Reporter Oct 10 2014
Novel therapy eases stress of retinoblastoma treatment
Oct. 9, 2014—Conventional therapy for patients diagnosed with retinoblastoma, the most common ocular cancer in children, includes systemic chemotherapy, external beam radiation and/or surgical removal of the eye. Doctors at Vanderbilt University Medical Center are on track to radically change the way the disease is treated using an emerging therapeutic approach called intra-arterial chemotherapy, or IA chemo.
Study finds college athletes more likely to harbor MRSA
Oct. 9, 2014—College athletes who play contact sports are more than twice as likely to carry the deadly superbug methicillin-resistant Staphylocuccus aureus (MRSA) than peers who play non-contact sports, according to a Vanderbilt study released at IDWeek 2014.
VUSM student lands AMA Foundation award
Oct. 9, 2014—Anna Garcia, a fourth-year Vanderbilt University School of Medicine student, has received a Physicians of Tomorrow award from the American Medical Association (AMA) Foundation.
VUMC voice-to-text software named NEXT Awards finalist
Oct. 9, 2014—Vanderbilt University Medical Center has been named a finalist for the NEXT Awards for its implementation of the Dragon voice-to-text software program. VUMC’s Workforce Performance Operations partnered with the Vanderbilt Medical Group Systems Engineering team to deploy the Dragon voice-to-text project to all 3,000-plus providers for a do-it-yourself (DIY) installation.
Photo: Miles and Music
Oct. 9, 2014—Country music singer Dierks Bentley signs a check benefiting Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt representing the proceeds from his recent Miles and Music for Kids event at Riverfront Park.
Immune cells that guard against ingested pathogens discovered
Oct. 9, 2014—Vanderbilt investigators have discovered a new type of immune cell residing in the intestinal epithelium that may function as a first line of defense against ingested pathogens.
Heart Institute celebrates implantation program success
Oct. 9, 2014—Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute (VHVI) reached a significant milestone recently with the 100th implantation of the miniaturized HeartWare HVAD Pump, a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) that supports the heart.
Long-range signaling to stem cells
Oct. 9, 2014—The potential for long-range signaling factors – such as those identified in the current study – to regulate stem cell behaviors has implications in tumor progression and metastasis.
Ebola not likely, but VUMC is prepared
Oct. 7, 2014—Armed with a validated and orchestrated plan, Vanderbilt University Medical Center is prepared to safely and effectively treat patients with the bloodborne disease Ebola, should the need arise.
Commodore Award winners recognized at campus celebration
Oct. 3, 2014—The Commodore Award, Vanderbilt’s highest staff honor, was presented to two staff members during the Service Awards Celebration Oct. 1 in Langford Auditorium.
