Reporter Feb 17 2017

The protein beta-catenin may be a good target for therapies to treat lung disease that is a common complication of preterm birth. Read More

Two factors commonly used to evaluate patients with sickle cell disease are associated with each other and can predict increased mortality, Vanderbilt researchers have discovered. Read More

Although nitrous oxide was less effective than epidural anesthesia for pain management during labor, mothers who used nitrous oxide were equally satisfied with their childbirth experience. Read More

A signaling protein overexpressed in upper gastrointestinal cancers is an attractive therapeutic target. Read More

Neat stacks of paper are lined up on the desk of Timothy Geiger, M.D., with each stack representing a challenge. For example, one sheet has a flow chart sketched on it — Geiger’s musing on ways to more efficiently use Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s (VUMC) operating rooms, matching the best locations with case types and surgical teams. Read More

Last fall, the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center became the second facility in the country and third in the world to use a fully endoscopic surgical technique to remove an acoustic neuroma, a rare benign tumor on the balance and hearing nerves. Read More

Complications related to opioid abuse occur in 54,000 pregnancies annually in the United States, and Tennessee ranks among the top 10 states in the number of opioid-dependent pregnant women. Read More

Patients are coming to the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center from around the globe, discovering the center’s world-class services through social media. One such person is Sophia Pafitis, who traveled to Vanderbilt last year from the Australian island of Tasmania. Read More

Recently, two Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) colleagues — Karen Hughart and Jerry Batte — were recognized with the LEAP Award, which honors people making extraordinary contributions to EpicLeap’s success. Read More

New research from Vanderbilt University eavesdrops on gene expression in human immune system cells before and after vaccination against bird flu. Read More

Josep Dalmau, M.D., Ph.D., renowned for his studies of immune disorders affecting the brain and spinal cord, will deliver the next Flexner Discovery Lecture on Thursday, Feb. 23. Read More

Gary, Connie and Meredith Seacrest recently made their first trip back to Seacrest Studios since opening the multimedia broadcast facility at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt last March. Read More

By 5 each morning, businessman Doug Brown is already hard at work, making calls to colleagues around the world. Read More

Milam Brantley Jr., M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, recently received a $500,000 grant from the Edward N. and Della L. Thome Memorial Foundation Awards Program in Macular Degeneration Research to further his work on age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Read More

Jennifer Barut, MSN, R.N., has been named chief nursing officer for Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital (VPH) and Vanderbilt Behavioral Health (VBH). Read More

Recording and analyzing patient and family reports about rude and disrespectful behavior can identify surgeons with higher rates of surgical site infections and other avoidable adverse outcomes, according to a study led by Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) investigators in collaboration with six other major academic health systems. Read More

Country music artist and cancer survivor Wade Hayes will host the second annual “Country Hits Back” benefit concert March 7 at the Franklin Theatre. The event will support vitally important cancer research at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. Read More