Wesley Self

February 11, 2026

Vaccination cuts risk of COVID-19 respiratory failure or death by 80%

Researchers at Vanderbilt Health and around the country continue to evaluate the effectiveness of vaccines approved by the Food and Drug Administration to reduce the severity and lethality of respiratory infections caused by the ever-mutating SARS-CoV-2 virus.

By Bill Snyder
(Adobe Stock)
August 30, 2025

One shot of RSV vaccine effective against hospitalization in older adults for two seasons

RSV causes substantial seasonal illness during fall and winter in the U.S., with an estimated 100,000-150,000 hospitalizations and 4,000-8,000 deaths.

By Craig Boerner
(AdobeStock)
August 6, 2025

Study demonstrates burden of potentially preventable hospitalizations for pneumococcal pneumonias among adults in Tennessee and Georgia 

Community-acquired pneumonia refers to a case of the disease contracted without prior exposure to a health care setting.

By Evan Dorian
Co-principal investigators of the genomic-enabled learning health system coordinating center and clinical site are, front row from left, Carolyn Audet, PhD, Alexander Bick, MD, PhD, and Sunil Kripalani, MD, MSc, and, back row from left, Wesley Self, MD, MPH, Josh Peterson, MD, MPH, and Dan Roden, MD. (photo by Susan Urmy)
September 24, 2024

‘Learning’ network will help move genomics into the clinic

A real-world learning health system was established at VUMC a decade ago. Now, the National Human Genome Research Institute is awarding two five-year grants totaling $12 million to support VUMC’s participation in, and coordination of, a genomic-enabled learning health system (gLHS) network.

By Bill Snyder
September 4, 2024

RSV vaccine in older people cuts risk of hospitalization

A multicenter study conducted in 19 states between October 2023 and March 2024 demonstrated that RSV vaccination was 75% effective in preventing RSV-associated hospitalizations for adults age 60 and older.

By Bill Snyder
July 12, 2024

Wesley Self named to leadership role in global clinical trials network

The Strategies and Treatments for Respiratory Infections and Viral Emergencies network includes more than 300 sites around the world and international experts in clinical trials, infectious diseases, critical care and pandemic preparedness.

By Bill Snyder
April 16, 2024

Unsung Zeros: How biostatistics advances personalized health in the era of smart data

VUMC is acrawl with statistical design, bias detection and analysis that’s recognized with $532 million in federal and nonfederal research support.
By Paul Govern and Bill Snyder
October 17, 2023

How biostatistics saves lives: the Vanderbilt experience

Biostatisticians at VUMC have played a pivotal role in the redesign of clinical trials that rigorously and rapidly determine the effectiveness of life-saving treatments for acutely ill patients.
By Bill Snyder
August 9, 2023

VUMC receives $51 million in NIH grants to improve efficiency of conducting clinical trials across the US

Vanderbilt researchers have been awarded two five-year federal grants totaling $51 million to harness new and existing approaches for boosting recruitment and removing roadblocks to the efficiency of conducting clinical trials throughout the country.
By Bill Snyder
May 4, 2023

VUMC to coordinate national effort to reduce ARDS, pneumonia, sepsis

Vanderbilt University Medical Center has received a $31.6 million federal grant to lead a national effort to better understand acute respiratory distress syndrome, pneumonia and sepsis.
By Bill Snyder
April 11, 2023

VUMC-led trial shows two investigational drugs are ineffective for treating severe COVID-19

A Vanderbilt-led study evaluating two investigational drugs to treat severe COVID-19 demonstrated that neither drug was effective.
By Nancy Humphrey
February 9, 2023

American Society for Clinical Investigation honors 10 Vanderbilt physicians

By Bill Snyder
February 2, 2023

Study of two sepsis interventions finds identical outcomes

Vanderbilt University Medical Center had a leading role in a large national study designed to compare two early interventions in the treatment of patients with sepsis, the body’s severe response to an uncontrolled infection.
By Nancy Humphrey