Paul Govern

December 10, 2020

HIV patients stay away after Nigerian clinic introduces fees

Six years ago, in Nigeria, funding cutbacks for HIV treatment and the consequent introduction of patient fees were associated with sharp declines in new HIV clinic enrollments and patient adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART).

By Paul Govern
December 3, 2020

Team tracks sources of false positives in urine drug screens

False positives on urine drug screens are common and are frequently due to cross-reactivity of these tests to medications. Last year, Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers Jacob Hughey, PhD, assistant professor of Biomedical Informatics, and Jennifer Colby, PhD, at that time assistant professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, devised, tested and published a method to systematically identify medications that interfere with screenings for drugs of abuse.

By Paul Govern
November 17, 2020

Kevin Johnson and Reed Omary want to put a podcast in your ear

Faculty members’ podcasts focus on biomedical informatics and future design of health care

By Paul Govern
November 4, 2020

Study tracks physician use of electronic health records

According to a new large-scale descriptive study in the journal Pediatrics, for each outpatient encounter, pediatricians on average spend 16 minutes using the electronic health record (EHR).

By Paul Govern
Janet Shouse and Beth Malow, MD, MS, are among a team of Vanderbilt Kennedy Center researchers seeking to improve access to care for adults with autism. (photo by Steve Green)
October 29, 2020

Telementoring project aims to improve access for adults with autism

A team at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt Kennedy Center is launching a program to improve access to primary care for adults with autism.

By Paul Govern
October 29, 2020

New tool rapidly identifies health records for studies

Electronic health records (EHR) are increasingly a resource for biomedical discovery, and automated searches for records that reflect a phenotype of interest, typically a disease, are a common starting point.

By Paul Govern
October 8, 2020

Program helps researchers deal with personal challenges

An innovative program to support Vanderbilt University Medical Center faculty facing substantial caregiving challenges in their personal lives, the Partnership in Actively Retaining Talented Early-career Researchers, or Doris Duke PARTNERS, will receive a $528,000, three-year grant renewal from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.
By Paul Govern
October 1, 2020

Genes spell penicillin allergy risk

Studies using large DNA biobanks revealed genetic variants associated with penicillin allergy, the most common type of drug-induced allergic reaction.
By Paul Govern
October 1, 2020

VUMC forms center focused on Alzheimer’s and related dementias

Leaders at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have announced that the Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer’s Center (VMAC), currently housed in the Department of Neurology, will become a freestanding institutional center.
By Paul Govern
September 24, 2020

Questions, answers on flu season and COVID

Infectious diseases specialist Thomas Talbot, MD, MPH, chief hospital epidemiologist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, answers questions about the rapidly approaching U.S. flu season and how it might play into the COVID-19 pandemic.
By Paul Govern
September 21, 2020

Throwing weight around on the internet

What users mention in online weight loss forum tracks with how much weight they lose.
By Paul Govern
September 18, 2020

After a tornado tore through Thomas Akins’s home in an overnight storm, he was only worried about one thing: getting to work to serve patients and families.

“He is truly the most positive person and a real example of the Credo.”
By Paul Govern