Department of Medicine

The recipient of the 2,000th transplant was Wes Carter, 37, a real estate agent from Pensacola, Florida, who first noticed an irregular heart rhythm in his mid-20s.

At neurology clinics the system was used to flag 8% of arriving patients as having relatively high risk for suicide attempt in the next 30 days.

The center was created earlier this year to save the lives of patients waiting for a transplant and improve outcomes for patients after they receive a transplant.

Currently, methods to detect early, obesity-related accumulation of fat in the liver other than a liver biopsy — the surgical removal of liver tissue for microscopic examination — are limited. But there is hope.

With funding from the newly established Sarah Kyle Anorexia Nervosa Research Foundation, the researchers hope to identify biomarkers that will point to novel targets for prevention and treatment.

Drucker and his team study the molecular biology and physiology of the GLP-1 and GLP-2 molecules that regulate glucose metabolism, insulin secretion and energy balance.

“How much closer to an angel can you get than a little bitty baby struggling for life?” said Dean Driver, 91, who converted a panel truck into VUMC’s first neonatal transport in his driveway.