Reporter March 31 2017

Risky business

Apr. 5, 2017—Vanderbilt investigators have developed hospital readmission models that may help prevent payment penalties to hospitals when patients are readmitted too soon after discharge.

Fighting fungal infections

Apr. 3, 2017—A detailed structural and functional analysis of the yeast protein that is the main target of antifungal drugs will help direct efforts to develop better treatments.

A molecular clue to longevity

Mar. 31, 2017—In budding yeast, accumulation of a certain type of RNA in the nucleus increased life span, offering a new clue to longevity.

Clinical trial to assess shoulder pain treatments

Mar. 30, 2017—Nitin Jain, M.D., MSPH, associate professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Orthopaedics, has been awarded a $7.5 million contract to determine whether surgery or non-operative therapy works better for a common age-related injury that costs the health care systems billions of dollars — rotator cuff tears.

NFL names Sills as league’s first-ever chief medical officer

Mar. 30, 2017—Vanderbilt’s Allen Sills, M.D., has been chosen by the National Football League (NFL) to be its chief medical officer, a newly created position.

Horn to lead lung cancer combination therapy trial

Mar. 30, 2017—Leora Horn, M.D., M.Sc., associate professor of Medicine and clinical director of the Thoracic Oncology Program at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC), has been selected to lead a clinical research trial of combination therapy using two targeted drugs for the treatment of a specific form of lung cancer.

Penson to chair urology association’s science, quality council

Mar. 30, 2017—David Penson, M.D., MPH, Paul V. Hamilton, M.D., and Virginia E. Howd Professor of Urologic Oncology and chair of the Department of Urologic Surgery, has been selected to chair the American Urological Association (AUA) Science & Quality Council, according to an announcement from the AUA Board of Directors.