Jill Clendening

The multicellular, 3-D structure of human pancreatic islets — the areas of the pancreas containing hormone-producing or endocrine cells — has presented challenges to researchers as they study and manipulate these cells’ function, but Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers have now developed a pseudoislet system that allows for much easier study of islet function. Read More

A multidisciplinary cross section of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt University community gathered Tuesday during StrategyShare18, an interactive half-day event to share ideas, invite collaborations and spur new initiatives. Read More

On a Thursday afternoon at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, volunteer Gena Moran pops into a patient room on the fifth floor to invite a young patient and her family to participate in a bingo game about to begin in the hospital’s butterfly garden. Read More

While many might prefer to not think about dying, healthcare professionals throughout the United States are encouraging patients and their families to do just that during a national awareness campaign April 16-22 that promotes the importance of completing an advance directive for healthcare. Read More

Lisa Griffin has joined Vanderbilt University Medical Center as Vice President of Patient Access Services. Read More

Richard Peek, MD, director of the Vanderbilt Digestive Disease Research Center (VDDRC) and chief of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, has been appointed to serve on the advisory council of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). Read More

As a freshman at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Jeff Johns, MD, spotted someone practicing for cheerleader tryouts. Although he had never once tumbled in gymnastics or participated in cheerleading before, Johns asked her to teach him some basics. Read More

Thomas Netolicky, CPA, MAc, has been named Vice President of Clinical Department Finance for Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Read More

There have long been more questions than answers when it comes to abdominal hernia repair surgeries, but now, thanks to a database full of information supplied by both surgeons and patients, those answers are coming to light and driving nationwide improvements. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers are comparing two types of weight-loss options to determine which is the most effective in helping obese patients reach a more ideal weight before undergoing kidney transplant surgery. Read More

Although he was in a deep coma, Fort Campbell soldier Marshal Castillo is convinced that hearing nurses speaking his name, feeling them touching him and explaining their daily care routines was what kept him tethered, clinging to life in the intensive care unit so he could continue healing. Read More

Lou Ann Owens had lost count of how many times her husband Paul had been hospitalized by mid-2017, so when a team from the Vanderbilt Familiar Faces (VFF) program visited his room in August with an idea that might reduce his hospital stays and better manage his health, the couple immediately agreed to participate. Read More

For three years, 79-year-old Jerry Mock didn’t fully enjoy family vacations or gatherings with friends because his gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) was so debilitating that eating even a bite of food after 1 p.m. guaranteed he’d have intense burning pain in his throat and chest that night. Read More

When 32-year-old Dana Shaw was diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) during her pregnancy with her first child, she was happy to learn she could meet with a physician about the condition through video conferencing rather than taking time off from work for an appointment. Read More

Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) is the first health system in the nation to receive the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) Program of Distinction designation, an acknowledgement of excellence for infection prevention and control programs that meet stringent standards established by the association. Read More

The use of human pancreatic islets to conduct diabetes-related research has greatly expanded in recent years, and a Human Islet Phenotyping Program (HIPP) at Vanderbilt University Medical Center has been established to provide important islet data to investigators worldwide. Read More

As Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) gears up for the Nov. 2 launch of eStar, teams throughout the medical center are hard at work to ensure the transition is seamless and positive for patients and their families. Read More

To celebrate the release of her first children’s album, “I Believe in You,” legendary country music singer-songwriter Dolly Parton visited Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt on Friday, Oct. 13, and performed songs from the album for patients, their families and hospital staff. Read More

Removing part of a kidney with minimally invasive robotic surgery rather than an entire kidney when operating for smaller tumors is often best for patients from a recovery and health standpoint, but many surgeons hesitate to do so because of the complexity of the robotic partial nephrectomy procedure. Read More

Beginning this week, the first of a series of six messages is being distributed to Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) employees highlighting ways to best fulfill the Vanderbilt Patient and Family Promise, a guiding principle that was created by patients and providers and adopted at VUMC in 2013. Read More