Author: Jill Clendening

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.

Clair named inaugural chair of Department of Vascular Surgery

Jul. 14, 2021—After an extensive national search, Daniel Clair, MD, has been named the inaugural chair of the newly formed Department of Vascular Surgery in the Section of Surgical Sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and professor of Vascular Surgery in the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, effective Oct. 1.

Bacchetta named chair of Thoracic Surgery

Jul. 13, 2021—Matthew Bacchetta, MD, MBA, MA, associate professor of Thoracic Surgery, has assumed his new role as Chair of Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Department of Thoracic Surgery, as of July 2021.

O’Neill honored with American Pediatric Surgical Association Humanitarian Award

Jun. 28, 2021—The American Pediatric Surgical Association (APSA) has recognized James O’Neill, MD, professor of Surgery, emeritus, and former chair of the Section of Surgical Sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, with the 2021 Humanitarian Award.

Wright named medical director for Patient Access Services

Jun. 14, 2021—Rick Wright, MD, chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has been named medical director for Patient Access Services (PAS).

Nerve repair advances lead to improved restoration of facial sensation

Jun. 9, 2021—VUMC’s oral and maxillofacial surgeons care for patients with facial trauma and perform orthognathic surgery, which corrects jaw irregularities and realigns the jaws and bite. These specialists also perform benign tumor and cyst resection and reconstructive surgery, so they are very familiar with measures to preserve and, in some cases, repair the trigeminal nerve.

‘Secret shopper’ study sheds light on barriers to opioid treatment for women

Jun. 3, 2021—After a 2020 Vanderbilt University Medical Center study showed women have a difficult time accessing treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD), investigators analyzed comments received from the study’s participants to further shed light on barriers to care, which included everything from long on-hold times to difficult interactions with clinic receptionists during phone calls seeking appointments.

Fauci shares lessons learned during pandemic response with Vanderbilt MPH students

May. 12, 2021—Anthony Fauci, MD, chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden’s administration and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), recently met virtually with students of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine’s Master of Public Health (MPH) program to answer questions about lessons learned during the pandemic and to share career advice.

Members of the Vanderbilt Oral Health team include (front row, from left) Julie Rezk, DMD, Margaret Maclin, DMD, (back row, from left) Kelly Norris, DMD, Tyler Ames, DMD, and Samuel McKenna, MD, DDS. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons not pictured include Susie Lin, DDS, MD, Ashish Sharma, BDS, MSD, and Luis Vega, DDS.

Vanderbilt Oral Health consolidates, expands services in new location

Apr. 15, 2021—With the opening of Vanderbilt Oral Health, Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s dental and oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) services are now together in one convenient location on Belcourt Avenue in Nashville, just across from the Belcourt Theatre.

Healthcare Alliance of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Employee Resource Group event to feature story sharing

Apr. 14, 2021—The HAAPI: Healthcare Alliance of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Employee Resource Group (ERG) at Vanderbilt University Medical Center is hosting HAAPI Voices, a virtual cultural story-sharing event on Thursday, April 22, from 11a.m.-12:30 p.m. Everyone within the VUMC community is invited to join this celebration of cultural identities and backgrounds.

Christopher Menzel, MD, right, performed gastric bypass surgery for Kristian Wernet, left, a patient of the new Vanderbilt Weight Loss Center in Lebanon, Tennessee.

Weight Loss Center at VWCH helps expand bariatric surgery options

Apr. 13, 2021—In May 2020, dangerously high blood pressure put 44-year-old Kristian Wernet in the hospital, a tipping point that led him to become one of the first individuals to have gastric bypass surgery at Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital (VWCH) as a patient of the new Vanderbilt Weight Loss Center in Lebanon, Tennessee.