Author
Alex Chern
Sep. 22, 2017—Fourth-year student at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine; recipient of the 1982 School of Medicine Class Scholarship Graduated from Yale University with a B.S. in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry Successfully recovered and continuing his studies after being hit by a car at a crosswalk near campus in April 2016 “I received great support from VUSM...
VUSM joins initiative to transform medical education
Sep. 21, 2017—Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (VUSM) has been chosen to be a part of the newly formed Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Institute for the Transformation of Medical Education (Kern Institute), a national initiative to transform medical education across the continuum from pre-medical school to physician practice. The National Transformation Network, a collaborative of...
Research Round-up
Sep. 21, 2017—Studies find tonsillectomies offer only modest benefits Removing tonsils modestly reduced throat infections in the short term in children with moderate obstructive sleep-disordered breathing or recurrent throat infections, according to a systematic review conducted by the Vanderbilt Evidence-based Practice Center for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Four papers derived from the larger...
How six cups of ground coffee can improve nose, throat surgery
Sep. 21, 2017—Imagine plopping six cups of coffee grounds on the heads of patients just before they are wheeled into the operating room to have nose or throat surgery. In essence, that is what a team of Vanderbilt University engineers are proposing in an effort to improve the reliability of the sophisticated “GPS” system that surgeons use...
Charles represents VUMC at White House Rural Telehealth gathering
Mar. 6, 2017—David Charles, M.D., chief medical officer of the Vanderbilt Neuroscience Institute, vice-chair of the Department of Neurology and medical director of Telemedicine, represented Vanderbilt University Medical Center at a White House Convening on Rural Telehealth in March 2016. Charles was invited to lead off a panel entitled Spotlight on Innovation by presenting an overview of...
Positive Outlook
Mar. 6, 2017—When Rachel Fox was 15 years old, the petite, blonde high school sophomore spent most of her time babysitting in her suburban Nashville neighborhood and practicing the piano. For about a year, she noticed she was increasingly hungry and thirsty, frequently urinating and losing weight. She battled fatigue as she plodded along with her school...
Faces and Places
Mar. 6, 2017—
Letter From Ann Price, M.D.
Mar. 6, 2017—Dear Vanderbilt University Medical Alumni, Vanderbilt Medical Alumni Reunion 2016 Many thanks to all of you who attended our Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (VUSM) Reunion 2016. With over 1,000 attendees, this was one of our largest VUSM Reunion events. I hope you enjoyed your time back on Vanderbilt’s campus. A special thanks to...
Losses
Mar. 6, 2017—Lawrence Abrahams, M.D., ‘61, died March 3, 2015. He was 80. Dr. Abrahams is survived by his wife, Hanna; siblings, nieces and nephews. Joseph Allen Jr., M.D., HS ‘56, died Sept. 16, 2016. He was 91. Dr. Allen was preceded in death by his wife, Bettye, and is survived by children, Joe and Kirby; and...
Alumni News
Mar. 6, 2017—1960s Jere Segrest, M.D., ‘66, Ph.D., ‘69, HS ‘70, BA ‘62, FAC ‘16, has joined the VUSM faculty as a professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine. Arthur M. Freeman III, M.D., ‘67, has been recognized as a Leading Physician of the World and Top Adult Psychiatrist in Birmingham, Alabama, by The International...
This is Not a Drill
Mar. 2, 2017—At 2:20 a.m. on June 12, 2016, Michael Cheatham, M.D., asleep at home in Orlando, Florida, was awakened by a phone call. A colleague said, “There’s been a mass casualty shooting event, and we need you here.” Cheatham, VUSM ‘89, board-certified in general surgery, surgical critical care and neurocritical care, was not on call that...
A History of Giving
Mar. 2, 2017—Diabetes care at Vanderbilt entered a new era with the opening of the Vanderbilt Eskind Diabetes Clinic in 2005. The clinic offers comprehensive outpatient care for both adults and children with diabetes, including subspecialty visits, nutrition, social work, and allied health services all under one roof. The clinic is named for the late Irwin B....
Kevin Johnson, M.D., MS
Mar. 1, 2017—Senior Vice President for Health Information Technology, Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair in Biomedical Informatics and professor of Pediatrics Co-sponsor of EpicLeap, a project to replace the majority of Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s clinical, administrative and billing software Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland “I embrace my inherently creative and curious nature nearly every day. As Einstein said, ‘It...
