VUMC News and Communications

January 25, 2008

State approves Children’s Hospital expansion

The Tennessee Health Services and Development Agency this week approved the Certificate of Need for expansion of the Monroe Carell Jr. Children\’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.

January 17, 2008

Pietenpol Chosen to Lead Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center

Jennifer Pietenpol, Ph.D., Ingram Professor of Cancer Research and professor of Biochemistry, has been named director of Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.

January 8, 2008

Two New Meningitis Vaccines to be Tested in Nashville

Pediatric researchers at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children\’s Hospital at Vanderbilt are working with community pediatricians attempting to reduce the risk to children from two of the major causes of meningitis.

January 8, 2008

Divorce rates lower among parents of children with Down syndrome

Vanderbilt Kennedy Center researchers are reporting slightly lower divorce rates for families raising a child with Down syndrome than in the comparison groups, following an examination of the Tennessee Department of Health\’s birth, hospital discharge, and divorce database records from 1990-2002.

January 1, 2008

Gene variant doubles risk of developing autism

A Vanderbilt research team reports, in the largest study of any single gene, that a gene, identified in cancer, is also involved in autism.

By VUMC News and Communications
December 18, 2007

The Importance and Value of Art in Health Care: A Symposium to be Held at The Museum of Modern Art

Vanderbilt University Medical Center, The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and The Society for Arts in Healthcare are hosting a one-day symposium addressing “The Importance and Value of Art in Health Care,” on March 7, 2008, at MoMA in New York City.

December 18, 2007

Vanderbilt awarded $4.4 million by the Michael J. Fox Foundation

A drug discovery team at Vanderbilt University Medical Center led by Jeffrey Conn., Ph.D., has been awarded a $4.4 million "LEAPS" grant by the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research to jump-start development of a new class of Parkinson's disease drugs.
December 18, 2007

RNA therapy heals growth deficiency disorder in a live animal

A team of Vanderbilt researchers has demonstrated for the first time that a new type of gene therapy, called RNA interference, can heal a genetic disorder in a live animal.
By VUMC News and Communications
December 14, 2007

Vanderbilt Announces Opening of New Primary Practice in Westhaven

Vanderbilt Medical Group Westhaven is pleased to announce the opening of a new Primary Care Practice. The new practice, opening Jan. 2, 2008, is located off Highway 96, at1025 Westhaven Blvd, Franklin, Tenn., in the Westhaven Community.
November 30, 2007

Tennessee Poison Control Center offers holiday safety advice; Keep a watchful eye for unsafe toys and potentially dangerous poisonous plants

Poisonous plants, holiday decorations and unsafe toys are just a few of the potential hazards children face during the holidays.
By VUMC News and Communications
November 27, 2007

Vanderbilt doctors warn against “Merry Christmas Coronary”

Some studies indicate that death rates from heart attacks and stroke as well as non-heart-related causes spike during the holiday season. Researchers have coined this phenomenon "Merry Christmas Coronary and Happy New Year Heart Attack."
By VUMC News and Communications
November 6, 2007

Vanderbilt study links melatonin excretion with sleep levels in children with autism; Children with deeper levels of sleep have higher levels of melatonin

Vanderbilt sleep researchers are reporting a relationship between good sleep and how much melatonin the body produces ñ the first in a series of research studies intended to help children with autism spectrum disorders sleep through the night.
By VUMC News and Communications