Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Joseline Elizabeth Vasquez Santay will undergo preliminary procedures to help doctors at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children\'s Hospital at Vanderbilt determine how to safely remove a neck tumor which is as large as the toddler\'s head.

Fifteen percent to 20 percent of people worldwide suffer from migraines – excruciating headaches often presaged by dramatic sensations, or "auras." By studying a rare, inherited form of migraine, researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have found clues to the biological basis of the painful, debilitating disorder. In the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Alfred George Jr., M.D., and colleagues report that genetic mutations linked to this rare form of familial migraine alter the function of sodium channels – protein "tunnels" through brain cell membranes involved in the electrical conduction of nerve impulses.

Vanderbilt University is making it easy for families and professionals to find autism services by introducing the Vanderbilt Autism Clinic – a single helpline staffed by an autism expert who can make referrals for what\'s needed. Vanderbilt recruited Sarah Zombek to serve as family services coordinator. She held a similar position at Massachusetts General Hospital in an autism clinic with a national reputation for family-centered care.

The Nashville Collaborative, a partnership between the Monroe Carell Jr. Children\'s Hospital at Vanderbilt and Metro Nashville Parks and Recreation to improve child health, will launch Saturday, June 28.

Rally Across America, a non-profit charity bicycle race which raises money for childhood cancer research, will visit the Hematology and Oncology Clinic at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt on Friday, June 27.

After recent efforts to develop a vaccine to protect against AIDS proved ineffective, the National Institutes of Health announced a change in research direction; and it\'s one that will involve the lab of James Crowe, M.D., professor of Pediatrics, Microbiology and Immunology at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children\'s Hospital at Vanderbilt.

With temperatures already hitting the mid-90s, it\'s important to keep a close eye on children, especially those who are active outside. "This is the time that we tend to see more heat-induced illnesses because kids are out of school and more active outdoors,"said Rebecca Swan, M.D., assistant professor of Pediatrics at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children\'s Hospital at Vanderbilt.