Eskind family makes $6 million gift to keep library on leading edge of health education innovation
Mar. 1, 2017—A visionary $6 million gift to Vanderbilt University from the Eskind family will ensure that the Annette and Irwin Eskind Biomedical Library, the institution’s hub of medical information services and resources since 1994, will continue to support the next generation of scientists, physicians, students and patients. The $12.9 million renovation will provide infrastructure for the...
Q+A: Wonder Drake, M.D.
Mar. 1, 2017—Physician-scientist Wonder Drake, M.D., ‘94, associate professor of Medicine and Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, has focused her research on understanding the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis, a chronic inflammatory disease that strikes multiple organ systems in the body. She is the newly named director of the Sarcoidosis Center of Excellence. What about sarcoidosis attracted your attention as...
Research Round-up
Mar. 1, 2017—Reducing antidepressants’ side effects Medicines used to treat depression, called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), can increase bleeding risk and bleeding time and disrupt platelet aggregation in the gastrointestinal tract. SSRIs prevent cells from taking up the neurotransmitter serotonin that has been released from cells by blocking the serotonin transporter (SERT). It is unclear how...
Investigational new drug for Alzheimer’s scheduled for first study in humans
Mar. 1, 2017—Vanderbilt University scientists have received notification from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that testing in humans may proceed for an investigational new drug for Alzheimer’s disease after more than 10 years of research by scientists at Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. It is relatively uncharted territory for an academic drug discovery...
The Rise of Medical School Debt
Aug. 25, 2016—[infographic-summer-2016]
Global Ambition
Aug. 23, 2016— Growing up in the small rural village of Yetebon, Ethiopia, Kidane Amare Sarko could step just outside his thatched-roof, mud and wood hut and see his future. He could see his father, who could neither read nor write, work in the field as a farmer. As the eldest boy in a family of seven...
Doctor of Big Data
Aug. 22, 2016— For several months in 2014, Josh Denny, M.D., a 37-year-old father of three young children, and an internist with a busy practice, quietly worked on a project in his office on Nashville’s West End Avenue, that he could not discuss with his family, friends or co-workers. “I did tell my wife, but I’m not...
Eureka Moment
Aug. 22, 2016—A decade before the FDA’s 1997 initial approval of deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy, the technique was developed in Grenoble, France. Alim-Louis Benabid, M.D., Ph.D., and Pierre Pollak, M.D., utilized the effect of high-frequency stimulation on a patient’s tremor during an ablative brain surgery while using an electrode to identify the target area. The patient...
Transition Complete: Vanderbilt University Medical Center is Independent Entity
Aug. 18, 2016—After a nearly two-year, carefully orchestrated process, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) is now operating as a fully independent, nonprofit entity, following the completion of the legal transaction on April 30 that separated it legally and financially from Vanderbilt University. The transition positions VUMC for future growth and investment, while preserving its tightly woven connections...
Research Round-up
Aug. 18, 2016—Immune defenses in asthma Patients with asthma are at increased risk for invasive bacterial infections and bacterial pneumonia, but the mechanisms that impair their immune system defenses against pathogens are unknown. Melissa Bloodworth, R. Stokes Peebles, Jr., M.D., and colleagues explored whether STAT6—a transcription factor that is expressed at high levels in the T cells of people...
Varun K. Menon
Aug. 18, 2016—President of the first-year class and one of 91 first-year medical students who began their VUSM journey in July with a week of orientation activities and the traditional White Coat ceremony Born at Vanderbilt when his father, Satish Menon, D.O., HS ‘91- ‘94, was an anesthesiology resident Hometown: Martinsburg, West Virginia “My classmates and I...
Letter From Ann Price
Aug. 17, 2016—Dear Vanderbilt University Medical Alumni, Vanderbilt Medical Alumni Reunion 2016 Our next biennial VUSM Reunion, Oct. 20-22, is fast approaching. Reunion festivities will begin on Thursday afternoon, Oct. 20, with a golf outing at Vanderbilt’s Legends Club, followed by an evening welcome reception and awards program at the Country Music Hall of Fame and...
Losses
Aug. 17, 2016—Charles Cannon, M.D., HS ‘64, ‘74, died Feb. 17. He is survived by his wife, Ruth; children, Windsor, Julia and Grady; and six grandchildren. C. Whitney Caulkins Jr., M.D., HS ‘48, died Jan. 20. He was 93. Dr. Caulkins is preceded in death by his wife, Jennie, and is survived by his children, Dave and...
