Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) is known for world-renowned research, national leadership in training health care professionals and for the most cutting-edge medical care for complex conditions.

Galen Perdikis, M.D., professor and chair of the Division of Plastic Surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, has been named professor and chair of Vanderbilt’s Department of Plastic Surgery. His appointment is effective Aug. 1.

A study conducted by researchers in the Department of Anesthesiology found a clinical information systems protocol, developed by the department’s Vanderbilt Perioperative Information Management Systems (VPIMS) developer group, improved management of blood glucose during the intraoperative period, resulting in reduced instances of hyperglycemia as well as a reduction in surgical site infections in diabetic patients and those with impaired glucose control following surgical procedures.

Neat stacks of paper are lined up on the desk of Timothy Geiger, M.D., with each stack representing a challenge. For example, one sheet has a flow chart sketched on it — Geiger’s musing on ways to more efficiently use Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s (VUMC) operating rooms, matching the best locations with case types and surgical teams.

Last fall, the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center became the second facility in the country and third in the world to use a fully endoscopic surgical technique to remove an acoustic neuroma, a rare benign tumor on the balance and hearing nerves.

James O’Neill, M.D., professor of Surgery and former chair of the Section of Surgical Sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), has received an International Surgical Volunteerism Award from the American College of Surgeons (ACS) for more than three decades of service as a surgeon and educator in medically underserved countries.

Just as pilots and members of the military go through boot camp and simulation exercises early in their training so they are prepared to respond in real-life situations, first-year cardiothoracic fellows at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) recently experienced their own specially designed boot camp centered around a new high-fidelity simulator that realistically re-recreates cardiac procedures so they are better prepared for the operating room.