Vanderbilt University Medical Center

By all accounts, Don Matl was not expected to survive his second bout with melanoma in 1998. He was given less than a 5 percent chance. But he lived.Another recurrence in 2001 yielded a similar inference ó but again he persevered. Now Matl knows why he beat the odds.

Vaccines, drugs, diagnostic devices and medical surveillance are all crucial tools in the fight against bioterrorism and emerging infectious disease, but experts say they are not enough, and Congress has asked a group of national experts in the field, which includes the National Center for Emergency Preparedness (NCEP), housed at the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, to target new ways to increase the level of personnel preparedness.

Vanderbilt Medical Center will expand its LifeFlight helicopter air ambulance program by adding a base in Lebanon, Tennessee, and purchasing three new state-of-the-art helicopters at a cost of $5.4 million each.

Soccer World sporting goods specialty shop has chosen Vanderbilt Children's Hospital as a beneficiary of Soccer World Super Clasico (SWSC), the first major international soccer match to be held in Tennessee. Vanderbilt Children's CEO, Jim Shmerling, joined representatives of Soccer World, the two participants, the LA Galaxy and the UAG Tecos, and Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell Tuesday at the Coliseum to make the announcement.

The new Vanderbilt Orthopaedic Clinic is now open for business in Franklin, Tenn. Developed by Vanderbilt University Medical Center, the new clinic provides orthopaedic care in hand, spine, shoulder and sports medicine, in addition to on-site physical therapy and occupational therapy.

Bill Turner never knew that drinking a popular soda could adversely affect his recovery from a double-lung transplant. What ensued was a true medical mystery, leading to the identification of a new food and drug interaction.

Jeffrey Guy, M.D., assistant professor of Surgery in the division of Trauma & Surgical Critical Care, was recently named director of Vanderbilt's Regional Burn Center. Guy previously shared clinical and administrative responsibilities in the Burn Center with Ronald Barton, M.D., assistant professor of Plastic Surgery.