Department Of Pediatrics

An association between rigid-compulsive behaviors and gastrointestinal symptoms in autism spectrum disorder may point to a common biological pathway that impacts both the brain and the gut. Read More

A new Vanderbilt University Medical Center study shows there is no evidence that the risk of suicide differs with two commonly prescribed antidepressants prescribed to children and adolescents. Read More

MRI brain scans reveal that children with autism spectrum disorders respond to a narrower range of familiar rewards. Read More

Kevin C. Ess, M.D., Ph.D., has been named chief of the Division of Pediatric Neurology within the Department of Pediatrics at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. Read More

Susan H. Guttentag, M.D., is joining Vanderbilt University on Feb. 1, 2014, as the new director of the Division of Neonatology within the Department of Pediatrics at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. Read More

A non-invasive measure of electrical brain activity in preterm infants predicts cognitive and communication functioning during early childhood, according to a new Vanderbilt University study. Read More

Lisa Young, M.D., associate professor of Pediatrics and Medicine and Cell Biology, has been awarded a five-year, $1.9 million National Institutes of Health grant to study what causes cellular dysfunction and pulmonary fibrosis in patients with Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome (HPS). Read More

Steven Webber, MBChB, MRCP, delivers Tuesday’s State of the Department of Pediatrics address, stressing adaptation in the changing health care landscape. (Photo by John Russell) Academic medical centers are at a “fork in the road,” but Steven Webber, MBChB, MRCP,  is confident that Vanderbilt and… Read More

Alkaline phosphatase enzymes appear to play roles in promoting pregnancy and in protecting the uterus from bacterial infection. Read More

Robert and Michele McClellan expected the experience of their infant son’s birth via cesarean section to be like that of other women who had had the procedure — unable to witness their son’s exit from the womb and for him to be immediately whisked away. Read More

A biomarker for oxidative stress is elevated in patients with both autism spectrum disorder and gastrointestinal dysfunction, suggesting opportunities for individualized approaches to clinical care. Read More

Antacids that block a certain enzyme pose a risk for a common cardiac problem in premature infants. Read More

A “profile” of the genes and regulatory networks that govern early heart valve development lay the groundwork for generating valves from a patient’s own cells. Read More

Jeffrey Whitsett, M.D., of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, poses with his Vanderbilt colleague and longtime research collaborator, Mildred Stahlman, M.D., professor of Pediatrics, prior to delivering his Flexner Discovery Lecture entitled “Lessons from Newborn Infants,” March 28 in Vanderbilt’s Light Hall. Read More

Berberine, an herbal remedy for diarrhea and intestinal parasites, may be useful in colon cancer therapy. Read More

A national vaccine surveillance program that Vanderbilt University is a part of has identified a significant shift in the most common cause of childhood diarrhea. Read More

The recognition of three Vanderbilt-based leaders of the Tennessee Initiative for Perinatal Quality Care (TIPQC) caps off the collaboration’s highly successful first five years of work. Read More

Individuals with overexpression of the gene MECP2 have core features of autism spectrum disorder. Read More

The factor STAT6 appears to play a role in the pathogenesis of an inflammatory bowel disease, suggesting it may be a promising target for new treatments. Read More

Until a year ago, Kate Lamons would slip into her mother’s classroom during school to change clothes, hopefully fast enough that she could return to her own class before anyone noticed that her clothes were wet from an overactive bladder. Read More