Division of Allergy Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine

September 1, 2021

Alarming number of pregnant COVID-19 patients hospitalized in August

Vanderbilt University Hospital treated 39 pregnant patients hospitalized with active COVID-19 infections in August, 10 of whom were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU).

By Emily Stembridge
July 2, 2021

New Clinician Spotlight: Katie McPherson

Katie McPherson, MD, assistant professor of Medicine, has joined Vanderbilt University Medical Center after completing a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine at the University of Colorado in Aurora.

By VUMC News and Communications
May 20, 2021

Type 2 diabetes medication shown to benefit asthma patients

Type 2 diabetes patients who also have asthma are benefitting from a diabetes medication, typically given to help the pancreas produce more insulin, that also improves asthma symptoms and may reduce lung and airway inflammation.

By Craig Boerner
May 17, 2021

Vanderbilt mourns loss of pulmonary medicine pioneer Richard Light

Richard Light, MD, professor of Medicine in the Division of Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care, died May 11 from injuries he sustained from a fall. He was 79.

By Kathy Whitney
April 6, 2021

Vanderbilt mourns the passing of Pierre Massion

Pierre Massion, MD, Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair and Professor of Medicine, an internationally known expert on early detection and prevention strategies for lung cancer, died April 4 of an apparent heart attack. He was 58.

By Tom Wilemon
April 1, 2021

Stone lands faculty development award

The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Foundation has awarded a three-year, $240,000 Faculty Development Award to Cosby Stone Jr., MD, MPH, instructor in Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

By Paul Govern
March 25, 2021

Team studies new use for pulmonary hypertension drug

An FDA-approved medication enhances the function of T regulatory cells (Treg), a class of immune cells that restrains the immune response, Vanderbilt investigators have discovered.
By Leigh MacMillan
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 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 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

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
November 18, 2020

Why does COVID-19 seem to spare children? Vanderbilt University Medical Center study offers an answer 

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and their colleagues have determined a key factor as to why COVID-19 appears to infect and sicken adults and older people preferentially while seeming to spare younger children. 
By Bill Snyder
November 18, 2020

Collaborative Vanderbilt Lung Institute launches

By Matt Batcheldor