Reporter April 7 2023

COVID on Twitter: town vs. country

Apr. 11, 2023—A natural language processing analysis of 407 million tweets from May 2020 to January 2022 captures the rural-urban divide regarding COVID-19.

The problem with the problem list

Apr. 10, 2023—Algorithms to infer missing problems and suggest that they be added to electronic health records improved problem list completeness, with benefits for clinical care, patient comprehension of health conditions and population health.

Recipients of the 2023 Research Staff Awards are, front row from left, Laura Stevens, MS, Kate Von Wahlde, MJ, CCRP, and JoAnn Gottlieb, RDMS, RDCS. Presenting the awards were, back row from left, Jennifer Pietenpol, PhD, Gordon Bernard, MD, and John Kuriyan, PhD.

Research Staff Awards honor contributions to discovery

Apr. 6, 2023—by Bill Snyder Laboratory and administrative personnel at Vanderbilt University Medical Center were honored on March 31 for research excellence during the 19th annual Research Staff Awards Ceremony at the Aertson Hotel in Nashville. Presenting the awards were Jennifer Pietenpol, PhD, VUMC Chief Scientific & Strategy Officer, John Kuriyan, PhD, dean of Basic Sciences, Vanderbilt...

by Matt Batcheldor When Beverly Fite’s brother, Dan, needed a liver transplant, she had a feeling like a lot of potential living organ donors — she immediately knew she would be the one to donate. She had recently learned that Vanderbilt University Medical Center makes it possible for someone to donate part of their liver to a loved one, and the resulting partial livers in the donor and recipient can regenerate to become fully functional organs, typically within six weeks. After other relatives were tested and Beverly was determined to be the best match, she didn’t hesitate to donate her liver, which she did in May 2022. She has no regrets. “If you're given an opportunity to, do something,” she said. “Give a gift to someone who you love so dearly. … For me, this is my big brother. He was a huge part of just me becoming me.” Beverly, who is finishing nursing school at Auburn University, will be among the guest speakers at VUMC’s Donate Life Flag-Raising Ceremony, part of a national effort to raise awareness about the need for organ and tissue donors. The event, scheduled for noon on Friday, April 14 by the flagpole on the VUMC Plaza, celebrates families of deceased organ donors, living donors and hospital staff who care for donors and transplant recipients. This is the first year the event is being held in person since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Beverly’s brother, Dan, was diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis at 12, and he came under Vanderbilt’s care when he came to Nashville to study at Belmont University. His doctors were able to manage his condition for years, through bouts of stabbing pain in his abdomen due to gallstones. Dan knew he would eventually need a new liver, but the scarcity of available deceased donor livers meant he could spend years on a waiting list as he got sick enough to qualify. That set in motion the search for a liver donor, starting with many of his cousins. When he found out his sister was his best match, he had mixed emotions. “I was relieved because it meant we were going to be able to get the surgery done,” he said, but “in the grand scheme of things, I probably would have rather had her not go through that. But now that we've all come through and all out on the other side, all I can do is just express my extreme gratitude and commend her bravery.” Both siblings had the opportunity to recover together over the summer of 2022 in a home in Nashville, supported by multiple family members, during Beverly’s break from nursing school. Through it all, the siblings’ bond, already close, became tighter still. For Beverly, seeing Dan for the first time after the surgery, made it all worth it. His skin, even the whites of his eyes, were no longer jaundiced. “I was getting to see just what a gift I was able to give him,” she said. “This is incredible. This is amazing.” Dan said he’s feeling fine for the most part and is incredibly grateful to his sister. “Bev, to me, is the best of us,” Dan said. “She is the most generous soul. And I am not only forever indebted to her, but I … admire her and want to be her when I grow up.”

Donate Life Flag-Raising Ceremony set for April 14

Apr. 6, 2023—Vanderbilt's Donate Life Flag-Raising Ceremony, part of a national effort to raise awareness about the need for organ and tissue donors is scheduled for noon on Friday, April 14 by the flagpole on the VUMC Plaza.

Participants in a recent shared medical appointment include, front row from left, patient Ellen Nelson, Merranda Holmes, MD, and Kevin Liu, MD, Hospice and Palliative Medicine fellow. Back row from left, Francis Balucan, MD, MBA, Taina Ovchinnikov, APRN, F-NP, and Erica Gray, PharmD.

Program studies impact of shared medical visits on loneliness and other issues

Apr. 6, 2023—Vanderbilt is is studying how the use of shared medical appointments — when patients with common needs meet together with several health care providers — might impact loneliness, as well as other factors such as depression, substance abuse and utilization of emergency care.

The study found that increasing number of steps taken each day can steps taken daily can reduce the risk of several common, chronic diseases. (istock image)

COVID-19’s lingering impact on health

Apr. 6, 2023—A decline in cardiovascular fitness — measured by activity trackers in the All of Us research program — persisted among some groups even after COVID-related restrictions were relaxed, exacerbating health disparities.

System repairs donor lungs for transplantation

Apr. 6, 2023—A Vanderbilt team has discovered that donor lungs rejected for transplant can be repaired using cross-circulation with a xenogeneic host.

Jordan Berlin, MD, was recognized for his leadership serving on an NCI team that researched and recommended changes to clinical trial protocols that expanded the role of advanced practice providers.

National Cancer Institute honors Berlin’s contributions, leadership

Apr. 6, 2023—Vanderbilt's Jordan Berlin, MD, is a 2022 recipient of the National Cancer Institute Director’s Award.

Creators of the diabetes toolkit included, from left, Charis Health Center’s Carolyn Moore and Lauren Smith and VUMC’s Lindsay Miller, Lucy Leon, Bianca Sarr, Hannah Beddoe, Autumn Montgomery and Kimberly Burkeen.

Nurses collaborate to create Diabetes Education Toolkit

Apr. 6, 2023—Vanderbilt recently collaborated with Charis Health Center in Wilson County to create a Diabetes Education Toolkit to better serve Charis' patient population.

A ‘supermere’ method for biomarker discovery

Apr. 6, 2023—Vanderbilt researchers have developed a method for isolating extracellular vesicles and nanoparticles — a complex transport system involved in health and disease — which will improve biomarker discovery and the identification of therapeutic targets.

Monaci named Executive Vice President for Adult Ambulatory Operations

Apr. 6, 2023—by John Howser Wendy Monaci, MBA, Vice President of Regional Ambulatory Services at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has been named VUMC’s Executive Vice President for Adult Ambulatory Operations, effective May 1. The Adult Ambulatory Division, which represents the majority of VUMC patient visits, is essential to VUMC’s mission and overall growth strategy. Monaci will be responsible...

VUMC creates new information hub for clinical providers

Apr. 5, 2023—Vanderbilt University Medical Center has launched a new gateway to a curated collection of clinical evidence, drug information and patient education resources.