Department of Surgery

Martin Montenovo, MD, left, and Wali Johnson, MD, perform a liver transplant in 2024. (photo by Erin O. Smith)
July 2, 2025

Scientific advances helping to increase the number of available organs for transplantation

These advances include emerging techniques of rehabilitating organs that would once have been discarded as unusable.

By Matt Batcheldor
(iStock)
June 26, 2025

Lower health literacy increases mortality risk for cancer patients

Patients who had high health literacy on the screening lived 9.4 months longer compared to those with low health literacy.

By Tom Wilemon
Lung transplant patient Michelle Ankele-Yamashita. (photo by Erin O. Smith)
June 18, 2025

Transplant patient’s long journey brings her from the Aloha State to the Volunteer State

She was turned down by multiple transplant centers between Honolulu and Nashville, deemed too sick, before the Vanderbilt Lung Transplant Program accepted her as a patient.

By Matt Batcheldor
June 17, 2025

Drug shows safety, efficacy for precancerous stomach lesions

The drug also showed promise that it could be the first therapeutic intervention against precancerous lesions in the stomach.

By Tom Wilemon
Joseph Magliocca, MD
June 17, 2025

Joseph Magliocca elected to transplantation network board

The OPTN is a unique public-private partnership that links all professionals involved in the U.S. donation and transplantation system.

By Matt Batcheldor
Aimal Khan, MD, with one of the 3D models he created to use during preoperative consultations. (photo by Donn Jones)
June 9, 2025

Presurgery consults with patients using 3D models improve shared decision-making and reduce anxiety 

The models allowed patients to easily distinguish the ascending colon from the sigmoid colon, along with other parts of the digestive system.

By Tom Wilemon
June 5, 2025

David Shaffer leaves lasting legacy on Vanderbilt’s Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Program

Shaffer led the kidney transplant program to become one of the largest in the nation and made significant contributions to clinical care, research, teaching and service.
By Matt Batcheldor
June 3, 2025

AI researchers develop new technologies for cancer care  

These new technologies showcase how VUMC researchers are using the power of AI to meet a wide range of medical needs.
By Tom Wilemon
May 22, 2025

Sister’s kidney donation to her brother is a dream come true

The siblings, both recovering from surgery, admitted they were best friends, a bond that has grown even deeper since the transplant.
By Jessica Pasley
April 21, 2025

Eunyoung Choi receives American Gastroenterological Association award 

Choi was honored for her work defining key oncogenes critical to gastric carcinogenesis, and for identifying potential drug candidates to target gastric precancerous stem cells.
By Tom Wilemon
April 18, 2025

Veteran Emergency Operations leader John Morris Jr. to pass torch to Tucker Anderson, Michael Smith

Anderson and Smith have been named co-medical directors and will succeed Morris, who is stepping down from the role after over a decade of leadership.
By Evan Dorian
April 14, 2025

Kenneth Jacobs remembered for long career supporting surgical resident training 

The J. Kenneth Jacobs Fellowship in Surgery was established in Dr. Jacobs’ honor to support surgical residents during their laboratory years.
By Jill Clendening
April 4, 2025

Study details genetic architecture of congenital diarrheal disorders in infants

The findings represent a significant advance toward development of more effective, targeted therapies for congenital diarrhea and enteropathies
By Bill Snyder
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