSM) recently established the Academy for Excellence in Education Lillian B. Nanney Award for Outstanding Service to the VUSM/Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) Community of Educators. Lillian Nanney, Ph.D., right, with Bonnie Miller, M.D., and Neil Osheroff, Ph.D. (photo by Anne Rayner) The announcement, which was a surprise to Nanney,...
VUSM’s MPH Program celebrates 20th anniversary
Nov. 10, 2016—The Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Master of Public Health (MPH) Program marked its 20th anniversary during Reunion Weekend in October. The program started in 1996 with nine students and was spearheaded by three faculty members in the Department of Preventive Medicine — Marie Griffin, M.D., MPH, Wayne Ray, Ph.D., and William Schaffner, M.D. “We...
First graders needed for longitudinal reading study
Nov. 4, 2016—The Education and Brain Sciences Research Lab in the Department of Special Education at Peabody College is seeking participants for a longitudinal study investigating children’s reading progress from second through fifth grades. Participants should be 6 to 8 years old and in first grade, with or without learning disabilities, who have learned English as their...
Bioluminescent sensor causes brain cells to glow in the dark
Oct. 27, 2016—Individual neuron glowing with bioluminescent light produced by a new genetically engineered sensor. (Johnson Lab / Vanderbilt University) A new kind of bioluminescent sensor causes individual brain cells to imitate fireflies and glow in the dark. The probe, which was developed by a team of Vanderbilt scientists, is a genetically modified form of luciferase, the...