Author: Paul Govern
When rankings are unfounded
Jun. 8, 2020—There are many good reasons to survey anesthesiology patient satisfaction but ranking individual clinicians isn’t one of them, the authors of a new study conclude.
Darby lands award for research on complex human behaviors
May. 27, 2020—For outstanding contributions to research in behavioral neurology, Ryan Darby, MD, assistant professor of Neurology, has won the 2020 Norman Geschwind Prize in Behavioral Neurology from the American Academy of Neurology (AAN).
Target trials support drug safety in pregnant patients
May. 27, 2020—Out of concern for fetal safety, pregnant people have typically been excluded from drug trials. And when human health is on the line, drug studies assessing fetal safety in animal models may be viewed as far from definitive.
Team to develop patient data sharing framework for pandemics
May. 21, 2020—Any large-scale effort to use data from COVID-19 patients to serve biomedical or public health research must first concern itself with patient privacy issues.
Yin receives early investigator MERIT Award from NCI
May. 14, 2020—Zhijun Yin, PhD, assistant professor of Biomedical Informatics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has received the National Cancer Institute’s Method to Extend Research in Time Award (or MERIT Award) for Early Stage Investigators.
New study examines Alzheimer’s disease images and molecular biomarkers
May. 7, 2020—Alzheimer’s disease (AD) involves distinctive wasting away of certain brain regions, such that medical imaging of these regions can distinguish the disease from other subtypes of dementia.
Team to test app for improving HIV care for new mothers in South Africa
May. 7, 2020—As South Africans with HIV move around the country, there is a risk they will disengage from the health care system or otherwise become lost to follow-up care.
New rule outlines when to challenge a penicillin allergy
May. 6, 2020—According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fewer than 1% of the population is truly allergic to penicillin. The rest were never allergic to begin with or have outgrown their allergy — an estimated 80% of people with penicillin allergy lose their sensitivity to the drug within 10 years.
VUMC builds a service line around care of COVID-19 patients
May. 4, 2020—Care of COVID-19 patients has led to swift establishment of a COVID service line at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, complete with the institutional infrastructure, planning and multi-disciplinary coordination implied by the service line designation.
VUMC adopts new N95 sterilization method
Apr. 30, 2020—Vanderbilt University Medical Center is switching to hydrogen peroxide vapor for sterilization of the white bulbous N95 facemask-respirators used by health care workers to protect against COVID-19.
Fewer accidents, social distancing spur drop in trauma volumes
Apr. 23, 2020—Compared to last April, through April 19 the adult trauma service at Vanderbilt University Medical Center is on track to admit 65% fewer patients from roadway accidents, including motor vehicle accidents, motorcycle accidents and pedestrians struck by autos.
VUMC team creates COVID-19 research registry
Apr. 23, 2020—Out of the electronic health records (EHRs) of patients seen at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, a team in the Department of Biomedical Informatics is creating a COVID-19 patient registry as a platform for research.
