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Vanderbilt University had an $8.6 billion impact on the Tennessee state economy during fiscal year 2011-12, according to an independent economic analysis released today.

Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos spent Feb. 12 and 13 in Washington, D.C., meeting with congressional leaders and making the case for federal investments in science and engineering research and education.

Vanderbilt’s 12th annual Day on the Hill highlighted the university and medical center’s contributions to all 95 counties in Tennessee and offered the opportunity for conversations between Vanderbilt officials and state lawmakers.

For the fourth straight year, Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development is ranked No. 1 in the U.S. News & World Report poll of graduate education schools. Vanderbilt University Medical Center is ranked No. 14 among research medical centers.

On Oct. 12, Vanderbilt University more than doubled the current world record for the total number of vaccinations given in an eight-hour period. From 6:50 a.m. until 2:50 p.m., 12,647 university and medical center faculty, staff and students received free influenza vaccinations at Flulapalooza, a mass vaccination drill and simultaneous attempt to break the current Guinness world record. By the time the event ended around 7 p.m., more than 14,000 total vaccinations had been dispensed.

As many as 25 percent of hospital nurses use sleep deprivation to adjust to working on the night shift, the poorest strategy for adapting their internal, circadian clocks to a night-time schedule.