Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Vanderbilt University School of Nursing Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Rolanda Johnson and Vanderbilt University Medical Center Senior Director, Nurse Diversity and Inclusion, Mamie Williams were awarded a $25,000 grant for their project that expands programs focused on the diversification of the nursing workforce, increasing the retention of diverse nurse leaders, and promoting cultural awareness and sensitivity within nurse work environments. Read More

A new Vanderbilt University study challenges traditional views on childhood, emphasizing the role of cultural, social and historical factors in shaping policies on children’s health and well-being. Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in collaboration with the World Health Organization, the “Rethinking Childhoods” study by the Vanderbilt Cultural Contexts of Health and Wellbeing Initiative proposes a more inclusive approach to health policy, incorporating global perspectives to redefine childhood beyond Western norms.  Read More

With colleagues from Meharry Medical College, Tuskegee University and the World Health Organization, T.S. Harvey and Ted Fischer will examine the manifold contributions of the cultural context of health to emerging and persistent health inequalities. Read More

Focusing on diet and exercise to curb childhood obesity may be counterproductive and lead to missing other root causes of becoming overweight, according to a newly released report from Vanderbilt University researchers. Read More

While populations’ access to health care is crucial to combating the spread of COVID-19, a team of Vanderbilt researchers has found that understanding the cultural context of health within a community is an equally significant factor—and can help leaders better prepare for future crises. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers will establish a new research hub to better understand the needs of some of some of Tennessee’s most vulnerable children. Read More

One of the first studies to examine the health impacts of legal marriage for LGBT individuals has found gay men were more likely to receive routine medical care following marriage legalization. Read More

Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act provides patients with a greater choice of hospital facilities, Vanderbilt researchers have found. Read More

A new study shows that access to health insurance can help hold a community together socially, and lack of it can contribute to the fraying of neighborhood cohesion. The study, Beyond Health Effects? Examining the Social Consequences of Community Levels of Uninsurance Pre-ACA, published by the… Read More

A trans-institutional team of Vanderbilt social scientists and medical professionals will look at how laws affecting LGBT individuals and families affect their health and the economy. Read More

Clinics with more non-physician clinicians are associated with better access for Medicaid patients and lower prices for office visits, according to a recent study. Read More