Reporter April 29 2016

A genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease in later life appears to benefit younger adults as they age. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers have discovered that activation of a certain signaling pathway protects brain cancers from targeted therapies, suggesting that using therapeutics that block both pathways may be a promising treatment. Read More

A newly discovered mechanism that helps cancer cells avoid destruction by immune system cells may improve immunotherapies. Read More

A genetic mutation that promotes cancer development blocks the normal sorting of a protein called “Argonaute 2.” Read More

Ronald David Alvarez, M.D., Ellen Gregg Shook Culverhouse Chair in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology and vice chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, has been named chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Read More

In partnership with Cookeville Regional Medical Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and Vanderbilt LifeFlight will soon be expanding its footprint to serve the Upper Cumberland region by adding an emergency helicopter base in Cookeville, Tennessee. Read More

Higher genomic levels of African ancestry are associated with an increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease, a consortium of investigators reported recently in Alzheimer’s & Dementia. Read More

Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) this week unveiled a new award to recognize and celebrate the invaluable contributions that administrative professionals make toward furthering VUMC’s missions. Read More

Researchers at Columbia and Vanderbilt universities have made an important discovery in mice that has implications for understanding the gastrointestinal (GI) problems experienced by some children with autism. Read More

When it comes to the brain, levels of molecules involved in neuronal signaling must be “just right,” or things can go terribly wrong. Read More

Craig Thompson, M.D., president and CEO of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, will deliver the next Flexner Discovery Lecture on May 5. Read More

Vanderbilt University Hospital (VUH) has been awarded a spring 2016 patient safety grade of “A” from the Leapfrog Group, a coalition of public and private purchasers of employee health coverage that works to encourage health care safety, quality and affordability. Read More

Jesse Ehrenfeld, M.D., MPH, associate professor of Anesthesiology, Biomedical Informatics, Surgery and Health Policy, has been named director of education research for the Office of Health Sciences Education. Read More

Last Saturday’s Shade Tree Trot and benefit dinner raised a record amount — more than $58,000. Read More

Edward Sherwood, M.D., Ph.D., Corneilius Vanderbilt Professor and vice chair for research in the Department of Anesthesiology and professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, has been selected to join the Scientific Advisory Board of the Association of University Anesthesiologists (AUA). Read More

During a deployment as a military surgeon more than a decade ago, Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Tim Nunez, M.D., felt ill prepared to perform complex trauma surgeries for an Iraqi family caught in a fire fight, but he's now committed to helping military personnel become better trained for these types of emergencies. Read More

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common smoking-related lung illness and the third leading cause of death in the United States. Scientists have long believed that inhaling toxic gases and particles from tobacco smoke causes inflammation of the small airways in the lungs, leading to the development of COPD. Read More

An expert in the dynamic behavior of the microtubule cytoskeleton at Vanderbilt University is among 15 scientists in the chemical and biological sciences nationwide who have been named 2016 Searle Scholars. Read More

Leading cancer investigators from Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center will unveil the latest in cancer research during a community event May 10. Read More