Division of Cardiovascular Medicine Archives
Study finds certain genetic test not useful in predicting heart disease risk
Feb. 27, 2020—A Polygenic Risk Score — a genetic assessment that doctors have hoped could predict coronary heart disease (CHD) in patients — has been found not to be a useful predictive biomarker for disease risk.
Interim directors of Cardiovascular Medicine named
Jan. 9, 2020—Dan Roden, MD, and Daniel Munoz, have been named interim directors of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Protein dynamics in the beating heart
Dec. 16, 2019—To study the dynamics of structural proteins in the heart, Vanderbilt investigators generated a cellular tool they expect will be useful for screening drugs that affect heart muscle contraction.
Wang to chair Department of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center
Oct. 24, 2019—Thomas Wang, MD, director of Cardiovascular Medicine at VUMC, has been appointed chair of Internal Medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, effective February 2020.
All-in-one pill helps reduce blood pressure, cholesterol
Sep. 19, 2019—A single pill containing low doses of three medications to treat high blood pressure and one to lower cholesterol reduced the estimated risk of cardiovascular disease by 25%, according to a VUMC study.
VUMC investigators receive Keck Foundation award for novel atherosclerosis research
Aug. 26, 2019—A team of researchers has received a $1 million grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation to explore a novel model of atherosclerosis development.
Microbiome links diet to health
Jun. 20, 2019—Vanderbilt researchers have discovered that the gut microbiome composition modulates how dietary nutrients are metabolized, with potential downstream consequences on metabolic health.
Blueprint for rebuilding the heart
May. 9, 2019—Young-Jae Nam and colleagues are discovering how to express specific factors in connective tissue cells to turn them into heart muscle cells.
Benefits of smoking cessation take time: study
Nov. 15, 2018—People who quit smoking see their risk of cardiovascular disease immediately begin to drop, but it may take up to 16 years for their health to reach the level of someone who has never smoked, according to a new Vanderbilt study.
Enzyme protects against obesity-related heart disease
Jun. 7, 2018—Vanderbilt scientists have discovered that a certain enzyme plays a crucial role in preventing obesity-related cardiac dysfunction.
Wang set to lead cardiology association
Jan. 11, 2018—Thomas Wang, MD, Gottlieb C. Friesinger II Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and director of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, was recently named president-elect of the Association of Professors of Cardiology (APC) for 2018. He will subsequently serve as the president of the group in 2019.
Smoking study personalizes treatment
Nov. 16, 2017—A simple blood test is allowing Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) researchers to determine which patients should be prescribed varenicline (Chantix) to stop smoking and which patients could do just as well, and avoid side effects, by using a nicotine patch.
