Jennifer (Piper) Below

September 8, 2025

BMI screening alone misses children with excess body fat, study finds

Waist circumference measurements along with weight and height may be a practical, low-cost marker to confirm excess body fat among children.

By Leigh MacMillan
July 28, 2025

Large-scale study uncovers 57 genetic hotspots into stuttering origins

The video is produced by the research team to explain the results of the study. Findings from the largest genetic analysis of stuttering are published in Nature Genetics; they point to 48 genes associated with stuttering and highlight neurological pathways of risk.

By Leigh MacMillan
April 1, 2025

Integrative approach reveals key inflammatory drivers of severe obesity

Severe obesity — a condition of being 100 pounds or more overweight — has doubled in the United States over the past two decades to 9.2%, with the greatest increases among women and Latino populations.

By Leigh MacMillan
Jennifer (Piper) Below, PhD. (photo by Erin O. Smith)
March 19, 2025

Jennifer Below named director of Vanderbilt Genetics Institute

The Vanderbilt Genetics Institute is the intellectual hub for genomics research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt University.

By John Howser
December 18, 2024

VUMC part of multisite team investigating genetic markers of anorexia nervosa

With funding from the newly established Sarah Kyle Anorexia Nervosa Research Foundation, the researchers hope to identify biomarkers that will point to novel targets for prevention and treatment.

By Leigh MacMillan
October 7, 2024

Kimberlyn Ellis selected as 2024 Vanderbilt Prize Student Scholar

Ellis is a computational geneticist with a long-term goal of bridging genomics, bioethics and health policy to promote equitable precision medicine for minority populations.

By Leigh MacMillan
September 27, 2024

Distant relatedness in biobanks harnessed to identify undiagnosed genetic disease

VUMC researchers have developed a genetic method that clusters distantly related people to find rare variants that were present in a common ancestor.
By Leigh MacMillan
May 15, 2024

Event honors donors’ ongoing support, generosity

Members of Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Canby Robinson Society recently joined CEO and President Jeff Balser, MD, PhD, and his wife, Melinda, at Cheekwood Botanic Hall for the Spring Donor Celebration, an annual event honoring donors for their loyal support.
By Nancy Humphrey
July 14, 2023

Study uses statistical and population-based methods to understand comorbidities of developmental language disorder

A recent Vanderbilt study is one of the first to use statistical and population-based methods to understand comorbidities associated with developmental language disorder at a population level.
By Danny Bonvissuto
May 5, 2022

Gene network linked to Type 2 diabetes

Vanderbilt researchers used a novel analytical approach to identify a network of genes associated with Type 2 diabetes, including 31 genes that had not previously been associated with the disease.
By Joshua Baker
December 2, 2021

Gene discoveries give new hope to people who stutter

New research shows the potential to identify therapeutic directions that could improve outcomes for people who stutter.
By Bill Snyder
July 8, 2021

Study finds genetic risk factors for severe COVID-19 illness

A massive worldwide collaboration including researchers from Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) has identified several genetic factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe COVID-19 illness.
By Bill Snyder
January 21, 2021

Study finds genetic clues to pneumonia risk and COVID-19 disparities

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and colleagues have identified genetic factors that increase the risk for developing pneumonia and its severe, life-threatening consequences.
By Bill Snyder
1 2