Reporter March 28 2014

A smiling woman in her 50s in front of a rock wall.

VU study tracks urinary incontinence therapy

Apr. 2, 2014—More than 15 million women in the United States are impacted by stress urinary incontinence (SUI) at a cost of nearly $20 billion a year to treat.

Development and disease in the aorta

Apr. 2, 2014—Smooth muscle cells that line the aorta differ in development but not in the adult, a finding that has implications for understanding aortic development and disease.

E-records shed light on drug response

Mar. 31, 2014—Electronic medical records linked to DNA biobanks are a valid resource for defining and understanding the genetic factors that contribute to drug response.

Mapping brain circuitry

Mar. 28, 2014—Vanderbilt investigators have used two types of neuroimaging to establish a “map” of connections for a brain region important in anxiety and addiction.

Gut woes of preemies focus of microbiome effort

Mar. 27, 2014—A multidisciplinary team of microbiome researchers at Vanderbilt University is shedding light on necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a disease of prematurity that kills hundreds of babies and costs the U.S. health care system an estimated $5 billion a year.

VUSN’s Pilon set to transition into new role

Mar. 27, 2014—Bonnie Pilon, Ph.D., senior associate dean for Clinical and Community Partnerships for the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, will step down from her leadership role beginning Jan. 1, 2015, and take a sabbatical year before returning to a faculty role at the school.

Grant bolsters patient-centered outcomes research

Mar. 27, 2014—Patient-centered outcomes research is the focus of a $3.3 million, five-year, institutional K12 training grant awarded to Vanderbilt University Medical Center by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

Cadaver Ball 2014

Mar. 27, 2014—Students, faculty and administrators of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine descended upon Marathon Music Works downtown for last Saturday’s annual Cadaver Ball.

Text appointment reminders generate high response rates

Mar. 27, 2014—For years, Vanderbilt Medical Group has used robocalls to remind patients of upcoming appointments. The reminders are triggered four days out, and VMG is able to refill approximately 60 percent of all cancellations that occur at this four-day mark. Cancellations account for approximately 7 percent of all patient responses to these appointment reminders.