Department of Medicine

March 15, 2021

Roden honored with Oscar B. Hunter Career Award in Therapeutics

Dan Roden, MD, Senior Vice President for Personalized Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, received the Oscar B. Hunter Career Award in Therapeutics last week at the virtual annual meeting of the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

By Leigh MacMillan
Contributors to the COVID-19 microbiome study include (front row, from left) Julie Bastarache, MD, Meghan Shilts, MS, MHS, (middle row, from left) Jodell Jackson, PhD, Suman Das, PhD, Angela Jones, MS, (back row, from left) Jonathan Schmitz, PhD, MD, Simon Mallal, MBBS, and Jordan Best, PhD.
March 11, 2021

‘Friendly’ bacteria may impact COVID severity

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded Vanderbilt University Medical Center a two-year, $3.7-million contract to determine genetic and bacterial factors that may increase the risk for severe illness and death from COVID-19.

By Bill Snyder
March 11, 2021

Electronic health record study discovers novel hormone deficiency

A novel hormone deficiency may exist in humans, Vanderbilt investigators have discovered. In an analysis of two decades worth of electronic health records, the researchers found that some patients have unexpectedly low levels of natriuretic peptide hormone in clinical situations that should cause high levels of the hormone.

By Leigh MacMillan
March 9, 2021

Study incorporates genetics with smoking history to identify high-risk smokers for lung cancer screening

A study by Vanderbilt researchers that analyzed both smoking history and genetic risk variants for lung cancer supports modifying current guidelines to include additional smokers for lung cancer screening.

By Tom Wilemon
March 9, 2021

Markers for breast cancer progression

Vanderbilt researchers clarify how a microRNA associated with triple-negative breast cancer survival inhibits cancer progression, suggesting new treatment strategies.

By Sarah E. Glass
February 25, 2021

School of Medicine Faculty Advisory Council Re-Established

After a several-year hiatus, the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Faculty Advisory Council has been re-established to represent the School’s 3,000-plus faculty.

By John Howser
February 25, 2021

Gift in memory of Phran Galante boosts lung cancer research

A gift in memory of music industry executive and community philanthropist Phran Galante will support the work of Christine Lovly, MD, PhD, associate professor of Medicine and Ingram Professor of Cancer Research, to improve targeted therapies for lung cancer.
By Tom Wilemon
February 11, 2021

Vanderbilt, Zambia researchers find delirium in hospitalized patients linked to mortality, disability in Sub-Saharan Africa

Delirium, a form of acute brain dysfunction, is widespread in critically ill patients in lower resourced hospitals, and the duration of delirium predicted both mortality and disability at six months after discharge, according to a study published in PLOS ONE.
By Holly Fletcher
February 11, 2021

Clinical Trials Unit lands major grant renewal

Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have received renewal of a major federal grant to continue their collaboration to test and develop new treatments and vaccines against HIV/AIDS — and now COVID-19.
By Bill Snyder
February 10, 2021

Vanderbilt Health now offering endoscopy at One Hundred Oaks

The new Endoscopy Lab at One Hundred Oaks has expanded Vanderbilt Health’s options for endoscopic procedures including colonoscopies to screen for colorectal cancer.
By Leigh MacMillan
February 5, 2021

Convalescent plasma improved survival in COVID-19 patients with blood cancers

Treatment with convalescent plasma vastly improved the survival rate of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 who also had hematologic malignances that compromise the immune system, according to new data released by the COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium (CCC19).
By Tom Wilemon
February 4, 2021

New clue to postural tachycardia

Insight into the pathophysiology of an enigmatic and debilitating disease suggests new treatment approaches.
By Bill Snyder
February 4, 2021

Device offers less invasive option to treat emphysema

Life with emphysema, a lung condition that causes shortness of breath, can be miserable. People with advanced emphysema, a form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), are so short of breath they may need supplemental oxygen just to walk from room to room. They often have trouble with everyday tasks like bathing or cooking a meal.
By Nancy Humphrey