Alumni News
Aug. 17, 2016—1950s Richard Lester, M.D., ‘53, HS ‘54, BA ‘50, was awarded the Samuel Buford Word Award at the Alabama Medical Association meeting. The award is presented in recognition of service to humanity beyond the scope of medical practice, with such service having been rendered at some personal sacrifice. Paul Huchton, M.D., ‘58, HS ‘59, has...
The Zika Virus
Feb. 26, 2016—Zika is a virus transmitted by the Aedes mosquito, which also transmits dengue and chikungunya. A widespread epidemic of Zika virus infection was reported in 2015 in South and Central America and the Caribbean.
Alumni News
Feb. 23, 2016—1950s Gerald Stone, M.D., ‘57, HS ‘58, BA ‘54, and his wife, Lois, celebrated their 59th anniversary on June 10, 2015. They have 15 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Dr. Stone continues to do locum tenens in Rochester, New York, where he helped pioneer hemodialysis in 1963. 1960s Al Mushlin, M.D., ‘66, BA ‘63, received...
Letter From Ann Price
Feb. 23, 2016—Dear Vanderbilt University Medical Alumni, Vanderbilt Medical Alumni Reunion 2016 Our next biennial Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (VUSM) Reunion 2016 will be held Thursday-Saturday, Oct. 20-22, in conjunction with Vanderbilt University’s Reunion and Homecoming celebration. All VUSM medical alumni are cordially invited to attend. Of note, VUSM special anniversary classes (see chart below) will...
Community of Support: Bob McNeilly Jr.
Feb. 23, 2016—The time that Bob McNeilly Jr. spent as a student at Vanderbilt University was the foundation for a longstanding tradition of dedication to the University and Medical Center and their missions. And through the past six decades, these relationships have translated into valuable financial contributions and countless hours of volunteer service in support of the...
Alumni Profile: Kathleen R. Cho, M.D., ‘84
Feb. 23, 2016—Leading the charge against ovarian cancer Kathleen R. Cho, M.D., ‘84, has always had a love for the biological sciences, which birthed a passion for improving human health, especially for women facing the devastating diagnosis of gynecological cancer. Cho was recently elected to the National Academy of Medicine in recognition of her major contributions to...
Alumni Profile: Buddy Creech, M.D., MPH
Feb. 22, 2016—Career Shaped by Personal Experiences At a young age, Buddy Creech, M.D., MPH, observed firsthand the debilitating effects of disease. Unbeknownst to him, that experience would lead him down a career path and passion for helping others. “When I was about 7 years old, my mother was diagnosed with a form of lupus,” Creech said....
Allergic Reaction to Over-the-Counter Drug Nearly Costs Patient her Life
Feb. 22, 2016—Stevens-Johnson Syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis (SJS/TEN) is a rare, potentially fatal allergic reaction usually triggered by certain medications or infections, in which layers of skin slough off of the affected patients as a result of cell death and sores on the mucous membranes. The disease can cause eye damage, which can lead to blindness. In Donna Emley’s case, the...
CMA pledges $3 million to boost Children’s expansion
Feb. 22, 2016—The Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt is receiving significant phil-anthropic support through a $3 million gift from the Country Music Association (CMA). Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) leaders, event host Kix Brooks and special guest Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum announced in October 2015. “Country music is a format known for telling stories. Now...
A Day to Remember
Feb. 22, 2016—On Sept. 2, 2015, Vanderbilt leaders joined with the community and patients and families for an expansion celebration.
Against All Odds
Feb. 22, 2016—Dawn James of Knoxville, Tennessee, was 16 weeks pregnant when a 3-D ultrasound determined that her unborn baby had severe spina bifida that left almost his entire spinal cord exposed. The baby was given zero chance of survival. “We spoke with 10 specialists during my pregnancy, trying to see if we could find somebody who...
Siri ‘butt dial’ to 911 brings rescuers to trapped victim
Feb. 22, 2016—A Vanderbilt patient who survived a car falling on him has brought a whole new meaning to the term “butt dialing” and believes that prayer, along with a little help from Siri, saved his life. Sam Ray, 18, was never a fan of Siri, the hands-free virtual assistant on Apple iPhones, until he found himself...
Q+A: Jonathan Metzl, M.D., Ph.D.
