VUMC News and Communications

Just before the traditional peak of the holiday shopping season, U.S. PIRG (Public Interest Research Group) has released its 19th annual toy safety report. On Nov. 23, several toys were demonstrated for their potential hazards at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt. Veronica Gunn, M.D., assistant professor of Pediatrics at the Children's Hospital talked about the types of injuries that are commonly seen each year involving toys.

Last year ushered in a swirl of notoriety regarding influenza vaccine. The 2003-2004 flu season arrived early and hit hard. For many individuals, thanks in part to tremendous media hype and a delay in the availability of vaccine supplies, flu shots were a highly-sought after commodity.

Vanderbilt Kennedy Center director Pat Levitt has been awarded the 2004 Friend of Children award by the Tennessee Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The award recognizes Levitt's contributions at the local, state and national level to the healthy development of children.

The number of registered nurses entering the job market appears to be on a steady incline, with a total employment growth of over 200,000 R.N.'s since 2001, the largest increase since the early 1980's, but experts at the School of Nursing say it's still not enough to prevent a long-term crisis that threatens to cripple the entire health care system.

Four-and-a-half-month-old Abigail Patrick received a new heart at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt early this morning.

Vanderbilt's Sleep Disorders Center has garnered national accreditation from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM).