Reporter April 13 2018

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

Sirtex Medical Ltd. has renewed a grant award to Dan Brown, MD, professor of Radiology and Radiological Sciences and chief of Interventional Oncology, and his Vanderbilt Health colleagues, for a research program designed to treat patients with liver tumors that cannot be addressed with surgery. Read More

Brian Kobilka, MD, who received the 2012 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his studies of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), shared his team’s progress in understanding receptor activation — and how that might guide drug development — at last week’s Flexner Discovery Lecture. Read More

Ingrid Mayer, MD, MSCI, Ingram Professor of Cancer Research and leader of the Breast Cancer Research Program at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC), has been named a Komen Scholar for her leadership in breast cancer research. Read More

Henry Paul and Dave Robbins, members of country music group BlackHawk, as well as southern rock band The Outlaws, recently donated $40,000 to Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC) in support of melanoma research. Since 2006, the band members have generated more than $100,000 for VICC. Read More

Jeffery Johns, MD, medical director of Vanderbilt Stallworth Rehabilitation Hospital, has been elected to the board of directors of the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Read More

The laboratory of James Crowe Jr., MD, director of the Vanderbilt Vaccine Center, received the 2018 Vaccine Industry Excellence Award for Best Academic Research Team at the 18th World Vaccine Congress in Washington, DC, this week. Read More

Asa Radix, MD, MPH, an internationally recognized medical expert and researcher on the health needs of transgender and LGBTQ people, will give the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing (VUSN) Dean’s Diversity Lecture on Monday, May 7, noon-1 p.m., in VUSN’s Nursing Annex room 155. Read More

Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC) will host a special event for patients and families affected by neurofibromatosis (NF), a genetic disorder that can cause tumors in the nervous system. The Neurofibromatosis Patient and Family Symposium will be held Saturday, April 21, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., at the VICC 8th floor conference center in the Preston Research Building, 2220 Pierce Ave. Read More

Elizabeth and Scott Massey expected to learn their baby’s gender at a 21-week ultrasound. While they learned they were having a daughter, the reveal included much more than they planned for. Read More

Every 10 minutes someone is added to the national organ transplant wait list. Read More

Alpha-gal allergy has commonly been referred to as “the red meat” allergy, but doctors at the Vanderbilt Asthma, Sinus and Allergy Program (ASAP) helped uncover that not only red meat, but some medications, can contain alpha-gal. Read More

Last week, the Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences hosted a Diversity Grand Rounds panel addressing the impact of anti-LGBT religious freedom laws on academic medical centers, professional organizations and their members. Read More

Treatment of anemia caused by chronic kidney disease or other diseases often requires repeated — and costly — injections or infusions of an artificial form of the hormone erythropoietin (EPO), which stimulates production of red blood cells. Read More