Reporter Aug 14 2020

August 13, 2020

ACM gift aims to improve lives of children with autism spectrum disorder

ACM Lifting Lives, the charitable arm of the Academy of Country Music, has made a generous gift to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for programs and research demonstrating the healing power of music to improve the lives of children with autism spectrum disorder.

By VUMC News and Communications
August 13, 2020

Acupressure studied to treat neonatal opioid withdrawal

Researchers from Vanderbilt University Medical Center recently completed a study to create a standardized protocol for using acupressure to treat newborns with opioid withdrawal syndrome.

By Kelsey Herbers
August 13, 2020

Study suggests new threshold for diagnosing PAH

Doctors diagnosing pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) — elevated pulmonary pressure due to an issue in the small vessels of the lung — rely on a hemodynamic threshold set in the early 1970s to determine whether patients would be candidates for pulmonary vasodilator therapy.

By Matt Batcheldor
August 13, 2020

Children’s Hospital ECMO program lands excellence award

For the fifth straight time, Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt’s heart-lung support program has received the ELSO Award — Gold Level for Excellence in Life Support by the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO).

By Christina Echegaray
August 13, 2020

Newer targeted therapy prolongs life for lung cancer patients

Patients with ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer treated with ensartinib fared better and lived longer than those who received crizotinib, according to results of a phase 3 study.

By Tom Wilemon
From left, André Churchwell, MD, Jeff Balser, MD, PhD, and Consuelo Wilkins, MD, MSCI, discuss VUMC’s diversity and inclusion initiatives with veteran journalist John Seigenthaler Jr. during Tuesday’s Leadership Assembly.
August 13, 2020

Adaptability, masks, diversity and more takeaways from Leadership Assembly

People are the engine that’s kept Vanderbilt University Medical Center moving forward — and setting the tone for the region on best pandemic mitigation practices — leaders said in a virtual Leadership Assembly, a new channel that is itself reflective of life and work in the pandemic era.

By Holly Fletcher
August 13, 2020

Facility dog Squid makes Children’s Hospital debut

Every day, thousands of highly trained and dedicated employees enter the doors of Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. All are part of a team that supports, comforts and provides care to patients and families.
By Jessica Pasley
August 12, 2020

Ceremony launches medical students’ education journey

In keeping with tradition, the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine first-year class held its White Coat Ceremony on Aug. 5. Despite a few aspects of the ceremony being altered due to physical distancing measures put in place with COVID-19, the students enjoyed the right of passage marking the beginning of their medical education journey.
By Kathy Whitney
August 12, 2020

Congenital heart patient receives unexpected transplant

For years, doctors told Piper Davis it was impossible to have a heart transplant. She was born with just one ventricle, or pumping chamber, instead of two. A generation ago, such patients didn’t survive into adulthood.
By Matt Batcheldor
August 12, 2020

Clarke Named Senior Vice President of Laboratory Services for VUMC

Ken Clarke, MBA, MHA, joined Vanderbilt University Medical Center Aug. 1 as Senior Vice President for Laboratory Services.
By Nancy Humphrey
August 10, 2020

New analysis finds association between masking requirements and slower growth in COVID-19 hospitalizations

In a new analysis, researchers from the Department of Health Policy at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and Vanderbilt University Medical Center have found a relationship between the growth of hospitalizations and masking requirements put in place across the state.
By Jake Lowary
August 10, 2020

Occupational Health invites you to name this year’s flu vaccine campaign

In 2011 Vanderbilt University Medical Center received worldwide attention for doubling the Guinness World Record for the number of flu shots given in an 8-hour period, making its annual flu vaccine event, Flulapalooza, a model for others to follow.
By VUMC News and Communications
August 10, 2020

Miscarriage risk increases each week alcohol is used in early pregnancy

Each week a woman consumes alcohol during the first five to 10 weeks of pregnancy is associated with an incremental 8% increase in risk of miscarriage, according to a study published this week by Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers.
By Kelsey Herbers
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