coronavirus Archives
Rounds: “Simply Unfinished:” Our path to vaccination
Feb. 22, 2021—I was among the millions moved by the poetic words of Amanda Gorman, the National Youth Poet Laureate who spoke so eloquently at the Presidential Inauguration. The many inequities in opportunity ingrained in race and ethnicity have become all the more visible in the COVID-19 pandemic. People of color have shouldered a disproportionate burden of...
Take care of you: 5 Takeaways from Leadership Assembly
Feb. 18, 2021—In the 351 days since the COVID-19 Command Center opened to steer Vanderbilt University Medical Center through the pandemic, the workforce stepped up and contributed, keeping the health system on track to deliver care even as the landscape quaked with new challenges.
Data mart speeds recruitment for COVID research
Feb. 11, 2021—The arrival last March of the COVID-19 pandemic in Tennessee presented challenges for the clinical research enterprise at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Prompt recruitment of patients newly diagnosed with COVID-19 into clinical trials was, and remains, a public health imperative with top-level backing from the federal government.
More than 1,000 receive antibody infusions for COVID-19 at VUMC
Feb. 10, 2021—As of Feb. 1,065 outpatients have received antibody infusions since the clinic opened on Nov. 18. Clinic officials estimated that the infusions have prevented about 70 patients from developing severe COVID-19 illness requiring hospitalization or emergency department evaluation.
Convalescent plasma improved survival in COVID-19 patients with blood cancers
Feb. 5, 2021—Treatment with convalescent plasma vastly improved the survival rate of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 who also had hematologic malignances that compromise the immune system, according to new data released by the COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium (CCC19).
Grand rounds focuses on mental health, wellness
Feb. 4, 2021—Advanced practice nurses, physician assistants and hospital leaders from around Vanderbilt University Medical Center gathered over Zoom on Jan. 19 for the kickoff of Advanced Practice Grand Rounds, the monthly educational series organized by the Office of Advanced Practice.
Study’s findings may help eventually close the door on COVID-19
Jan. 28, 2021—Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston have discovered what may be the Achilles’ heel of the coronavirus, a finding that may help close the door on COVID-19 and possibly head off future pandemics.
Residents, fellows step up to help care for COVID patients
Jan. 14, 2021—Following a Thanksgiving surge that led to record numbers of admissions of patients with COVID-19, residents and fellows from multiple disciplines have come together under the direction and supervision of critical care attendings to provide the best care to critically ill patients in Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit.
Vanderbilt Health Employer Solutions pivots during first year
Jan. 14, 2021—In early 2020, several groups at Vanderbilt University Medical Center were busy planning an in-person event to announce the creation of Vanderbilt Health Employer Solutions, a team designed to provide workforce health and wellness services to businesses of all types and sizes. By March, it was clear that area employers needed a trusted source of information and support to manage the COVID-19 pandemic.
Neurology survey reveals high satisfaction for telehealth
Jan. 14, 2021—A post-visit outpatient survey from VUMC’s Department of Neurology, conducted under an ongoing departmental quality improvement initiative, has turned up additional evidence of high satisfaction with telehealth among both patients and clinicians.
Large study finds higher burden of acute brain dysfunction for COVID-19 ICU patients
Jan. 8, 2021—COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care in the early months of the pandemic were subject to a significantly higher burden of delirium and coma than is typically found in patients with acute respiratory failure. Choice of sedative medications and curbs on family visitation played a role in increasing acute brain dysfunction for these patients.
Medical student addresses food needs during pandemic
Dec. 29, 2020—“Families being affected by the financial impact of the coronavirus made the subject of food insecurity more important than ever. Children seemed to be a vulnerable population that would benefit from a project like this."
