Reporter

Sabine Fuhrmann and colleagues have discovered a novel underlying cause of coloboma — a birth defect that causes missing tissue in the eye and accounts for up to 10% of childhood blindness.

Genetic variation that impacts glucose- and insulin-related signaling affects responses to type 2 diabetes treatments and warrants further study.

Eric Bowman, MD, an orthopaedic surgeon practicing at Vanderbilt Orthopae-dics Franklin, first met 52-year-old Michelle O’Donnell when she had a lingering shoulder injury. As he began his examination, he realized the Vanderbilt Health community needed to step up for her in a big way.

Adam Seegmiller, MD, PhD, has been named the inaugural vice chair for Clinical Affairs in the Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology as well as executive medical director of the newly formed Pathology and Laboratory Medicine — Clinical Service Center.

Vanderbilt Tullahoma-Harton Hospital has performed its first osteochondral allograft, a grafting method used to treat cartilage injuries that expose underlying bone. The procedure, which requires advanced training in sports medicine, was performed by Collin Bills, MD, on Jan. 26.

Joshua Beckman, MD, MSc, professor of Medicine and director of VUMC’s Section of Vascular Medicine, has been named president of VIVA Physicians, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing the field of vascular medicine and intervention through education, research, advocacy and collaboration.

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.