Ashley Leech Archive — Page 1 of 1

A glowing seedling emerging from dark soil, surrounded by white line icons for an idea, note, pencil, checklist, magnifying glass, and upward-trending arrows.
October 13, 2026

New grants will advance research into maternal substance use, sickle cell, wheelchair policy, GLP-1 use during pregnancy  

Health Policy faculty awarded more than $15 million in federal grants to study pregnancy and maternal health outcomes; device access; and prevention of infections for children with sickle cell disease.  

By Jake Lowary
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September 10, 2025

Study reveals new evidence, cost savings for common treatments for opioid use disorder in mothers and infants

Researchers found that while established medications for opioid use disorder in mothers are both superior and cost saving compared to alternative treatment pathways, buprenorphine produced the greatest health gains and cost savings for mothers and infants.

By Jake Lowary
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August 28, 2023

Study on miscarriage management finds combination treatment is more efficient and cost effective

Vanderbilt research finds that only 1% of 22,116 commercially insured women ages 15-49 with medically managed miscarriages received the recommended combination of mifepristone.

By Danny Bonvissuto
White tablets spilled from an open orange prescription bottle, with additional pill bottles blurred in the background.
August 7, 2023

Effective medications for opioid use disorder rarely used

Vanderbilt research shows that most individuals diagnosed with opioid use disorder are not on recommended medications and even fewer remain in care.

By Craig Boerner
Portrait of Ashley Leech, PhD, a smiling woman with long wavy blonde hair and glasses, wearing a black top and blazer.
September 17, 2020

HIV prevention medication not being prescribed routinely: study

Only about 54% of medical practitioners surveyed say they have prescribed pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, to HIV-vulnerable patients, according to a new study by a Vanderbilt University Medical Center investigator.

By Jake Lowary
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May 12, 2020

Study finds newborn opioid withdrawal rates show evidence of stabilizing

Rates of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) have plateaued after 20 years of increasing frequency across the country, according to a new study published in Health Affairs. NAS is a withdrawal syndrome experienced by some opioid-exposed newborns after birth.

By Vanderbilt Health News