After 15 years of distinguished leadership at Vanderbilt Health, Seth Karp, MD, the H. William Scott Jr. Professor of Surgery, will be stepping down as System Surgeon-in-Chief and Chair of the Section of Surgical Sciences on Oct. 15.

How can health care organizations implement impactful and long-lasting culture change that will meet patients’ expectations and improve their experience?

With the addition of the J-Valve device, Vanderbilt Health now offers minimally invasive procedures to implant devices treating every valve disease. The trial is still enrolling new patients, so other high-risk patients with aortic regurgitation could qualify.

The findings suggest the gut microbiota — microorganisms that live in the intestines — could be a therapeutic target to prevent hospital-acquired lung infections.

Evidence further suggests untreated sleep apnea is strongly linked to worse mental, cognitive and physical health for former athletes.

This minimally invasive and cost-effective alternative to tissue biopsy offers “an accessible tool for tailoring treatment strategies in breast cancer,” researchers reported April 22 in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Roughly 8 in 10 parents surveyed across the state said they are concerned about communicable diseases like measles if others are not immunized and agreed that immunizations are important to protect their children from serious infections.