Department of Pediatrics

May 17, 2023

Poll shows more than 1 in 4 Tennessee parents worried their kids have undiagnosed depression, anxiety

The latest analysis of the 2023 Tennessee Child Health Poll, released during National Mental Health Awareness Month, has found that roughly 29% of Tennessee parents are concerned their child has undiagnosed anxiety or depression.

By Jake Lowary
May 4, 2023

Pediatric Oral Immunotherapy Clinic launched

Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt has launched a new pediatric Oral Immunotherapy Clinic, which offers a special therapy to peanut-allergic children to reduce risk of a harmful immune response in the event of accidental exposure to peanuts.

By Christina Echegaray
May 1, 2023

Study highlights risks for self-harm events in children and adolescents

A Vanderbilt study has identified four separate profiles to help medical professionals better assess children at elevated risk for a self-harm event.

By Jessica Pasley
April 26, 2023

Heerman named chief of General Pediatrics

Bill Heerman, MD, MPH, associate professor of Pediatrics, has been named chief of the Division of General Pediatrics, effective May 1.

By Christina Echegaray
April 25, 2023

“You’re Not Alone” workplace violence prevention series: ways to protect yourself

By VUMC News and Communications
A clinical trial supports approval of a new medication to treat moderate-to-severe asthma in children.
April 24, 2023

Study finds early RSV infection linked to significantly increased risk of asthma in children

A Vanderbilt study has found that RSV infection in the first year of life is associated with a significantly increased risk of asthma in children.

By Nancy Humphrey
April 13, 2023

Low-professionalism residents later draw higher patient complaints: study

A Vanderbilt study finds a strong association between lower ratings for interpersonal communication skills among medical residents in their last year of training and greater likelihood of unsolicited patient complaints among doctors during their first year of employment after training.
By Paul Govern
April 13, 2023

Children’s mystery symptoms may be alpha-gal syndrome

A Vanderbilt study found that some children with mystery digestive symptoms may actually have undiagnosed alpha-gal syndrome, commonly known as the red meat allergy linked to tick bites.
By Nancy Humphrey
April 12, 2023

Poll finds most most Tennessee parents agree on evidence-based safe firearm storage

A new Vanderbilt poll finds that most Tennessee parents who own firearms agree with ways to safely store their firearms that have been shown through peer-reviewed research to reduce the risk of unintended harm to children.
By Jake Lowary
April 6, 2023

Research Staff Awards honor contributions to discovery

By Bill Snyder
April 4, 2023

Study shows ketamine could be beneficial for treating brain injury in children

Vanderbilt research shows a common anesthesia drug could be beneficial in reducing pressure inside the skull of children with traumatic brain injuries.
By Craig Boerner
March 30, 2023

Infant sleep safety education vital to reduce deaths

According to Tennessee’s 2022 Child Fatality Annual Report, over the past five years, white infants accounted for most of the sleep-related infant deaths in Tennessee, but Black infants were three times more likely to suffer a sleep-related fatality.
By Jessica Pasley
March 30, 2023

Family’s gift will support pediatric cancer research

Lily Hensiek's family has made a new $1 million commitment to endow the Lily’s Garden Discovery Researcher Fund in the Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology in the Department of Pediatrics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
By Nancy Humphrey