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Letter from Sarah Creekmore Woodall
Jan. 3, 2023— Dear Vanderbilt Medical Alumni: This year’s Reunion weekend — held in October — became a “double” Reunion when we combined the twice-postponed Reunion 2020 with our regularly scheduled Reunion 2022. This combined 2020/2022 VUSM Reunion weekend welcomed back 40 individual special anniversary Doctor of Medicine graduating classes to Nashville, offering us the opportunity to...
Machine learning in the cloud
Jan. 3, 2023—A new age of human data research has arrived, says computer scientist Paul Harris, PhD, professor of Biomedical Informatics and director of the Office of Research Informatics. “Just about every health center will by now have collected 10 to 20 years of EHR data, and we have figured out policies and procedures allowing sharing for...
Levels of supervision
Jan. 3, 2023—In supervised learning, an ML algorithm infers a function based on labeled examples. For example, given records labeled as normal birth and those labeled as preterm birth, the algorithm learns to predict premature births from routine longitudinal EHR data. A common version of semi-supervised learning involves an ML algorithm that has learned to assign labels...
Research Roundup
Jan. 3, 2023—Ginseng intake and mortality The herbal supplement ginseng has been used in Asian countries to promote longevity and health for more than 2,000 years, but the impact of ginseng consumption on mortality is still unclear. Wei Zheng, MD, PhD, MPH, and colleagues analyzed ginseng consumption and death in 56,138 female participants with nearly 15 years...
A Helping Hand
Jan. 3, 2023—Approximately 60 Vanderbilt orthopaedics volunteers provided surgical treatment to 15 patients at the sixth annual Vanderbilt Orthopaedics Outreach Day in August. This year’s outreach day was held at the Vanderbilt Surgery Center in Franklin, Tennessee. Founded in 2017, Vanderbilt Orthopaedics Outreach Day provides orthopaedic surgical treatment for uninsured and underinsured patients in the Middle Tennessee...
Antibiotic Resistance: The Global Threat
Jan. 3, 2023—Antibiotic resistance — when bacteria change and cause antibiotics to fail — is happening across the world. There is no system in place to track antibiotic resistance globally. According to the CDC, without urgent action, many modern medicines could become obsolete, turning even common infections into deadly threats.
Bruce Silverstein, MD’75
Jan. 3, 2023—Bruce Silverstein, MD’75 Postgraduate training in medicine and gastroenterology at the University of Utah and University of Washington. Full-time faculty professor at the University of Washington where he helps run the medical school curriculum. Started photography in college and medical school, often shooting for national magazines and NBC; assignments paid his medical school tuition. Ran...
Alumni Profile: A shoulder to lean on
Jan. 3, 2023—The romance of Samer Hasan, MD’94, PhD’94, and Mariana Belvedere, PhD, BA’91 began when she agreed to be a test subject for his dissertation research project. Talk about chemistry! “It was kind of a workplace romance that blossomed,” Hasan said. “I didn’t dare ask her out until after I had collected all the data and...
Alumni Profile: Focused on financial support for students
Jan. 3, 2023—When Traci Granston, MD, was contemplating where to attend medical school in 1991, she knew it made financial sense to attend her state university in Washington, but her heart belonged to Vanderbilt. So, she took out student loans and headed south to Nashville and became a member of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Class...
Giving in Action: A Shared Purpose…Then and Now
Jan. 3, 2023—When Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Class of 1997 alumni Matt and Carol Kikkawa Hook connected with Vanderbilt to discuss charitable support, they had no intention of serving as class chairs for their 25th Reunion. They simply focused on exploring how their giving could make a difference. As discussions continued, they learned that the 1997...
Giving in Action: Katie Cox Johnson Memorial Scholarship
Jan. 3, 2023—Compassionate, humble, hardworking, inspiring. Ask the members of the Class of 2007 how they remember Katie Cox Johnson, MD’07, and these are some of the many warm words you will hear. After Johnson died in 2019 at age 38 following a battle with multiple sclerosis and cervical cancer, her close friend, Jessica Sparks Lilley, MD’07,...
