News Releases

Recent and archived press releases with clinical and research news

Atherosclerosis is a tumor-like disease: study

An anticancer drug blunted atherosclerosis progression — and even made plaques shrink — in a mouse model of the disease, opening new opportunities for preventing and treating this leading cause of death.

By Leigh MacMillan

(iStock image)

New tool helps identify babies at high risk for RSV

A new tool to identify infants most at risk for severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) illness could aid pediatricians in prioritizing children under 1 to receive a preventive medication before RSV season (October-April).

By Craig Boerner

Homelessness a major issue for many patients in the emergency department

Unstable housing and homelessness can exacerbate adverse health outcomes, leading to increased risk of chronic disease, injury, and disability. Yet, emergency departments currently do not have a universal method to identify those at risk of, or currently experiencing, homelessness.

By Craig Boerner

Traditional healer-initiated HIV testing and care expands in South Africa

Developed in a region with the world’s highest HIV prevalence, this study design and intervention has the potential to impact testing uptake among a “hidden population” by mobilizing trained healers, who vastly outnumber allopathic care providers in South Africa.

By Kristin Centers

(iStock image)

New urine test has higher diagnostic accuracy for prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death among men in the U.S.

Kewanna Frierson and her daughter, Kennedi.

Lifting up voices to celebrate healthy Black births

Celebration of Black Motherhood on April 20 elevates positive stories and experiences around Black births

By Danny Bonvissuto

April 9, 2024

Heart disease, depression linked by inflammation: study

Coronary artery disease and major depression may be genetically linked via inflammatory pathways to an increased risk for cardiomyopathy, a degenerative heart muscle disease, researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Massachusetts General Hospital have found.

By Bill Snyder

April 8, 2024

New equipment to enhance security at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt

Beginning April 18, all Monroe Carell employees, patients, families, learners, and visitors will pass through the detection screening technology at all three hospital entrances.

By Christina Echegaray

March 29, 2024

What happens when musicians lose their hearing? Many find their way to VUMC’s Katie Berg — a scientist, a clinician — and a musician.

Cochlear implants can restore the ability to hear speech, but not music. In the heart of Music City, Katie Berg helps fit cochlear implants tuned specially for the needs of musicians.

By Wayne Wood

March 29, 2024

A gunshot to the head. A long recovery. Then a wedding.

Special Agent Adam Daniels celebrates ongoing recovery after gunshot causes traumatic brain injury; family’s gift will support care of others with similar injuries

By Jill Clendening

March 29, 2024

VUMC nurses lead Pearl-Cohn career fair to showcase health care careers to high school students

The fair featured a multidisciplinary group, including nursing, social work, EMS, pharmacy, medicine and surgical and radiology technologists.

By Matt Batcheldor

March 28, 2024

Teams to create one-stop resource for human pancreatic data to foster diabetes research

Leading investigators in diabetes, pancreas and islet biology, and computational biology have received $12.5 million in two five-year awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to create the world’s first, integrated knowledge base of human-derived tissue- and cellular-level pancreatic information to support innovative, collaborative and reproducible research.

By Jill Clendening

March 27, 2024

Higher genetic risk of obesity means working out harder for same results

Study authors used activity, clinical and genetic data from the National Institutes of Health’s All of Us Research Program to explore the association of genetic risk of higher body mass index and the level of physical activity needed to reduce incident obesity.

By Craig Boerner