Reporter
VUSN Pinning Ceremony
Jan. 5, 2012—From left, School of Nursing Dean Colleen Conway-Welch, Ph.D., CNM, Nurse-Midwifery student Samantha Stearns and Nurse-Midwifery Program Director Mavis Schorn, Ph.D., CNM, pose for a photo at the school’s December Pinning Ceremony at Benton Chapel.
Hope notes
Jan. 5, 2012—Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center patients, families and staff members recently placed messages of hope and requests for cancer research funds on a “Wall of Hope” at the Cancer Center. The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network sponsored the “Wall of Hope” initiative and will send the messages to members of Tennessee’s congressional delegation.
Meador to direct Center for Biomedical Ethics and Society
Jan. 5, 2012—Keith Meador, M.D., MPH, has been named director of the Center for Biomedical Ethics and Society at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Meador succeeds Ellen Wright Clayton, M.D., J.D., Craig-Weaver Professor of Pediatrics, who is stepping down after 12 years as director to devote her attention to her research and policy work, including roles at the...
Magnet update
Jan. 5, 2012—The American Nurses Credentialing Center appraisers will be at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and clinics Feb. 20-24. With just seven weeks to go, VUMC nursing leaders are encouraging everyone to re-familiarize themselves with Vanderbilt’s Nursing Professional Practice Model that illustrates how nurses practice, collaborate, communicate and develop professionally. Vanderbilt’s Professional Practice Model – on paper...
Fishing for heart attack repair tools
Jan. 5, 2012—Managing myocardial infarction – and the resulting heart failure – remains a clinical challenge. To search for chemicals that can stimulate cardiac muscle cell production, Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology investigators led by Tao Zhong, Ph.D., Terri Ni, Ph.D., and Eric Rellinger, M.D., turned to a novel drug discovery tool: zebrafish. The researchers visually screened...
Clues to flattened faces
Jan. 5, 2012—Mutations in the Jagged1 gene cause Alagille syndrome, an inherited disorder that affects the liver, heart, kidneys and facial structure. Patients with Alagille syndrome often have a prominent forehead, a flattened midface and a prominent chin; some have a cleft palate. To investigate how mutations in Jagged1 cause facial anomalies, Steven Goudy, M.D., and colleagues...
Meds’ benefits differ in dialysis patients
Jan. 5, 2012—About half of kidney patients will die from heart disease within five years of starting dialysis, yet patients with kidney failure are rarely included in heart disease research. Jorge Gamboa, M.D., T. Alp Ikizler, M.D., and Nancy Brown, M.D., completed a small study that suggests a more personalized approach to selecting medication for heart disease...
Green tea totals colorectal cancer
Jan. 5, 2012—Tea and its phytochemical constituents have demonstrated anti-cancer properties in cell and animal experiments – particularly green tea, which has higher levels of antioxidant polyphenols than other types of tea. Gong Yang, M.D., MPH, and colleagues evaluated the association between green tea consumption and colorectal cancer risk in participants of the Shanghai Men’s Health Study....
Study uses art to spur patients to walk after surgery
Jan. 5, 2012—Following cardiac surgery, patients are encouraged to get out of bed and walk as soon as possible, a daunting task to many who may be experiencing pain or a reluctance to exert themselves. Protocol has cardiac surgery patients walk three laps around the halls of 5 South and 6 South of Vanderbilt University Hospital three...
Johnson named VUMC Biomedical Informatics chair
Dec. 22, 2011—Kevin Johnson, M.D., M.S., professor and vice chair of the Department of Biomedical Informatics (DBMI) and professor of Pediatrics, has been named the department’s new chair after an extensive national search. His appointment is effective Jan. 1, 2012. Johnson succeeds Daniel Masys, M.D., who retired in June. As the new chair, Johnson will be responsible...
Record number of VU faculty elected to AAAS
Dec. 22, 2011—Fourteen members of Vanderbilt University’s faculty have been elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) this year. This is the largest number of Vanderbilt fellows to be elected in a single year on record. They are among 539 fellows from around the country selected by their peers because of their...
Informatics team creates gene app, wins national contest
Dec. 9, 2011—Members of informatics team have been recognized by National Library of Medicine for gene app.
