All News

August 20, 2021

There is a bell on the transplant unit. It rings in celebration — and memory

Coleen Leszczynski’s family dedicated the bell, to be rung every time a transplant patient leaves the hospital

By Matt Batcheldor
Transplant Pharmacy technician Sarah Osman donated a kidney to Nathan Horton, her former boss at a previous job.
August 19, 2021

Transplant Pharmacy’s Osman donates kidney to former boss

Over the last two years at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Transplant Pharmacy technician Sarah Osman, CPhT, has become very familiar with the process of organ transplantation.

By Matt Batcheldor
August 19, 2021

Children, firearms mixing more during pandemic

Researchers at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt discovered an alarming finding during the height of the pandemic — a marked increase in firearm encounters among children.

By Jessica Pasley
August 17, 2021

Vanderbilt Transplant Center to be focus of national TV series

A new documentary television series premiering this fall follows the life-saving stories of organ transplant patients at the Vanderbilt Transplant Center.

By Matt Batcheldor
July 29, 2021

Transplant Center honored  for organ donation efforts

Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the Vanderbilt Transplant Center have won Platinum Recognition, the highest possible level of achievement, from the National Hospital Organ Donation Campaign of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

By Matt Batcheldor
July 12, 2021

Vanderbilt Transplant Center reaches new record number of transplants performed

The Vanderbilt Transplant Center performed a record number of solid organ transplants in fiscal year 2021 (FY 21) — 637 life-saving procedures among its adult and pediatric programs — despite occurring entirely during the COVID-19 pandemic.

By Matt Batcheldor
July 7, 2021

VUMC nurse Tamara Slagle was losing her sight. A cornea transplant allowed her to keep the job she loves.

“My day-to-day living has gotten easier, and my job too.”
By Nancy Humphrey
June 9, 2021

Christine Lovly 2021 recipient of the ECOG-ACRIN Young Investigator Award

Christine Lovly, MD, PhD, is the recipient of the 2021 ECOG-ACRIN Young Investigator Award, a major recognition of research excellence.
By VUMC News and Communications
June 3, 2021

Patient of Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt first in world to receive new investigational gene editing therapy

A 9-year-old patient of Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt is the first in the world to receive an investigational gene editing therapy for Methylmalonic Acidemia (MMA), a rare genetic disorder diagnosed at birth.
By Christina Echegaray
May 27, 2021

Life-saving transplant marks milestone for pediatric program

Petyon Smith's answered prayers became the best birthday wish ever on Jan. 31 — the date his younger brother received the first-ever dual kidney-liver transplant at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt.
By Jessica Pasley
April 29, 2021

Transplant Pharmacy team went extra mile during winter ice storm

In February, a frigid winter storm swept across the United States, causing widespread chaos — including power outages, water shortages and business shutdowns. Amid the disaster, many kidney transplant patients in Middle Tennessee did not receive deliveries of their immunosuppressant medications due to hazardous road conditions.
By Emily Stembridge
April 1, 2021

COVID recovery included long stay on ECMO, double-lung transplant

Zach Lloyd was only 37 years old with no pre-existing health conditions, but COVID-19 was bringing him within an inch of his life.
By Matt Batcheldor
March 24, 2021

New record for pediatric heart transplant program

The heart transplant program at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt experienced back-to-back record years for the number of heart transplants performed.
By Jessica Pasley