Understanding how natural brain chemicals with pain-relieving properties interact with administered opioids may guide personalized approaches for pain management.

Vanderbilt’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB-GYN) was recently awarded a $200,000 grant by the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (TDMHSAS) to provide increased access to medication-assisted treatment for uninsured women with substance use disorders.

An Addiction Consultation Service, specialized training for physicians and changes in the language used in addiction cases are the first of many in a series of new clinical approaches being offered around addiction care as Vanderbilt University Medical Center — and the rest of the country — see an increased demand for such services.

Vanderbilt researchers have published findings indicating that regardless of whether a woman delivers a child by cesarean section or by vaginal birth, if they fill prescriptions for opioid pain medications early in the postpartum period, they are at increased risk of developing persistent opioid use.

Innovative strategies for addressing the nation’s opioid epidemic and its consequences will be discussed during a Cutting-edge Discovery Lecture on Sept. 13. The lecture will begin at 4 p.m. in room 208 Light Hall.

Katherine Swartz, PhD, a nationally known leader in health policy research, encouraged others conducting investigations in the field to move beyond the data and into local communities to gather the stories behind the data during last week’s Research into Policy and Practice Lecture hosted by Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Department of Health Policy.

Franklin resident Diane Grich admits she was surprised when she was asked if she would like to try acupuncture instead of a more invasive medical procedure to address the chronic lower back pain that had troubled her off and on for 17 years; she chose acupuncture.