Reporter Nov 22 2013
Autism narrows brain’s reward response
Nov. 27, 2013—MRI brain scans reveal that children with autism spectrum disorders respond to a narrower range of familiar rewards.
Mitochondrial mutations not random
Nov. 25, 2013—A study of mitochondrial DNA mutations suggests they result from a process that selects for particular mutations in certain tissues.
What makes us human?
Nov. 22, 2013—Using computational tools to search for the genetic basis of what makes us human, Vanderbilt Assistant Professor of Biomedical Informatics Tony Capra and colleagues at the University of California-San Francisco have identified promising candidate regions.
Shinohara honored by radiation oncology group
Nov. 21, 2013—Eric Shinohara, M.D., MSCI, assistant professor of Radiation Oncology, has been recognized by the Association for Residents in Radiation Oncology (ARRO) as one of the recipients of the 2013 ARRO Educator of the Year Award.
Therapeutic target for synovial sarcoma
Nov. 21, 2013—Inhibitors of a signaling pathway that is critical to synovial sarcoma tumorigenesis may be useful treatments for this aggressive cancer.
Ess named to take reins of Division of Pediatric Neurology
Nov. 21, 2013—Kevin C. Ess, M.D., Ph.D., has been named chief of the Division of Pediatric Neurology within the Department of Pediatrics at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.
Winder named associate director of MSTP program
Nov. 21, 2013—Danny Winder, Ph.D., professor of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, has been appointed associate director of the Vanderbilt Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP), which enables future leaders in academic medicine to earn both M.D. and Ph.D. degrees.
Hasselblad, Wilson named to key Heart Institute roles
Nov. 21, 2013—Ahead of its move into new space on the fifth floor of the Critical Care Tower in February, the Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute has announced two key position changes.
May, Merchant elected to American Surgical Association
Nov. 21, 2013—Two Vanderbilt University Medical Center surgeons, Addison May, M.D., professor of Surgery and Anesthesiology, and Nipun Merchant, M.D., professor of Surgery and Cancer Biology, were elected members of the American Surgical Association (ASA) at the 133rd annual meeting of the organization and will be officially inducted at the 2014 annual meeting.
Initiative seeks to anticipate discharge dates for patients
Nov. 21, 2013—An initiative is afoot to document each patient’s anticipated date of discharge in StarPanel (the electronic medical record system) upon admission to Vanderbilt University Hospital, then update it daily and remind patients of it daily.
Study finds limited resources for injured surgeons
Nov. 21, 2013—Nearly half of orthopaedic surgeons sustain at least one injury during their career and, in many cases, the resources available to them are inadequate, according to a Vanderbilt study in The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.
Home Care Services lands on ‘elite’ list
Nov. 21, 2013—Vanderbilt Home Care Services has been named to the 2013 HomeCare Elite, an unranked listing of the top 25 percent of U.S. home health agencies, based on various publicly available clinical and financial performance data.