Department of Medicine

November 3, 2024

Greenlight study demonstrates effective early intervention in preventing childhood obesity

Researchers examined if childhood obesity could be prevented by leveraging a combination of health behavior counseling offered by pediatric primary care clinicians and modern digital health literacy tools.

By Christina Echegaray
October 30, 2024

Genetic risk, sexual trauma associated with mental illness: study

Evaluating how genetic risk interacts with environmental risk factors such as sexual trauma is important for understanding how mental illness develops and identifying high-risk groups for early intervention.

By Leigh MacMillan
Michael Gibson, MD, PhD
October 30, 2024

Michael Gibson votes with FDA panel to limit immunotherapy indication 

The panel determined that allowing the wider indication would put patients at risk for adverse reactions from the two immunotherapies but without the added benefit in survival. 

By Tom Wilemon
October 25, 2024

Blockbuster obesity drugs also may slow kidney disease

The report supports previous clinical trials that found the GLP-1 receptor agonist drug semaglutide reduced kidney disease progression in patients with Type 2 diabetes.

By Bill Snyder
October 22, 2024

VUMC, Nigeria teaching hospital to study genetic risk of fibroids based on regional African ancestry

The research team will analyze existing genome-wide association study data and RNA sequencing to compare fibroid development patterns in Nigerian women and U.S. Black women, which could point to targeted therapies and management strategies for affected women.

By Kristin Centers
Anna Person, MD
October 21, 2024

Anna Person honored for teaching by Infectious Diseases Society of America

Person, an award citation reads in part, “has been a champion for empathy and equity in caring for patients. … She models for her learners how to compassionately care.”

By Paul Govern
October 21, 2024

Clue to salt-sensitive blood pressure found

Despite the well-established link between high salt intake and cardiovascular disease and stroke, the mechanism of SSBP is poorly understood, and it remains an untreatable cardiovascular risk with no widely available diagnostic tool.
By Bill Snyder
October 16, 2024

Danielle Dean receives award for excellence in the field of islet research

Dean identified a liver-alpha cell axis (LACA), a crosstalk between liver glucagon signaling and alpha cell sensing of amino acids.
By Jill Clendening
October 16, 2024

Study of severe drug reactions finds skin cells activate their own assassins

Single-cell analysis reveals the inner workings of the life-threatening adverse drug reactions Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis.
By Paul Govern
October 15, 2024

Cathy Eng named Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center associate director of Strategic Relations and Research Partnerships 

Her new responsibilities will include promoting clinical research by developing new strategic partnerships with pharmaceutical and biotech companies.
By Tom Wilemon
October 7, 2024

Kimberlyn Ellis selected as 2024 Vanderbilt Prize Student Scholar

Ellis is a computational geneticist with a long-term goal of bridging genomics, bioethics and health policy to promote equitable precision medicine for minority populations.
By Leigh MacMillan
October 7, 2024

New Video: Study shows cancer vaccine blocks tumor progression at early lesion stage

Senior author Mary Philip, MD, PhD, associate director of the Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology and Inflammation, talks about her Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer study. The findings support further vaccine investigation to make long-term, progression-free survival a reality for more cancer patients.
By Tom Wilemon
October 7, 2024

VUMC hosts International Lung Cancer Consortium meeting 

The consortium is coordinated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer with the aim of sharing data from ongoing lung cancer case-control and cohort studies.
By Tom Wilemon