Vanderbilt is one of 40 centers nationwide to enroll patients in a study to determine the efficacy and safety of a new pacing device for heart failure patients. This is the first time the device, called the Optimizer III, will be implanted in humans.

Thanks to Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center's new Clinical Trials Mentor Program, patients considering enrolling in a clinical trial can now ask questions and get first-hand accounts from patient advocates who have already gone through the process.

Vanderbilt University Medical Center, which has a 21-year accident free operation, is the first dedicated air medical operation in the U.S. to deploy the American Eurocopter EC 145 equipped with the latest in state of the art avionics specially designed to operate in the nighttime and inclimate weather environment. VUMC, which operates four helicopters and one fixed wing and is the largest IFR program in Tennessee, has air ambulance experts available to speak about air ambulance safety standards.

The Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center has been chosen by the National Cancer Institute to join an elite group of researchers asked to test the most cutting-edge cancer treatments in Phase II clinical trials in both solid tumor and hematologic malignancies.

Efforts to reform drug regulation in the wake of the Vioxx withdrawal do not go far enough, according to experts at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

A study in the January/February 2006 issue of the journal Health Affairs concludes that increasing the number of registered nurses and hours of nursing care per patient would save 6,700 lives.