Department of Medicine

Kelly Dooley, MD, PhD, MPH. (photo by Susan Urmy)
September 11, 2024

Kelly Dooley’s TB research receives MERIT Award from the NIH  

Researchers must continually chase funding for their work. Kelly Dooley’s prestigious award from the NIH is intended to help provide respite from that chase.

By Paul Govern
September 9, 2024

Peptide discovery could advance treatment of high blood pressure

VUMC researchers found that peptides modified by highly reactive compounds called isolevuglandins activated T cells and promoted hypertension in mice. Their first-ever isolation of such peptides is a step toward potentially intervening in this pathologic process.

By Bill Snyder
(iStock image)
September 6, 2024

American College of Cardiology lauds VUMC’s care for heart attack patients

The award program “recognizes hospitals participating in the registry who have demonstrated sustained, top-level performance in quality of care and adherence to guideline recommendations.”

By Matt Batcheldor
September 4, 2024

Bacterial metabolism plays role in staph antibiotic tolerance

Staph is a leading bacterial cause of death from bloodstream, bone and joint infections, in part because of high rates of antibiotic treatment failure.

By Leigh MacMillan
(Adobe Stock)
August 29, 2024

Study finds human milk component may protect adult intestinal health

The research may lead to new treatments for diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease and mucositis, a severe complication of chemotherapy.

By Bill Snyder
(iStock)
August 28, 2024

Vanderbilt and OHSU join forces to train addiction research scholars 

The new training program’s participants will focus their research efforts on substance use with an emphasis on vulnerable populations, such as people living with HIV.

By Tom Wilemon
August 27, 2024

We’re here for you: how to comfort a coworker in grief

How can caregivers be expected to hold the grief of their patients, and their patients’ families, when they are grieving themselves? That was the question addressed at a recent panel discussion at Vanderbilt.
By Bill Snyder
August 26, 2024

Eiman Jahangir on doing a plank without gravity, and seeing Earth’s curvature, colors and ‘the darkness we never appreciate’

Eiman Jahangir joins a select group of about 700 people who have gone to space. Listen to him talk about the experience, why he wants this experience to be more widely available, and what he’s thinking about being back in clinic on Sept. 3.
By Matt Batcheldor
August 21, 2024

High or low oxygen levels are safe during heart surgery: study

Two hundred study participants were assessed for oxidative stress, acute kidney injury, delirium, myocardial injury and atrial fibrillation.
By Matt Batcheldor
August 20, 2024

VUMC participating in clinical trial of novel heart failure treatment  

Patients with a form of heart failure called HFpEF may breathe normally at rest but quickly become breathless with physical activity. The study will test an atrial shunt to relieve high pressure in the heart.
By Craig Boerner
August 13, 2024

$3.4 million research grant targets risk of heart attack, stroke

Making innovative use of observational data, researchers hope to gain new understanding of patient risk and identify existing drugs to lower risk.
By Paul Govern
August 8, 2024

Aspirnaut research interns reach for the stars

The next day, the students, interns in the 16th summer research session of the Aspirnaut STEM pipeline program for diversity, were bound for the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.
By Bill Snyder
August 8, 2024

VA honors Robert Dittus for health professions education

He is the first from VUMC to receive the award, which recognizes “champions” of health professions education who have advanced the VA’s health care education mission.
By Bill Snyder