Department of Health Policy

December 3, 2020

Panel discusses current health policy landscape

The difficulty of policymaking with a divided government and electorate was the underlying theme of the Research into Policy and Practice webinar sponsored by the Department of Health Policy at Vanderbilt University Medical Center as panelists and attendees gathered virtually to take measure of the post-election American landscape, over which hangs the pall of a surging pandemic.

By Jill Clendening
December 3, 2020

JAMA Health Forum to become full-fledged journal in 2021

Just a year after its founding as an online channel of information, the Journal of the American Medical Association’s (JAMA’s) Health Forum will become a full-fledged journal in January 2021.

By Jake Lowary
November 16, 2020

Younger parents less likely to vaccinate their children and themselves against COVID-19

Younger parents were much less likely than older parents to say they planned to vaccinate their children and themselves against COVID-19.

By Craig Boerner
November 12, 2020

Model helps predict which infants may go on to develop NAS

A new Vanderbilt-designed prediction model may make it easier to determine which infants will go on to develop neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), a drug withdrawal syndrome in newborns that occurs after exposure to opioids during pregnancy.

By Nancy Humphrey
November 10, 2020

Tennessee areas without mask requirements have higher death toll per capita

Tennessee areas where mask requirements were instituted over the summer have substantially lower death rates due to COVID-19 as compared to areas without mask requirements, according to a new analysis by Vanderbilt Department of Health Policy researchers.

By Jake Lowary
November 5, 2020

Screening younger women for hereditary cancers may be cost effective

Population-wide screening for genetic variants linked to hereditary breast and ovarian cancer may be cost effective in women between the ages of 20 and 35, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open.

By Tom Wilemon
October 30, 2020

VUMC study finds faster, wider spread of COVID-19 in U.S. households

COVID-19 spreads faster and more widely throughout U.S. households than previously reported, according to new preliminary research from a multicenter study led by Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers and published in, a weekly report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
By Jake Lowary
October 27, 2020

Study finds areas without mask requirements have larger increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations

All areas of Tennessee have seen a resurgence in hospitalized COVID-19 patients since early October, but hospitals that draw patients from counties without masking requirements are experiencing much sharper increases, according to a new analysis from researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
By Jake Lowary
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
September 10, 2020

Roumie to direct Master of Public Health program

Christianne Roumie, MD, MPH, has been named director of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Master of Public Health program, a two-year interdisciplinary program accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health.
By Jake Lowary
September 3, 2020

MPH students dive in to support COVID-19 response

Graduates from Vanderbilt’s Master in Public Health (MPH) program didn’t plan to become front-line soldiers against the COVID-19 global pandemic, but several have found themselves putting their training — and their career goals — front and center.
By Jake Lowary
August 14, 2020

Study finds patients’ access to opioid treatment cumbersome

Women are having a difficult time getting into treatment for opioid addictions, according to a Vanderbilt University Medical Center study published today in JAMA Open.
By Craig Boerner
August 10, 2020

New analysis finds association between masking requirements and slower growth in COVID-19 hospitalizations

In a new analysis, researchers from the Department of Health Policy at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and Vanderbilt University Medical Center have found a relationship between the growth of hospitalizations and masking requirements put in place across the state.
By Jake Lowary