Department of Medicine

W. Kimryn Rathmell, MD, PhD, Cornelius A. Craig Professor of Medicine and director of the Division of Hematology and Oncology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), has been elected to the nominating committee for the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

Impaired swallowing — dysphagia — affects 3 percent of hospital inpatients, who have longer hospital stays and are more likely to require post-acute care services.

Genetic counseling is one of the fastest growing health professions in the country. Demand for genetic counselors is far outpacing the number of trained specialists, prompting the creation of a new degree program at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. The Board of Trust recently approved a master of genetic counseling degree, and the first students are expected to enroll for the fall 2019 semester.

Eight current faculty members at Vanderbilt have made this year’s list of scientists whose papers have been cited most frequently by other researchers.

Vanderbilt researchers have identified a biomarker that could be used to predict pancreatic cancer risk.

Recent findings suggest that vitamin C deficiency could contribute to Alzheimer’s disease, suggesting that avoiding deficiency through diet and supplementation could protect against disease onset.

When David Robertson, MD, sorted through 39 years’ worth of textbooks, journals and framed photographs in Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s (VUMC) Clinical Research Center (CRC) recently as he prepared for retirement, the memory that brought him to tears was a 30-year-old embroidery piece by his daughter, Rose Robertson Pink.