Division of Epidemiology

March 29, 2022

There’s no slowing arterial stiffening

Over 10 years, multiple healthy behaviors did not slow the progression of arterial stiffness, a risk factor for coronary artery disease, hypertension, stroke, atrial fibrillation and heart failure.

By Paul Govern
Joseph Breeyear, left, Todd Edwards, PhD, and colleagues are studying how high blood pressure genes can improve heart surgery survival in children.
March 24, 2022

High blood pressure genes improve heart surgery survival in children

Vanderbilt researchers have found that children with a genetic makeup that predicts high blood pressure as adults are more likely to survive congenital heart defect repair surgery.

By Leigh MacMillan
March 10, 2022

Bots boost liver cancer outcome

Vanderbilt researchers report that robotic-assisted surgery is comparable, if not superior, to laparoscopic surgery for early-stage liver cancer patients.

By Leah Mann 
February 14, 2022

Diet and colorectal cancer risk

Higher dietary intake of antioxidant compounds found in fruits, vegetables, teas and spices was associated with lower risk of colorectal cancer, and intake was lower among Black participants, potentially contributing to colorectal cancer health disparities.

By Leigh MacMillan
December 13, 2021

Oral microbes and gastric cancer

Studies in three large population cohorts that include Asian, African American and European American people support a role for the oral microbiota — the collection of microbial species in the mouth — in gastric cancer development.

By Leigh MacMillan
November 1, 2021

Breast cancer survivors: eat nuts

Breast cancer survivors who reported eating nuts regularly had 50% reduced risk of breast cancer recurrence, metastasis or mortality, Vanderbilt epidemiologists found in Shanghai Breast Cancer Survival Study.

By Leigh MacMillan
October 14, 2021

Tea drinking and high blood pressure

Habitual tea drinking is associated with a slightly higher risk of hypertension in middle-aged and older Chinese adults, which warrants confirmation by long-term intervention studies, researchers say.
By Sarah E. Glass
September 16, 2021

Structural variants in breast cancer risk genes

Vanderbilt epidemiologists conducted in-depth whole genome sequencing of breast cancer risk genes in Black women, who die at higher rates and have more aggressive disease, to discover mutations that may improve testing and treatment selection.
By Leigh MacMillan
April 21, 2021

Zheng named VICC associate director for Population Sciences Research

Wei Zheng, MD, PhD, MPH, Anne Potter Wilson Professor of Medicine, has been named associate director for Population Sciences Research at Vanderbilt- Ingram Cancer Center (VICC).
By Tom Wilemon
March 25, 2021

Spirituality may help reduce end-stage kidney disease risk

Researchers from Vanderbilt’s Division of Nephrology and Hypertension have identified an under-studied characteristic that may have a protective effect on end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) risk among vulnerable populations.
By Emily Stembridge
1 2