News Releases

Recent and archived press releases with clinical and research news

May 1, 2024

Study finds 500 new blood pressure genes

An analysis of the genomes of more than 1 million people of European ancestry, conducted by several of the world’s leading genomic centers, including Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has identified more than 2,000 independent genetic signals for blood pressure.

By Bill Snyder

May 1, 2024

Poverty tops smoking as a major death risk: study

A Vanderbilt study found that Black and white people who earned less than $15,000 a year died, on average, more than 10 years earlier than those whose annual income exceeded $50,000.

By Bill Snyder

April 30, 2024

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

April 29, 2024

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

April 26, 2024

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

April 25, 2024

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.