Class Notes
Jan. 3, 2023—1950s Gerald E. Stone, BA’54, MD’57, HS’58, celebrated 66 years of marriage on June 10 with wife, Lois. They have 15 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. One grandchild is a physician who earned his undergraduate degree at Vanderbilt in 2009, and another is a third-year medical student elsewhere. 1960s John Burr Bassel, BA’66, MD’69, HS’72,...
Losses
Jan. 3, 2023—Robert H. Alford, BA’58, MD’61, HS’67, died May 30. He was 86. Dr. Alford is survived by his wife, Marceleen; children Stephen, Andrew and Daniel; three grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. Edward E. Anderson, BA’58, MD’61, HS’63, died March 18. He was 85. Dr. Anderson is survived by his wife, Kay; children Laura, Sheryl, Christopher and...
Faces and Places
Jan. 3, 2023—
Research Roundup
May. 16, 2022—White matter and psychosis Thalamocortical white matter connectivity in the brain is disrupted during psychosis, which can contribute to cognitive impairment, but little is known about its association with cognition during adolescence. In a study characterizing the effects of age, sex, psychosis symptomology and cognition in thalamocortical networks in a large sample of 316 typically developing...
SEMSS honors MD/PhD student Zach Jones
May. 16, 2022— The Southeastern Medical Scientists Symposium (SEMSS) was held in January and honored Zach Jones, a third-year Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) student at Vanderbilt and one of the co-chairs for the event. Jones, 25, died unexpectedly in September 2021. Started eight years ago, the SEMSS is an American Physician Scientists Association (APSA) regional meeting...
Q + A: Rev. Cordell Simpson
May. 16, 2022—The Rev. Cordell Simpson was ordained a pastor in Alabama in 1982 and joined VUMC’s chaplaincy service in 2008 on a part-time basis before becoming full time in 2012. How much of your time is devoted to being a hospital chaplain? I work 40 hours per week, Monday through Friday, visiting patients and families, caring...
Evan Mercer, MD’22
May. 16, 2022—Grew up in Marietta, Georgia Diagnosed at age 4 with sensorineural hearing loss Attended Vanderbilt University as an undergraduate and served as Mr. Commodore on the VU spirit team Served as a Student Affiliate Adviser, working to foster a sense of support for each member of VUSM’s Chapman College “There’s a perception that doctors have...
Giving in Action: Creating Opportunities for Future Leaders in Medicine
May. 16, 2022—John Cobb, MD’78, remembers vividly what it was like working summer jobs as a student to help pay for his tuition and living expenses. The summer before his senior year at Emory University, he was a scrub tech at Children’s Egleston Hospital in Atlanta, an experience that solidified his desire to pursue medicine as a...
Losses
May. 16, 2022—Fred H. Allen Jr., MD, HS’61,’62, died Feb. 3. He was 87. Dr. Allen is survived by his wife, Gretchen; children Fred, Will and Lucy; and four grandchildren. Stacey M. Anderson, MD’92 BS’88, died Sept. 26, 2021. She was 55. Dr. Anderson is survived by her husband, Henry; and children Rachel, Henry, Max and Thomas....
Faces and Places
May. 16, 2022—
Internal medicine residency handbook expands reach
May. 16, 2022— Residency training is an important time in the education of postgraduate medical students, when future doctors are able to step into the role of physician for the first time. The transition from medical student to resident brings unique challenges, which are often best understood by other residents. These challenges are something Michael Neuss, MD,...
Class Notes
May. 16, 2022—1950s Robert Sanders, MD’55, HS’56 &’58, BA’52, who died in 2006, was one of five to be inducted into the Tennessee Health Care Hall of Fame at Belmont University on Oct. 19, 2021. 1960s Richard B. Johnston Jr., MD’61, HS’63, BA’57, was the honoree at the IX International Symposium, Advances in Neonatal Medicine, Wurzburg,...
Letter from Sarah Creekmore Woodall
May. 16, 2022— Dear Vanderbilt Medical Alumni: Ever guided by our VMAA mission, we are thinking about the future, specifically tied to the priorities stated in our mission: To involve as many medical alumni as possible in the life of Vanderbilt and to foster mutually beneficial relationships between Vanderbilt and its medical alumni through: Serving as a...
