Reporter Jan 18 2019

January 17, 2019

Wilkins on what health equity is – and isn’t

Income, education, access to healthy food and other factors influence a person’s health, so a newly established Office of Health Equity is designed to strengthen Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s programs and ties into networks around the region to improve the underlying elements.

By Holly Fletcher
January 17, 2019

Wilkins named Vice President for Health Equity

Consuelo Wilkins, MD, MSCI, associate professor of Medicine and executive director of the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance, has been named to the newly created positions of Vice President for Health Equity at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Associate Dean for Health Equity with the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

By Holly Fletcher
January 17, 2019

Signals from the “conveyor belt”

Vanderbilt researchers propose that cellular signaling pathways are amplified by a “conveyor belt” mechanism that exchanges active and inactive enzymes.

By Bill Snyder
white pills spilling out of a prescription bottle
January 17, 2019

Pain relievers a risk for C. diff?

A link between anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and C. diff infection suggests caution against overusing such drugs in patients at high risk for infection.

By Leigh MacMillan
January 17, 2019

Golinko to direct Children’s Hospital cleft, craniofacial care

Michael Golinko, MD, has joined Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt as assistant professor of Plastic Surgery, medical director of the Cleft and Craniofacial Center and chief of Pediatric Plastic Surgery.

By Christina Echegaray
January 17, 2019

Tool cuts wait times at Children’s After-Hours Clinics

Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt is cutting waiting room times by half in its after-hours clinics, thanks to a new tool that patients can use for “call-ahead” arrivals.

By Jessica Pasley
January 17, 2019

Study finds unique form of chronic sinusitis in older patients

Older patients with a diagnosis of chronic sinusitis — a disease of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses that often persists over many years — have a unique inflammatory signature that may render them less responsive to steroid treatment, according to a new study published by Vanderbilt researchers.
By Kelsey Herbers
January 17, 2019

Vanderbilt Transplant Center debuts new mobile app

Patients and providers now have instant access to Tennessee’s only full-service transplant center on their smartphones and mobile devices.
By Matt Batcheldor
January 17, 2019

Study tracks repercussions from reduced pre-op testing

When clinical teams at Vanderbilt University Medical Center dramatically reduced several types of preoperative testing for elective surgery patients, there were no repercussions for these patients in terms of case cancellation rates, average length of stay in the hospital or rates of readmission to VUMC.
By Paul Govern
January 17, 2019

Deas to deliver Jan. 21 Martin Luther King Jr. lecture

Deborah Deas, MD, MPH, the Mark and Pam Rubin Dean of the School of Medicine and chief executive officer for Clinical Affairs at the University of California, Riverside, will speak from noon to 1 p.m. Monday, Jan. 21, in conjunction with the 2019 Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Series at Vanderbilt.
By Kathy Whitney
January 17, 2019

Spalluto, Lewis to lead VA lung screening initiative

Lucy Spalluto, MD, assistant professor of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, and Jennifer Lewis, MD, MS, instructor in Medicine, have been selected to co-lead the Veterans Affairs — Partnership to increase Access to Lung Screening (VA-PALS) National Program Evaluation.
January 17, 2019

DNA’s on/off switch

DNA-binding “switches” represent a fundamentally new method of communication between DNA-processing enzymes, Vanderbilt researchers propose.
By Bill Snyder
January 17, 2019

Public health expert Galea set for Discovery Lecture

Sandro Galea, MD, MPH, DrPH, Dean and Robert A. Knox Professor at Boston University School of Public Health, will deliver the next Flexner Discovery Lecture on Thursday, Jan. 24.
By Leigh MacMillan
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