Department of Biomedical Informatics

Peter Embí, Department of Biomedical Informatics chair, to step down

DBMI is one of the nation’s largest departments of its kind in academic medicine and consists of more than 130 faculty who focus on different aspects of biomedical informatics.

Jill Simmons, MD, and John Shelley found that adding a genetic measure of height to the evaluation of children with short stature might improve diagnosis and clinical outcomes. (photo by Erin O. Smith)

Polygenic score for height could improve diagnosis for children with short stature: study

Even after comprehensive testing, about 30% of children with short stature — height below the third percentile on a growth chart — do not have a definitive diagnosis, leading to extended surveillance, testing and anxiety.

Where are all the Alzheimer’s drugs?

A new study will use innovative methods developed at VUMC to look for drugs already approved for other uses that could potentially be repurposed to treat Alzheimer’s.

Team finds a better way to identify newborns at risk for opioid withdrawal

By 2017, on the back of the opioid crisis, the rate of neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome in the U.S. was estimated to have reached 7.3 per 1000 deliveries. Meanwhile, many newborns exposed to opioids in utero never develop the syndrome and must undergo needless monitoring in the hospital after birth.

Weight-loss surgery associated with reduced dementia

An observational study found that bariatric surgery was associated with 63% reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

How researchers are enlisting volunteers to help shape clinical trials

Through a new tool offered by ResearchMatch, researchers planning trials can quickly survey potential participants about topics ranging from participant compensation to protocol design.

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