Eric Skaar

The new factor, an enzyme involved in host-pathogen interactions, may be a viable target for treating staph infections. Read More

A new integrated imaging approach makes it possible to probe the molecules involved in invasive infections and can be broadly applied to any health or disease state. Read More

A new probe enables iron imaging in living animals, providing a unique tool for studying iron’s contributions to health and disease. Read More

Fifteen Vanderbilt faculty members conducting a range of biomedical and clinical research have been elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Six of the 15 have received funding through the university’s Trans-Institutional Programs initiative, which facilitates research and teaching collaborations across disciplines and are a core pillar of the university’s Academic Strategic Plan. Read More

Too much dietary manganese — an essential trace mineral found in leafy green vegetables, fruits and nuts — promotes infection of the heart by the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus (“staph”). Read More

On July 24 Vanderbilt scientist Eric Skaar, Ph.D., MPH, summarized his group’s latest paper in a tweet: “If S. aureus is going to drink our blood like a vampire, let's kill it with sunlight.” Read More

Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) is launching a new institute to coordinate initiatives among the rapidly evolving disciplines of infection biology, immunology and inflammatory diseases. Read More

Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus — two pathogens that frequently co-infect the lungs of patients with cystic fibrosis — appear to cooperate with each other, Vanderbilt investigators have discovered. When pseudomonas is starved for metal by the host, it shuts down the production of factors that would normally kill staph, promoting a co-infection. Read More

Too much dietary zinc increases susceptibility to infection by Clostridium difficile — “C. diff” — the most common cause of hospital-acquired infections. Read More

Understanding factors, such as the receptor TLR9, that detect and defend against pathogens may lead to therapeutic approaches that promote an effective immune response to treat infections. Read More

Eric Skaar, Ph.D., MPH, the Ernest W. Goodpasture Professor of Pathology, has received a Scholar Award from the American Asthma Foundation (AAF). Read More

  Eric Skaar, Ph.D., MPH Eric Skaar, Ph.D., MPH, the Ernest W. Goodpasture Professor of Pathology, has been elected to fellowship in the American Academy of Microbiology. Skaar is one of seven current Vanderbilt faculty members who are AAM fellows. The 2,400-member academy is an… Read More

Bacterial Bullies |Nurses Staying in Workforce Longer |A Reassessment of Minority-Serving Colleges | Vice–Virtue Bundles Read More

Jim Cassat, M.D., Ph.D., a pediatric infectious disease specialist who joined the Vanderbilt faculty this summer, loves taking care of children with bone infections and doing research to understand the host-pathogen interactions during these invasive infections. Read More

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria can share resources to cause chronic infections, Vanderbilt investigators have discovered. The findings shed light on a long-standing question in infectious diseases and may inform new treatment strategies. Read More

Despite a challenging health care landscape, Vanderbilt University Medical Center continues to advance the highest-quality patient care, train the next generation of physician leaders and push forward the frontiers of biomedical science. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers have identified a new signaling system that anthrax bacteria uses to infect its host. Read More

Vanderbilt University has been awarded a Cooperative Agreement with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the Army Research Office that is worth up to $16.5 million over five years. Read More

Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos has named a committee including a Board of Trust member, two top administrators and a number of faculty members who will search for the next Vanderbilt University provost. Read More

An executive committee has been named and will meet regularly this summer to develop a framework of ideas to guide a university-wide academic strategic planning process that will set the course for Vanderbilt’s future. Read More