William Schaffner, MD, professor of Preventive Medicine, was quoted by reporters at, among other national and local outlets, CNN (flu cases peaking for the second time this season); Sinclair Broadcast Group (bird flu); ABC News (COVID is still a public health emergency); NBC News and Verywell Health (TB outbreak in Kansas); Prevention (TB prevention); The Conversation (avoiding norovirus); and WSMV Channel 4 News (whooping cough outbreak in Rutherford County.
Todd Rice, MD, professor of Medicine in the Division of Allergy, Pulmonary, and Critical Care and director of the Medical Intensive Care Unit was interviewed by WSMV Channel 4 News about the rise in flu cases in Tennessee.
H. Keipp Talbot, MD, MPH, professor of Medicine and Health Policy, was mentioned in a STAT story about new members on the federal Advisory Committee of Immunization Practices. Talbot is the chair and a longtime member of the committee.
Becker’s Hospital Review assistant editor Paige Twenter covered the news that VUMC is acquiring Tennova Healthcare-Clarksville’s cardiology practice from a subsidiary of Community Health Systems Inc. The acquisition, which was effective Feb. 1, is part of VUMC’s ongoing efforts to provide Vanderbilt-quality cardiovascular care closer to home.
Tania Ruiz, MD, assistant professor of Medicine, was quoted in a Yahoo Life story, “Five things that put your heart health at risk — and how to turn things around.”
Michael DeBaun, MD, MPH, professor of Pediatrics is quoted in stories in Health Day and Healio discussing a study showing no link between sickle cell disease and sudden death.
Sacramento Bee writer Graham Wommack published an interview with Scot Pollard, the former NBA player with the Sacramento Kings. Jonathan Menachem, MD, associate professor of Medicine and Pediatrics and associate director of Heart Transplantation, and Ashish Shah, MD, professor and chair of Cardiac Surgery, were quoted about Pollard’s heart transplant at Vanderbilt.
Gitanjali Srivastava, MD, medical director of Obesity Medicine, spoke to the Associated Press about a poll showing about half of Americans approve of using weight-loss drugs to treat obesity.
WKRN News 2 reporter Tori Gessner interviewed Aaron Brinen, MD for a story about a Tennessee bill that would require school districts to offer temporary virtual learning for students if they want after surviving a school shooting and the psychological effects of returning to school after witnessing such an event.
