Department of Medicine

October 23, 2025

New resources help people take action to prevent inherited diseases

To launch a connection search, someone with a specific gene variant signs up to meet others who share that variant, beginning a process of discovering new connections with unknown relatives and encouraging family members to get tested.

By Tom Wilemon
The team studying how to control sepsis in the lungs and kidneys includes, from left, Huan Qiao, MD, PhD Jacek Hawiger, MD, PhD, Jozef Zienkiewicz, PhD, and Yan Liu, MD, MS. (photo by Erin O. Smith)
October 22, 2025

New sepsis therapy developed at VUMC edges closer to the clinic

Jacek Hawiger and his colleagues report that a “peptide genomic therapy” given in combination with an antibiotic nearly doubles survival rates from sepsis in an animal model, compared to treatment with antibiotic alone.

By Bill Snyder
October 20, 2025

Collaborative forms to better predict, prevent and treat Type 1 diabetes

The new project will map Type 1 diabetes progression using multimodal artificial intelligence alongside a wide range of health data.

October 17, 2025

Remembrances of Levi Watkins Jr., MD, shared to honor his legacy

Watkins was a leading surgeon, physician-scientist, mentor and role model for countless students, trainees and faculty members.

By Jill Clendening
October 15, 2025

VIGH’s Douglas Heimburger retires

He helped create research training opportunities for doctoral and postdoctoral trainees at Vanderbilt as well as those from low- and middle-income countries.

By Kristin Centers
October 15, 2025

New NCI-funded project targets polyp recurrence to prevent colon cancer

The researchers anticipate that their findings will inform personalized colorectal polyp surveillance, guide therapeutic prevention strategies, and ultimately reduce the burden of colorectal cancer nationwide.

By Leigh MacMillan
October 14, 2025

VUMC researchers awarded $2 million to expand AI-powered medical record abstraction

The grant extension will expand applications in research, clinical trials, registries and national collaborations.
October 9, 2025

Study to explore risk factors for heart disease in patients with cirrhosis and liver transplant recipients

The NIH-funded study will be the first U.S.-based prospective investigation of cirrhotic cardiomyopathy in patients with severe liver disease.
By Matt Batcheldor
October 9, 2025

Study finds confusion in blood tests for Alzheimer’s

Even mild levels of kidney dysfunction affected the levels of several blood-based biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease.
By Paul Govern
October 7, 2025

Human milk pasteurization method impacts preterm infant microbiome

Researchers used whole-metagenome sequencing to assess the composition, diversity and functional enrichment of the preterm infant gut microbiome — the microorganisms that aid digestion, immune function and metabolism.
By Leigh MacMillan
October 6, 2025

Legacy Circle Spotlight Series

Donors are welcomed into the Legacy Circle when they make a lasting gift to the Medical Center through their will, retirement plan, life insurance policy or trust.
By Crystal Brownell
October 2, 2025

New model to assess antibiotic allergies found to benefit transplant patients

By delabeling multiple antibiotics in the same visit, the Vanderbilt Health team can reduce the number of visits from patients.
By Matt Batcheldor
October 1, 2025

Symposium honors personalized medicine leader Dan Roden

Roden is internationally known for his contributions to understanding arrhythmias and to the field of pharmacogenomics.
By Bill Snyder