Turning tragedy into triumph is something Khris Downing is learning to do. He’s getting a lot of practice, as he is alive today because of a life-saving organ donation from his older sister, Geraldine Williams, who died on July 26.

How many heart transplant programs do we really need? That was a question posed by a group of investigators, including Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Ashish Shah, M.D., in a novel study that used a computerized algorithm to highlight the value of high-volume transplant centers with corresponding improved outcomes.

Vanderbilt’s David Robertson, M.D., and Meena Madhur, M.D., Ph.D., were recognized by the American Heart Association’s Council on Hypertension during the annual Council on Hypertension Scientific Sessions meeting in Orlando this week.

A new proposal under consideration by the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS) that would change the way donated livers are distributed would negatively impact patients listed for liver transplantation at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and across the Southeast, according to Seth Karp, M.D., H. William Scott Jr. Professor and chair of the Department of Surgery.

Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) is home to a specialized clinic for teens, adolescents and young adults focusing on bleeding disorders.

Two Vanderbilt Eye Institute physicians have been selected as Emerging Vision Scientists by the Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (AEVR).