Southern Community Cohort Study

March 18, 2021

Vanderbilt research played key role in new lung screen guidelines

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has formally recommended two changes that will nearly double the number of people eligible for lung cancer screening by lowering the age from 55 to 50 and reducing the number of smoking history pack years from 30 to 20.

By Tom Wilemon
July 23, 2020

Criteria for lung cancer screens may be expanded

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is recommending two changes that will nearly double the number of people eligible for lung cancer screening by lowering the age from 55 to 50 and reducing the number of smoking history pack years from 30 to 20.

By Tom Wilemon
January 6, 2020

Study links Medicaid expansion and recipients’ health status

In Southern states that expanded their Medicaid programs under the Affordable Care Act, adults experienced lower rates of decline in both physical and mental health, according to research published this month in the journal Health Affairs.

By Jake Lowary
September 19, 2019

All-in-one pill helps reduce blood pressure, cholesterol

A single pill containing low doses of three medications to treat high blood pressure and one to lower cholesterol reduced the estimated risk of cardiovascular disease by 25%, according to a VUMC study.

By Craig Boerner
June 6, 2019

Mouth microbes and colorectal cancer

Microbial species in the mouth could be playing a role in colorectal cancer development, according to new research from epidemiologists at VUMC.

By Leigh MacMillan
August 14, 2018

Medically underserved women in the Southeast rarely receive BRCA tests

Medically underserved women in the Southeast diagnosed with breast cancer or ovarian cancer missed out on genetic testing that could have helped them and their relatives make important decisions about their health, according to new research from Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.

By Tom Wilemon
January 18, 2018

Study finds higher death rates in poor neighborhoods

Living in an economically disadvantaged neighborhood is likely to lead to death at an earlier age, especially among African-Americans, new research shows. The death rate is even more pronounced among disadvantaged individuals with unhealthy lifestyle habits.
By VUMC News and Communications
January 9, 2018

Heart failure risk predicted by communities, not wealth

When buying and selling real estate, how often have you heard the realtor’s mantra — location, location, location? This is also the central theme of a recently released journal report on factors that can predict heart failure risk.
By Jessica Pasley
June 29, 2017

Genetics of lung cancer survival

Vanderbilt investigators have conducted a first-of-its-kind genome-wide association study of lung cancer survival in African-Americans.
By Sanjay Mishra
March 8, 2017

Role for mouth microbes in diabetes?

A higher abundance of certain bacterial species in the mouth appears to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, Vanderbilt investigators have discovered.
By Leigh MacMillan
May 17, 2016

Study finds menthol cigarettes do not further increase smokers’ cardiovascular disease, stroke risk

Smoking is deleterious to health, but smokers who prefer menthol cigarettes to nonmenthol can breathe a sigh of relief…for now.
By Kathy Whitney
March 31, 2016

Cancer prevention and poverty

A new epidemiological study supports smoking cessation and avoidance of sedentary lifestyle as cancer prevention measures.
By Paul Govern
June 29, 2015

Healthy diet linked to lower death rates among low-income residents in Southeastern U.S.

A low-fat diet rich in plants, whole grains and seafood, and low in red and processed meats, sweets and sugary drinks was linked with a lower risk of dying from heart disease, stroke, cancer or other diseases among a population of low-income, mostly African American individuals living in the Southeast.
By Craig Boerner
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