Author: Jill Clendening

Lecture reflects on the lives touched by Levi Watkins

Oct. 14, 2021—Levi Watkins Jr., MD, has an enduring legacy as a cardiovascular surgeon, mentor and advocate, and Vanderbilt's John Tarpley, MD, recently shared his reflections about the remarkable impact of his friend and colleague, both on the medical profession and on the lives of others.

Study shows link between neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome and foster care entry

Oct. 13, 2021—Vanderbilt research has revealed the close relationship between neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome and the number of infants entering foster care.

Margaret Taylor, DNP, CNM, received more than 30 patient survey responses and earned a perfect 100 score on those surveys during fiscal year 2021.

Patient Experience awards honor service excellence

Oct. 13, 2021—Vanderbilt University Medical Center is recognizing 485 clinicians and 132 clinical areas for receiving high marks from patients, earning Excellence in Patient Experience awards for fiscal year 2021.

Rondi Kauffmann, MD, MPH, seated, reviews a patient’s medical history with Vanderbilt University School of Medicine students Natasha Hughes, far left, and Candace Grisham, during a recent surgical clinic.

Pandemic spurs expansion of surgical care for underserved

Oct. 7, 2021—When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down international travel necessary for overseas medical initiatives, Vanderbilt's Rondi Kauffmann, MD, MPH, began brainstorming ways to extend surgical care to those in need much closer to home.

Policy formalizes role and use of medical chaperones during patient encounters

Sep. 30, 2021—Vanderbilt University Medical Center is implementing a new policy which standardizes and expands the role of a medical chaperone, an individual who serves as a witness for both a patient and their clinician during a sensitive medical examination or procedure.

The VHAN Care Management Team includes registered nurse care navigators, social workers, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.

VHAN Care Management Team aids patients and families throughout Tennessee

Sep. 16, 2021—The Vanderbilt Health Affiliated Network Care Management Team is helping patients across Tennessee navigate a broad and complex health care landscape.

Wagner named to lead Vanderbilt Burn Center

Sep. 8, 2021—Anne Wagner, MD, has joined Vanderbilt University Medical Center to serve as medical director of the Vanderbilt Burn Center.

Team members involved in the study include, from left, Melissa Hilmes, MD, Daniel Moore, MD, PhD, Alvin Powers, MD, Jon Williams, PhD, and Jack Virostko, PhD. (photo by Jessica Kimber)

Study proves standardized protocol can support reliable MRI use for multisite pancreatic research

Aug. 27, 2021—Researchers with the Vanderbilt Diabetes Research and Training Center (DRTC) at Vanderbilt University Medical Center led a multisite study which has demonstrated that, when controlled and standardized, quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the pancreas is highly reproducible when using different MRI hardware and software at different geographic locations.

Haynes named interim chair of Otolaryngology

Aug. 18, 2021—David Haynes, MD, has been named interim chair of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (OHNS) effective July 1. He will serve in this role until Eben Rosenthal, MD, the John and Ann Doerr Medical Director and associate director of Clinical Care with Stanford Cancer Center, joins Vanderbilt University Medical Center as the department’s next chair on Oct. 11.

O’Malley named to key Outpatient Referral Assistance role

Aug. 5, 2021—Mathew O’Malley, MD, assistant professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, has been named associate medical director for Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Office of Outpatient Referral Assistance (OORA).

Labadie named chair of Otolaryngology at MUSC

Jul. 30, 2021—Robert Labadie, MD, PhD, professor of Otolaryngology and Biomedical Engineering, has been named professor and chair of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) College of Medicine in Charleston, South Carolina.

Shichun Bao, MD, PhD, center, and Brenda Weedman, RN, BSN, discuss continuous glucose monitors with patient Sherry Neergaard.

Study shows continuous glucose monitors improve management of type 2 diabetes

Jul. 15, 2021—For patients with type 2 diabetes treated with basal or long-acting insulin, the use of continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) can result in significantly lower hemoglobin A1C (a blood test that reflects average blood glucose levels over three months), and better management of the disease according to a study recently published in the journal JAMA.