Indebted
May. 13, 2022—Vanderbilt University School of Medicine launched the Dean’s Scholarship Challenge in January 2022 with the goal of adding $10 million to available scholarship support for medical school students. The yearlong matching gift effort aims to expand scholarship support through a combination of donor gifts and a University match for students in the MD program, Medical...
Research Roundup
Oct. 18, 2021—Dexmedetomidine and delirium In new findings that are exclusively with regard to cardiac surgery patients, intraoperative dexmedetomidine — that is, the drug administered during heart surgery — is associated with 85% greater risk of postoperative delirium and 29% greater risk of postoperative intubation and reintubation. Meanwhile, dexmedetomidine administered to cardiac surgery patients postoperatively in the...
Dixie Place renamed in honor of Vanderbilt surgical pioneer Vivien Thomas
Oct. 18, 2021— Through a Vanderbilt University School of Medicine student-led effort, Dixie Place, the city street that runs between the Medical Center’s Central Garage and the Oxford House building on 21st Avenue South, has been renamed Vivien Thomas Way. The process to change the name of Dixie Place was borne of discussions that second-year medical students...
Ann Price, MD, steps down from VMAA post
Oct. 18, 2021—Ann Price, MD’78, who has served as associate dean of Vanderbilt Medical Alumni Affairs (VMAA) since 2008, stepped down from the position, effective July 1. Price, who served as executive director of VMAA from 2003-2008 before being named associate dean, has moved to part-time status in a physician liaison role with the VMAA and continues...
The Vanderbilt University Medical School class of 2025
Oct. 18, 2021—
Amy Fleming, MD, MScHPE
Oct. 18, 2021—Associate dean for Medical Student Affairs since 2014 and professor of Pediatrics and professor of Medical Education and Administration U.S. Air Force veteran, following in the footsteps of her father, uncle and grandfathers. Attended the University of Virginia for undergraduate education and medical school and the Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions for her...
Losses
Oct. 18, 2021—Alice Louise H. Altstatt, MA’52, MD’56, died Jan. 10. She was 94. Dr. Alstatt is survived by her children Leslie, Alice, Carol, Julia, Hamilton and Robin, and four grandchildren. Schales L. Atkinson, MD, HS’68, died May 4. He was 83. Dr. Atkinson is survived by his daughters Sarah and Mary Beth, and four grandchildren. Eric...
Alumni Profile: Kim Vinson, MD’03
Oct. 18, 2021— From medical student to mentor You can find Kim Vinson, MD, seeing patients at the Vanderbilt Voice Center or developing new diversity initiatives in her office in Light Hall. But Vinson’s path to becoming an otolaryngology specialist and associate dean for Diversity Affairs began more than 20 years ago, when she first joined the...
Letter from Sarah Creekmore Woodall
Oct. 18, 2021—Dear Vanderbilt Medical Alumni: Greetings from Nashville to all of our Vanderbilt medical alumni! On July 1, I took over the leadership of the Vanderbilt Medical Alumni Affairs, following in the footsteps of Dr. Ann Price. We are fortunate that she will be staying on as a physician liaison, and I am grateful for her...
Giving in Action: Luu Chen Scholarship
Oct. 18, 2021—Whether they are practicing health care, starting a new venture or making philanthropic decisions, Alexandria Luu, MPH’20, and Cherry Chen, MD, pictured at left, are driven by values. “Giving others opportunity and supporting what is important to us is really at the heart of it all,” said Luu. In February 2021, the couple endowed the...
Faces and Places
Oct. 14, 2021—
Class Notes
Oct. 14, 2021—1950s Paul J. Huchton Jr., MD’58, HS’59, started a free clinic in his hometown of El Paso, Texas, five years ago. The clinic sees about 20 patients per day and is funded by two annual gala affairs. Huchton is also teaching a class on China at the University of Texas, El Paso, and is a...
Giving in Action: Patricia and Rodes Hart Chair in Urologic Surgery
Oct. 14, 2021—Rodes Hart, BA’54, and Patricia Ingram Hart, BA’57, whose generous gifts continue to advance the mission of Vanderbilt as one of the world’s great universities for learning and discovery, have endowed a second chair in Urologic Surgery. Melissa Kaufman, MD, PhD, professor of Urology and chief of the Division of Reconstructive Urology and Pelvic Health,...