Feb. 22, 2016—Jonathan Metzl, M.D., Ph.D., was recently named director of research of the Safe Tennessee Project, a non-partisan, volunteer-based organization devoted to reducing gun violence in the state. Metzl is the Frederick B. Rentschler II Professor of Sociology and director of the Center for Medicine, Health and Society. He also holds faculty appointments in psychiatry, history...
Growing to New Heights
Feb. 22, 2016—The cover of this issue of Vanderbilt Medicine features Eli James, a courageous 5-year-old being cared for by the Program for Children with Medically Complex Needs through Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. Eli was diagnosed in utero with rachischisis, the most severe form of spina bifida, and was given little chance of survival...
Quicknotes
Aug. 21, 2015—Antibiotics with anticancer potential The type II topoisomerases—enzymes that manage tangles and supercoils in DNA—exist in all organisms and are important drug targets. Widely prescribed anticancer agents including etoposide and doxorubicin target human type II topoisomerases, and quinolone antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin target bacterial topoisomerases. Clinically relevant quinolones have no activity against human type II topoisomerases, but a...
Our Strength in Personalized Medicine is Leading the Way
Aug. 21, 2015—Earlier this summer, Vanderbilt University Medical Center was honored to host the first National Institutes of Health (NIH) workshop for the federal Precision Medicine Initiative announced in January by President Obama. The two-day gathering, led by NIH director Dr. Francis Collins, was held so the nation’s leaders in the field could begin to develop and...
Study shows poor heart function could be major Alzheimer’s disease risk
Aug. 21, 2015—AVanderbilt study, published in Circulation, associates heart function with the development of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Participants with decreased heart function, measured by cardiac index, were two to three times more likely to develop significant memory loss over the follow-up period. “Heart function could prove to be a major risk factor for dementia and Alzheimer’s...
Laser technology offers new option to treat epilepsy
Aug. 21, 2015—Vanderbilt recently debuted a new minimally invasive surgical treatment for epilepsy, and for 25-year-old Cory Moquist, the procedure, which he underwent in February, is “opening a lot of doors.” The cutting-edge technique employs MRI-guided laser ablation to destroy the brain tissue causing seizures in place of surgical resection. “I’m excited that this could fix my epilepsy...
Q+A: Michelle Izmaylov
Aug. 21, 2015—Michelle Izmaylov is a third-year medical student from Atlanta, and a successful writer of fantasy-fiction books for young adults. Izmaylov, 24, has already published three novels and one novella and received several literary awards including the 2010 Blumenthal Award for Best Undergraduate Essay, among others. She holds the Hollis E. and Frances Settle Johnson Scholarship....
Sir Norman (Tyler) Melancon
Aug. 21, 2015—Sir Norman (Tyler) Melancon Second-year medical student; former linebacker for Dartmouth College Recipient of the Bess & Townsend McVeigh Scholarship Hometown: Parker, Texas
Preserving the brains—and dignity—of ICU Patients: A Decade of Published Work
Aug. 21, 2015—In 2004 the ICU Delirium and Cognitive Impairment Student Group published a paper in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) that provided the first documented cohort study to include daily measurements of delirium in the ICU. The study found the development of delirium presents the patients with a 300 percent increased likelihood of...
From Jocks to Docs
Aug. 21, 2015—On July 15, four Vanderbilt student-athletes arrived for orientation for the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine— former football players Patton Robinette, Alex Hysong and Steve Monk and men’s cross country standout John Ewing. Just 91 applicants were accepted for the VUSM Class of 2019, which was ranked as the 15th best by U.S. News and...
Son’s Disease Prompts Mom’s Scientific Quest
Aug. 21, 2015—At age 50, Terry Jo Bichell, a midwife and mother of five with no basic science training, set out to cure Angelman Syndrome. It wasn’t a mid-life crisis; a fit of reinvention as her four oldest daughters left the house. It was a pure desire to help her son Louie, 16, and the thousands of...
Letter From Ann Price
Aug. 21, 2015—Dear Vanderbilt University Medical Alumni, Congratulations, VUSM Class of 2015 The Vanderbilt Medical Alumni Association (VMAA) proudly welcomed the newest members of our medical alumni family, the VUSM Class of 2015, at a faculty appreciation/”almost alumni” luncheon on May 6. I know each of you joins me in celebrating their achievements as we begin to...