health disparities Archives
Gene variant linked to unnecessary bone marrow biopsies in African Americans
Jun. 28, 2021—A gene variant that lowers white blood cell levels and is common in individuals with African ancestry contributes to unnecessary bone marrow biopsies, according to a study published June 28 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Tuya Pal named Komen Scholar
Jun. 24, 2021—Susan G. Komen announced on June 23 that Tuya Pal, MD, associate director for Cancer Health Disparities at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC) and Ingram Professor of Cancer Research, has been named a Komen Scholar.
Genetic ancestry and hypertension risk
Apr. 29, 2021—Racial disparities in hypertension risk are due in part to genetic differences between ancestries, Vanderbilt investigators find in a study of participants in the Million Veteran Program.
New recommendations focus on breast health disparities
Apr. 22, 2021—A team of Vanderbilt radiologists has published a manuscript in the Journal of Breast Imaging with recommendations for providing equitable breast care to an increasingly diverse population in the United States.
Health care equity focus of tech design challenge
Apr. 15, 2021—A proposal titled “Capture of Smoking History in EHR for Assessment of Lung Cancer Screening Eligibility” has won the inaugural VCLIC Design Challenge, sponsored by the Vanderbilt Clinical Informatics Center (VCLIC).
Genetic differences in Wilms tumor
Apr. 6, 2021—Unique somatic gene mutations may contribute to racial disparities in the incidence of Wilms tumor — the most common childhood kidney cancer.
Wilkins outlines COVID-19 health equity lessons to U.S. Senate
Mar. 30, 2021—Using insights from the COVID-19 response, Consuelo Wilkins, MD, MSCI, outlined to the U.S. Senate a three-pronged plan to increase health equity by prioritizing trust in communities.
Spirituality may help reduce end-stage kidney disease risk
Mar. 25, 2021—Researchers from Vanderbilt’s Division of Nephrology and Hypertension have identified an under-studied characteristic that may have a protective effect on end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) risk among vulnerable populations.
Effort seeks to enroll more Black patients in lung cancer trials
Mar. 25, 2021—Researchers from Vanderbilt University Medical Center are part of a multi-institutional study that aims to improve participation in lung cancer clinical trials among Black patients from Southern states.
Electronic health record study discovers novel hormone deficiency
Mar. 11, 2021—A novel hormone deficiency may exist in humans, Vanderbilt investigators have discovered. In an analysis of two decades worth of electronic health records, the researchers found that some patients have unexpectedly low levels of natriuretic peptide hormone in clinical situations that should cause high levels of the hormone.
Rounds: “Simply Unfinished:” Our path to vaccination
Feb. 22, 2021—I was among the millions moved by the poetic words of Amanda Gorman, the National Youth Poet Laureate who spoke so eloquently at the Presidential Inauguration. The many inequities in opportunity ingrained in race and ethnicity have become all the more visible in the COVID-19 pandemic. People of color have shouldered a disproportionate burden of...
Appendix cancer survival in young patients varies by race: study
Aug. 6, 2020—The first study of appendiceal cancer patterns and survival by race/ethnicity among patients younger than 50 in the U.S. showed survival disparities.
