Michael R. DeBaun, M.D., J.C. Peterson Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at Vanderbilt, will be the keynote speaker at the 13th Annual Levi Watkins Jr. Lecture.

College athletes who play contact sports are more than twice as likely to carry the deadly superbug methicillin-resistant Staphylocuccus aureus (MRSA) than peers who play non-contact sports, according to a Vanderbilt study released at IDWeek 2014.

The Vanderbilt Cardio-Oncology program has fostered a special collaborative relationship combining the expertise of cardiologists and oncologists to understand the effects of cancer therapy on the heart. This type of collaboration is now helping to define the cardiovascular health of more than 14 million cancer survivors in the United States.

The Nashville Predators Foundation recently presented a $318,242 check to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt for the 365 Pediatric Cancer Fund.

Steven Webber, MBChB, MRCP, detailed the Department of Pediatrics’ accomplishments over the past year and looked ahead in Tuesday’s annual State of the Department address.

Vanderbilt-led research found regular blood transfusion therapy significantly reduces the recurrence of strokes in children with sickle cell anemia who have previously had "silent" strokes.

Michael R. DeBaun, M.D., MPH, has been recognized by the American Society of Hematology (ASH) for his significant contributions and research advances in the area of sickle cell disease.