News Releases

Recent and archived press releases with clinical and research news

June 2, 2021

Dusetzina appointed to federal Medicare Payment Advisory Commission

Stacie Dusetzina, PhD, associate professor of Health Policy and Ingram Associate Professor of Cancer Research at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, has been appointed to a three-year term on the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC).

By Jake Lowary
May 27, 2021

Life-saving transplant marks milestone for pediatric program

Petyon Smith’s answered prayers became the best birthday wish ever on Jan. 31 — the date his younger brother received the first-ever dual kidney-liver transplant at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.

By Jessica Pasley
May 3, 2021

VUMC’s Lee among group to earn Kenneth J. Arrow Award for health economics research

Scott Lee, MD, PhD, MPA, MPhil, assistant professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has received the Kenneth J. Arrow Award for health economics research given by the International Health Economics Association.

By Jake Lowary
April 26, 2021

Study finds increased risk of serious opioid events in mothers, regardless of dose

A new study from Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers finds that new mothers who receive opioids after uncomplicated vaginal births face an increased risk of serious opioid-related events regardless of the opioid dosage, a finding that could significantly impact care delivery.

By Jake Lowary
Maj. Gen. Telita Crosland and C. Wright Pinson, MBA, MD, sign the agreement for VUMC to become an official site of the U.S. Army Military-Civilian Trauma Team Training.
March 26, 2021

U.S. Army and Vanderbilt University Medical Center formalize trauma training program

Vanderbilt University Medical Center is becoming an official site of the U.S. Army Military-Civilian Trauma Team Training (AMCT3), formalizing a longstanding relationship between the two entities that is built on a history of collaborative success.

By Matt Batcheldor
March 24, 2021

New record for pediatric heart transplant program

The heart transplant program at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt experienced back-to-back record years for the number of heart transplants performed.

By Jessica Pasley
February 25, 2021

Pediatric liver transplant program named among nation’s best

The pediatric liver transplant program at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt continues to reach milestones — the most recent being named one of the best programs in the country.
By Jessica Pasley
February 18, 2021

VUMC investigator expands HIV research into South Africa

A Vanderbilt University Medical Center investigator is hoping to improve access to HIV testing in South Africa, where more than 7 million people are known to have the virus, by training traditional healers to perform the tests.
By Jake Lowary
February 8, 2021

Operational Control Center to provide seamless patient flow

Vanderbilt University Adult Hospital’s (VUAH) new Operational Control Center will improve coordination of patient care, ensuring patients get the care they need without unnecessary delays.
By Kathy Rivers
January 28, 2021

Vanderbilt Transplant Center achieves new record for total transplants performed in 2020

The Vanderbilt Transplant Center (VTC) established a new record in 2020 for total solid organ transplants, performing 611 life-saving procedures among its adult and pediatric organ transplant programs.
By Matt Batcheldor
January 12, 2021

VUMC now leads world in heart transplantation

Vanderbilt University Medical Center performed more heart transplants in 2020 than any other center in the world — 124 adult hearts, 23 pediatric hearts and VUMC’s first heart-lung transplant since 2006.
By Matt Batcheldor
December 10, 2020

New approach helps conserve blood products for liver transplant patients

Liver transplants have traditionally required a high volume of transfusions of blood products, which comes with several downsides. The products are costly to patients — as high as $15,000 on top of the expense of a transplant. And they are sometimes not well accepted in patients because they degrade over time and are derived from multiple patients.
By Matt Batcheldor
December 8, 2020

Poll shows fewer than 6 in 10 Tennessee parents report wearing masks all the time, nearly half won’t vaccinate their children for COVID-19

Many Tennessee parents are not wearing masks consistently to control community spread of COVID-19, despite recommendations from public health officials, according to new a poll conducted by the Vanderbilt Center for Child Health Policy.
By Jake Lowary