Division of Pediatric Hospital Medicine Archive — Page 1 of 3

(photo by Erin O. Smith)
August 3, 2026

Vanderbilt pediatricians Meg Rush and Cristin Fritz recognized with top awards

The Tennessee Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics honors Rush and Fritz for their advocacy and commitment to improving child health.

Kris Rehm poses smiling in a light pink blazer beside a pedestal topped with a green sphere, with colorful artwork and a blue star-patterned barrier in the background.
July 21, 2026

Kris Rehm elected Master in Hospital Medicine

The designation by the Society of Hospital Medicine recognizes physicians whose careers have been marked by outstanding leadership, service, innovation and lasting contributions to hospital medicine and health care.

Stylized dark-blue map background showing glowing blue neighborhood boundaries and street grids.
June 3, 2026

Study finds link between neighborhood opportunity and mental health-related hospitalizations in youths

Opportunity is measured by the Child Opportunity Index 3.0, a publicly available, multidimensional metric that captures neighborhood conditions that influence children’s health, like education, housing, access to healthy food, environment and societal factors.

(photo by Erin O. Smith)
April 30, 2026

Parents trust health care providers on safety and injury prevention, but few discuss firearms

Tennessee parents have consistently ranked community violence near the top of their list of concerns since questions related to violence and firearms were added to the annual Child Health Poll

Infographic summarizing an impact report: 235 meals distributed to families across five states; 48% of English-speaking and 49% of Spanish-speaking families reported food was needed or helped them care for a daughter; family satisfaction and program acceptability ratings were 4.4/5; 98% found meals helpful; 87% reported increased satisfaction with hospital admission; 95% supported continuing the program; one in two families tried a new food and 66% found a new food resource. It lists transportation, stable housing, childcare, and food availability as common barriers to community resources.
March 20, 2026

Champ’s Cupboard expands reach, services after strong first year at Monroe Carell. Read the Impact Report.

In the program’s first year, the team distributed a frozen meal or box of nonperishable food items to 235 families in the hospital, with 98% of recipients saying the food was helpful.

Among those involved in the gun lock safety program are, from left, Heather Kreth, PsyD, left, Erica Shannon and Kelsey Gastineau, MD, MPH. (photo by Donn Jones)
August 27, 2025

Be SMART campaign highlights efforts to reduce firearm incidents involving children

The Be SMART campaign was launched to raise awareness that secure gun storage — storing guns unloaded, locked and separate from ammunition — can save children’s lives.