A special Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) employee celebration event — Celebrate the Difference YOU Make Every Day! — will be held in three sessions April 20-21 to acknowledge the many contributions of the Medical Center’s people.

It’s human nature to need answers. Patients with debilitating symptoms need a diagnosis — somewhere to place the blame, a starting point to search for answers.

Jeff Balser, M.D., Ph.D., President and CEO of Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and dean of the School of Medicine, has appointed a 14-member committee to conduct a national search for the new chair of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R).

The phrase “working twice as hard for half as much” is one that sadly rings true for many patients who have had significant stays in an intensive care unit (ICU). Surviving a lengthy critical care experience can result in depression, weakness, fatigue and other cognitive and physical deficiencies.

Russell Rothman, M.D., professor of Medicine, Pediatrics and Health Policy, Vice President for Population Health Research, and director of the Vanderbilt Center for Health Services Research, has been named president-elect of the American Academy on Communication in Healthcare (AACH). He will serve as president beginning in January 2018.

Scott McCarver, Associate Operating Office for Vanderbilt University Adult Hospital and Clinics, has been named Chief Operating Officer (COO) for the Vanderbilt University Adult Hospital.