All News

September 10, 2025

Death on the web

Cause of death often lies buried amid content on crowdfunding platforms, web-based obituaries and memorial websites. With AI assistance, gathering and combining this mortality data with medical records could help power research and public health.

By Paul Govern
Photo caption: Meghan Moretz, right, donated part of her liver, which was transplanted into Sonya Bradley, left. Both procedures took place as part of VUMC’s living donor liver program.
September 10, 2025

Family friend provides lifesaving living donor transplant for East Tennessean

With living donor liver transplants, surgery is scheduled in advance. The recipient can get a liver before becoming too sick, often within weeks if they have a compatible living donor.

By Matt Batcheldor
September 9, 2025

Cheating Alzheimer’s

Most people whose brains exhibit Alzheimer’s pathology don’t have the disease; they reach the end of their lives never having exhibited cognitive impairment. A new study examines the genetics of this resilience.

By Paul Govern
Jamie Phillips, MHA
September 9, 2025

Jamie Phillips named President of Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt

She brings nearly 30 years of experience in health care administration to Monroe Carell, the past seven of which have been in a chief operating officer role.

By John Howser
William Cooper, MD, MPH
September 9, 2025

William Cooper named Senior Vice President for Professionalism and Clinical Excellence 

He will be responsible for promoting and ensuring the highest standards of professionalism and performance among faculty, clinical staff, trainees and students throughout the health system.

By Holly Fletcher
Lynne Warner Stevenson, MD, and her husband, William Stevenson, MD, attended the European Society of Cardiology’s Heart Failure Association meeting in Belgrade, Serbia.
September 9, 2025

Vanderbilt Cardiomyopathy-Heart Failure Program receives international honor

Lynne Warner Stevenson, MD, the Lisa M. Jacobson Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, was awarded the Heart Failure Lifetime Achievement Award.

By Matt Batcheldor
September 8, 2025

SPORE grant funds $12 million for colorectal cancer research

SPORE grants are highly sought after because they show that a cancer center demonstrates scientific excellence, promotes collaboration, maintains robust research programs and merits substantial funding.
By Tom Wilemon
September 8, 2025

BMI screening alone misses children with excess body fat, study finds

Waist circumference measurements along with weight and height may be a practical, low-cost marker to confirm excess body fat among children.
By Leigh MacMillan
September 5, 2025

Evan Brittain named to direct Office for Medical Student Research, additional leadership roles

Brittain, who holds the Rose Marie Robertson Directorship, will assume these roles related to training and developing aspiring physician-scientists on Oct. 1.
By Jill Clendening
September 5, 2025

Leslie Grissim’s dedication to fitness led to the national Senior Games — and a medal

As the facility dog coordinator at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, Grissim is always on the go.
By Jessica Pasley
September 5, 2025

AI tools could shorten ‘diagnostic odyssey’ for patients with rare diseases

Large language models achieved diagnostic rates of 13.3% and 10.0%, compared to the historical clinical review rate of 5.6%, and they suggested next steps to evaluate the suggested diagnoses.
By Leigh MacMillan
September 5, 2025

Dan Roden awarded Vanderbilt’s Earl Sutherland Prize for Achievement in Research

He received the award for his pioneering work focusing on leveraging genetic information to enhance health care outcomes.
September 3, 2025

Greater Nashville Heart Walk set for Sept. 20 at GEODIS Park

The family-friendly event, organized by the American Heart Association and sponsored in part by VUMC, will be held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20 at GEODIS Park.
By Matt Batcheldor