No time to waste
Oct. 13, 2021—In April 2020, weeks after the first reported COVID-19 case in Tennessee, health economists and epidemiologists from the VUMC Departments of Health Policy and Pediatrics and others were working with state health officials on a complex predictive model to chart the trajectory of infections and the resources needed to stop its spread. “Doing this so...
Closing the gap
Oct. 13, 2021—One of the cruelest but most constructive lessons of the pandemic was how it exposed the yawning gap between the haves and have-nots. Very early on it became evident that those who did not speak English well or had limited access to the internet, telemedicine or even routine health care were likely to be hit...
Faces and Places
Oct. 5, 2020—
Losses
Oct. 5, 2020—John F. Cooper, FE’88, died March 4. He was 61. Dr. Cooper is survived by his wife, Carol Challas; children Rebecca Tharp, Daniel Gimm, Rachel Heyne, Tom Gimm, Daniel Cooper, Jack Gimm, and Benjamin Cooper. A. Willard Emch, MD, HO ‘63, HS ‘67, died June 26. He was 83 year. Dr. Emch is survived by...
Giving in Action: Alum credits achievements and success to Vanderbilt
Oct. 5, 2020—John B. Neeld, BA’62, MD’66, has a loyalty to Vanderbilt that runs deep. “Everything I’ve achieved — my successful career in medicine and medical politics —I owe to Vanderbilt. It all came from this place.” Neeld was able to attend Vanderbilt as an undergraduate because of a National Merit Scholarship. His father was a clerk...
Class Notes
Oct. 5, 2020—1970s Ralph E. Wesley, MD’72, HS’73, was honored by the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery with the annual Ralph E. Wesley, MD Leadership Lecture. In 1979, Wesley was the founding director of the Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery division at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Iverson Bell Jr., MD ‘77, was recently appointed chair of...
Letter from Ann Price, MD
Oct. 5, 2020—Dear Vanderbilt Medical Alumni, This spring has been a very interesting and difficult time for many people, and I hope that each of you and your families have stayed safe throughout this pandemic. As some of you may have heard, Vanderbilt has decided to postpone Reunion 2020’s date, due to the pandemic. Reunion will now...
Giving in Action: Unexpected connections
Oct. 5, 2020—When Rachana Haliyur, PhD’18, MD’20, graduated from Vanderbilt in May, it represented the culmination of a nearly lifelong path toward becoming a physician-scientist. As a child, Haliyur’s parents — who were engineers — put a strong emphasis on asking questions and thinking critically. They also provided early exposure to science and technology. By the time...
Opioid prescriptions after childbirth linked to increased risk of overdose, persistent use
Oct. 5, 2020— Women who are prescribed opioids after childbirth have an increased risk of persistent opioid use or other serious opioid-related events, including overdose, in their first year postpartum, according to a study by Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers. This is true regardless of whether the woman had a vaginal delivery or a cesarean section. The...
Research Round-up
Oct. 5, 2020—Probing DNA damage repair Cells missing the protein HMCES are hypersensitive to DNA-damaging agents that cause a common type of DNA lesion — an “abasic” site. But the agents also generate other types of lesions associated with mutations and cell lethality, making it unclear whether HMCES responds to abasic sites in cells. David Cortez, PhD,...
The Other Side of the Bed
Oct. 5, 2020—A month before his 49th birthday, Geoffrey Fleming, MD, had a biopsy of his liver to diagnose an unidentified metastatic disease that he already knew was “something bad.” The next day, he jetted off to Scotland for a family golf trip, deferring the results of his procedure until his return. On Aug. 26, 2019, he...
MIDP students get creative to decontaminate respirator masks
Oct. 5, 2020—Students from the Medical Innovators Development Program (MIDP) within the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (VUSM) devised a protocol that repurposed hospital blanket warmers to decontaminate N95 respirator masks — a process that could extend the current supply of the disposable masks by allowing them to be reused up to five times. The proposed protocol...