Reporter March 12 2021

Contributors to the COVID-19 microbiome study include (front row, from left) Julie Bastarache, MD, Meghan Shilts, MS, MHS, (middle row, from left) Jodell Jackson, PhD, Suman Das, PhD, Angela Jones, MS, (back row, from left) Jonathan Schmitz, PhD, MD, Simon Mallal, MBBS, and Jordan Best, PhD.
March 11, 2021

‘Friendly’ bacteria may impact COVID severity

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded Vanderbilt University Medical Center a two-year, $3.7-million contract to determine genetic and bacterial factors that may increase the risk for severe illness and death from COVID-19.

By Bill Snyder
March 11, 2021

Electronic health record study discovers novel hormone deficiency

A novel hormone deficiency may exist in humans, Vanderbilt investigators have discovered. In an analysis of two decades worth of electronic health records, the researchers found that some patients have unexpectedly low levels of natriuretic peptide hormone in clinical situations that should cause high levels of the hormone.

By Leigh MacMillan
March 11, 2021

Genotype looms large in risk for post-op arrhythmia

Postoperative atrial fibrillation (PoAF), a form of arrhythmia, complicates 20-40% of cardiac surgical procedures and 10–20% of non-cardiac thoracic operations, cropping up two to four days after surgery to pose risk of stroke, heart attack, mortality, longer hospital stays and greater cost.

By Paul Govern
March 11, 2021

HBCU scholars program expanding enrollment

The James Puckette Carter Scholars Program, the result of a partnership between Meharry Medical College (MMC), Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF), intended to increase the number of physicians who attended Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in health care, is expanding to double its enrollment capacity.

By Matt Schorr
March 11, 2021

Discovery Lecture to feature geriatric medicine expert Cassel

Christine Cassel, MD, a leading expert in geriatric medicine, medical ethics and the quality of care, will deliver the next web-based Discovery Lecture on Thursday, March 25, at 4 p.m. via Zoom.

By Bill Snyder
March 11, 2021

Youth with ASD have higher body mass index: study

Vanderbilt researchers have concluded that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) tend to have higher body mass index (BMI) percentiles when compared to youth with typical development.

By Emily Stembridge
March 10, 2021

Murfreesboro heart clinic reveals power of diversity

In suburban Murfreesboro, just a short drive off Interstate 24, is one of the most diverse practices and clinics in Vanderbilt Health.
By Matt Batcheldor
March 10, 2021

Hockey Fights Cancer skates on to support Children’s Hospital

Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt patient Lochlin Morris was named Champ of the Game at the Nashville Predators’ Hockey Fights Cancer game on Saturday, March 6. Beginning last season, each home game features a Children’s Hospital patient on the jumbotron as a Vanderbilt Health Champ of the Game.
By VUMC News and Communications
March 9, 2021

Study incorporates genetics with smoking history to identify high-risk smokers for lung cancer screening

A study by Vanderbilt researchers that analyzed both smoking history and genetic risk variants for lung cancer supports modifying current guidelines to include additional smokers for lung cancer screening.
By Tom Wilemon
March 9, 2021

Johnson to step down as DBMI chair

Kevin Johnson, MD, MS, Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor and chair of the Department of Biomedical Informatics (DBMI), professor of Pediatrics and Informatician-in-Chief at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, will depart the organization on Nov. 1, to join the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania and Perelman School of Medicine. He will continue to serve as chair of DBMI as a national search is conducted to identify his successor.
By John Howser
March 9, 2021

Pediatric emergency visits, hospitalizations down sharply during pandemic: study

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, children’s hospitals across the United States have seen signification reductions in the number of children being treated for common pediatric illnesses like asthma and pneumonia, according to a new multicenter study led by Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.
By Christina Echegaray
March 8, 2021

Survey identifies factors in reducing clinical research coordinator turnover

Strong, collaborative relationships with principal investigators are a key factor of longevity in clinical research coordinator positions — an essential, but increasingly transient job in executing treatment-advancing clinical trials, Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers found.
By Holly Fletcher
March 8, 2021

Stimulation device helps patients with bladder disorders reprogram

A neurostimulator surgically implanted above the buttocks to reprogram how the bladder senses the filling of urine is helping patients with debilitating bladder and bowel disorders that are often life-limiting.
By Craig Boerner
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