Department of Health Policy

October 29, 2021

HCV infection among pregnant women increasing

By Emily Stembridge
October 13, 2021

Study shows link between neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome and foster care entry

Vanderbilt research has revealed the close relationship between neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome and the number of infants entering foster care.

By Jill Clendening
September 17, 2021

Grant creates center for maternal, pediatric precision therapeutics

Vanderbilt University Medical Center has been awarded a five-year, $6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to serve as a center of excellence for Maternal and Pediatric Precision in Therapeutics.

By Christina Echegaray
August 12, 2021

VUMC expands programming in effort to help pregnant and postpartum women, infants in opioid crisis

A newly created program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center is aiming to address the increasing toll the opioid crisis is having on pregnant and postpartum women and their infants.

By Jessica Pasley
June 2, 2021

Dusetzina appointed to federal Medicare Payment Advisory Commission

Stacie Dusetzina, PhD, associate professor of Health Policy and Ingram Associate Professor of Cancer Research at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, has been appointed to a three-year term on the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC).

By Jake Lowary
May 3, 2021

VUMC’s Lee among group to earn Kenneth J. Arrow Award for health economics research

Scott Lee, MD, PhD, MPA, MPhil, assistant professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has received the Kenneth J. Arrow Award for health economics research given by the International Health Economics Association.

By Jake Lowary
April 26, 2021

Study finds increased risk of serious opioid events in mothers, regardless of dose

A new study from Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers finds that new mothers who receive opioids after uncomplicated vaginal births face an increased risk of serious opioid-related events regardless of the opioid dosage, a finding that could significantly impact care delivery.
By Jake Lowary
March 31, 2021

Physician-scientists Aliyu, Tindle elected to ASCI

Vanderbilt’s Muktar Aliyu, MBBS, MPH, DrPH, and Hilary Tindle, MD, MPH, will be inducted this year into the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI), an elite honor society of physician-scientists from the upper ranks of academic medicine and industry.
By Bill Snyder
March 15, 2021

Preterm births in Tennessee decreased during pandemic

Statewide stay-at-home orders put in place as Tennessee fought to control the spread of coronavirus last March were associated with a 14% lower rate of preterm birth, according to a research letter published today in JAMA Pediatrics.
By Craig Boerner
February 18, 2021

VUMC investigator expands HIV research into South Africa

A Vanderbilt University Medical Center investigator is hoping to improve access to HIV testing in South Africa, where more than 7 million people are known to have the virus, by training traditional healers to perform the tests.
By Jake Lowary
January 21, 2021

Poll finds Tennessee parents concerned about education, children’s mental health as COVID-19 presses on

The latest Vanderbilt Child Health Poll release found that many Tennessee parents are worried about the mental health of their children during the COVID-19 pandemic, and over 80% of parents had concerns about their children attending school remotely. The Poll also revealed that schooling practices and mental health concerns have varied widely among Tennessee families of different racial and economic groups.
By Jake Lowary
January 12, 2021

Study shows drastic increases in opioid-affected births

The rate of mothers who had an opioid-related diagnosis when delivering their baby increased by 131% from 2010-2017, as the incidence of babies diagnosed with drug withdrawal, known as neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), increased by 82% nationally during that same time period.
By Craig Boerner
December 8, 2020

Poll shows fewer than 6 in 10 Tennessee parents report wearing masks all the time, nearly half won’t vaccinate their children for COVID-19

Many Tennessee parents are not wearing masks consistently to control community spread of COVID-19, despite recommendations from public health officials, according to new a poll conducted by the Vanderbilt Center for Child Health Policy.
By Jake Lowary