News

Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s participation in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccine effectiveness research continues to grow, with the Medical Center playing critical roles in several networks focused on surveillance of vaccine-preventable respiratory diseases. Here’s a list of networks and projects, in reverse chronological order based on the… Read More

Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers are inviting non-health care essential workers to participate in a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-funded study to better understand how they continue to be impacted by COVID-19 and to guide efforts to keep them and their families safe as new variants emerge. Read More

The Tennessee Emerging Infections Program (EIP) was recently recognized with the Toby Merlin Award for Excellence in Emergency Response, presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. The award was given for the EIP team’s collaboration with partners across… Read More

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently appointed Velma McBride Murry to the National Advisory Mental Health Council. The council advises the current U.S. secretary of health and human services and the director of the National Institute for Mental Health. McBride Murry, University Distinguished Professor of Human and… Read More

COVID-19 hospitalizations are again increasing this winter, and researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center are redoubling their efforts to aid the recovery of patients hospitalized with severe disease from the viral infection. VUMC’s Sean Collins, MD, MSc, Wesley Self, MD, MPH, and Matt Shotwell, PhD, oversee the nationwide ACTIV-4 Host Tissue clinical trial platform, which… Read More

A tool developed at Vanderbilt University Medical Center to address disrespectful workplace behaviors through trained peer-to-peer messaging can be successfully implemented in the nursing workforce with the appropriate support, according to a new study published in the January 2023 issue of The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety. The… Read More

Surgeons introduce a nomogram to more accurately quantify risk of positive circumferential resection margins. Nomograms are commonly used in oncology for risk assessment and to predict a patient’s surgical outcomes and survival. However, colorectal cancer surgeons have lacked such a tool. Instead, they have relied on… Read More

Vanderbilt University Medical Center recently became the nation’s second health care organization to receive The Joint Commission’s (TJC) Gold Seal of Approval for Parkinson’s Disease Certification. A nonprofit organization better known for accrediting hospitals and other health care organizations, TJC, based in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, also offers more than 100… Read More

by Kelsey Pinckard Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a genetic disorder affecting boys and characterized by progressive muscle loss and weakness.   This muscle deterioration eventually involves the heart, culminating in cardiac-related death. While some DMD patients survive into their 40s, others have accelerated… Read More

Women with inherited mutations in breast cancer genes have lifetime varying breast cancer risks, ranging from high (e.g., 40% or more for BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2) to moderate (e.g., 20% or higher for ATM, CHEK2) risk genes.  Per national practice guidelines, risk-reducing bilateral mastectomy is a consideration for patients with inherited… Read More