Warren Sandberg, M.D., Ph.D., chair of Vanderbilt’s Department of Anesthesiology and professor of Biomedical Informatics and Surgery, has been elected president-elect of the Tennessee Society of Anesthesiologists.

Vanderbilt researcher Eduard Chekmenev, Ph.D., has been elected to the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) for his efforts to develop imaging markers for cancer and lung disease using hyperpolarized magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

For many years, patients who came to Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) for care would receive a survey asking, among other things, about how they rated the experience — including the professionalism and friendliness of the physician or other health care provider.

Test after test failed to reveal why Denny Majano wasn’t gaining weight or why he suffered from severe, chronic diarrhea. At 5 weeks old, instead of gaining weight as newborns should, Denny had lost a pound since birth.

Aron Parekh, Ph.D., assistant professor of Otolaryngology, has received a four-year, $790,000 Research Scholar Grant from the American Cancer Society to further his research into the mechanical and biological properties of cancer cells and the methods by which they leave the initial tumor and spread or metastasize to other parts of the body.

Neurosurgeons Richard Alan Berkman, M.D., and Jacob Schwarz, M.D., have joined Vanderbilt Spine Center, where they will begin seeing patients March 1.

The expansion of sleep education sessions through a research study will allow more parents to learn effective sleep strategies for children with autism spectrum disorder.