health disparities

July 22, 2021

Influenza network sizes up COVID

Hospital data from a CDC network that monitors influenza revealed that adults hospitalized for COVID-19 in the early months of the pandemic were 20x more likely to die compared to hospitalized influenza patients.

By Paul Govern
July 13, 2021

Establishing HIV care in Tennessee

Vanderbilt researchers find that heterosexually active Black males are the least likely to establish HIV care within one month of diagnosis and suggest that targeted interventions focus on this population.

By Paul Govern
From left, Scott Borinstein, MD, PhD, Jonathan Mosley, MD, PhD, and Sara Van Driest, MD, PhD, found that some healthy African Americans are having bone marrow biopsies they don’t need. (photo by Erin O. Smith)
June 28, 2021

Gene variant linked to unnecessary bone marrow biopsies in African Americans

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.

By Leigh MacMillan
June 24, 2021

Tuya Pal named Komen Scholar

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.

By Tom Wilemon
April 29, 2021

Genetic ancestry and hypertension risk

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.

By Bill Snyder
April 22, 2021

New recommendations focus on breast health disparities

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.

By Emily Stembridge
April 15, 2021

Health care equity focus of tech design challenge

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).
By Paul Govern
April 6, 2021

Genetic differences in Wilms tumor

Unique somatic gene mutations may contribute to racial disparities in the incidence of Wilms tumor — the most common childhood kidney cancer.
By Leigh MacMillan
March 30, 2021

Wilkins outlines COVID-19 health equity lessons to U.S. Senate

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.
By Holly Fletcher
March 25, 2021

Spirituality may help reduce end-stage kidney disease risk

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.
By Emily Stembridge
March 25, 2021

Effort seeks to enroll more Black patients in lung cancer trials

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.
By Tom Wilemon
March 11, 2021

Electronic health record study discovers novel hormone deficiency

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.
By Leigh MacMillan
February 22, 2021

Rounds: “Simply Unfinished:” Our path to vaccination

By Doug Campbell
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