Last week, Vanderbilt University Medical Center announced that COVID-19 vaccinations for leaders will become mandatory. This was a carefully considered step forward in VUMC’s ongoing efforts to protect its patients and employees from the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its variants.

The Medical Center Staff Advisory Council has elected new leaders.

Katie McPherson, MD, assistant professor of Medicine, has joined Vanderbilt University Medical Center after completing a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine at the University of Colorado in Aurora.

Otolaryngology researchers from the Music Cognition Lab are seeking to recruit parents of children with developmental disabilities for a study about the connection between mindfulness, music and stress levels. 

The children of Camp TALKS (Talking and Learning with Kids who Stutter) were excited to welcome Michael Kidd-Gilchrist — NBA player and person who stutters — to camp recently, where they were able to listen to his story and advice. Kidd-Gilchrist, an advocate for the stuttering community, recently launched Change & Impact, a stuttering initiative focused on improving access to health care and expanding services and resources for those who stutter.

A mysterious inflammatory syndrome linked to COVID-19 infection and first identified in children also occurs in adults, Vanderbilt researchers report.