Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital

Stephan Heckers to step down after two decades as Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences chair

Heckers is currently VUMC’s longest serving clinical department chair. He credits his longevity to the department’s culture and tradition of steady leadership, with each of the three previous chairs serving for periods of similar length.

Award program celebrates improvement work across VUMC

The 2025 QSRP Pursuit of Excellence Awards ceremony was combined with celebration of this year’s honorees of Vanderbilt’s Safety Superhero and Good Catch programs.

Behind the curtain: Secrets of the volatile, delusional brain 

The VUMC approach, based on the “Feeling Safe Program” developed by British psychologist Daniel Freeman, targets specific factors that contribute to persecutory delusions, including worry, safety behaviors, avoidance and hallucinations (such as hearing voices).

DAISY Award spotlight: ‘I can say that Gabe is the most caring and skilled nurse I have ever had.’

Gabe Tiamson, BSN, RN works in the Adult 4 unit at Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital. He is one of the latest Vanderbilt Health DAISY Award winners.

Patient Sekou Toure works on a painting during a Recovery Art Workshop at Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital. (photo by Erin O. Smith)

Healing Through Expression: Young Adults’ Journey in Recovery Art Workshop (slideshow)

The class was created by a specialty team that works with young adults who have experienced their first hospitalization or episode of psychosis within the past two years.

Shannon Renegar, a CT technologist, poses for a photo at Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital on Monday, April 7, 2025, in Lebanon, Tennessee. (photo by Erin O. Smith)

Radiology, CPiAH launch virtual CT technologist training program

The program addresses the enterprise’s growing need for specialized imaging professionals and underscores VUMC’s commitment to high-quality health care education.

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