Vanderbilt University Medical Center

As tensions rise over the growing possibility of an avian flu pandemic, this week Infectious Diseases researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center are launching a new trial of an avian flu vaccine. Read More

Vanderbilt University Medical Center investigators have identified new molecular indicators ó or "biomarkers" ó of aging in the skin that could be used to evaluate anti-aging therapies. Their findings are reported in this month's Journal of Investigative Dermatology. Read More

Series of events during March aimed at teaching the public about the importance of brain research to understanding, treating, and ultimately curing brain-related diseases. Events are open to the public and are sponsored by the Vanderbilt Brain Institute (936-2637, brain.institute@vanderbilt.edu, http://braininstitute.vanderbilt.edu). Read More

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder with both genetic and environmental risk factors that affects the lives of thousands of children and adults and their families. Catherine Lord, Ph.D., professor of psychology and psychiatry and director of the University of Michigan Autism and Communication Disorders Center, will be giving a lecture on autism and the importance of early diagnosis as part of Vanderbilt University's Brain Awareness Month. Read More

A Vanderbilt University School of Medicine student has documented a lack of consensus among Tennessee doctors about how to treat children who may have been exposed to the illicit drug methamphetamine and its harmful manufacturing process. Read More

Can the high doses of chemotherapy and radiation that young cancer patients receive cause inherited health problems for their children? Read More

Media coverage about influenza and the importance of flu shots influenced parents to vaccinate their children against the influenza virus, according to a study done by researchers and information officers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Read More

Vanderbilt University Medical Center recently received national designation as a primary stroke center, only the second such certification awarded in the state. Read More

Vanderbilt is one of 40 centers nationwide to enroll patients in a study to determine the efficacy and safety of a new pacing device for heart failure patients. This is the first time the device, called the Optimizer III, will be implanted in humans. Read More

Thanks to Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center's new Clinical Trials Mentor Program, patients considering enrolling in a clinical trial can now ask questions and get first-hand accounts from patient advocates who have already gone through the process. Read More

Vanderbilt University Medical Center, which has a 21-year accident free operation, is the first dedicated air medical operation in the U.S. to deploy the American Eurocopter EC 145 equipped with the latest in state of the art avionics specially designed to operate in the nighttime and inclimate weather environment. VUMC, which operates four helicopters and one fixed wing and is the largest IFR program in Tennessee, has air ambulance experts available to speak about air ambulance safety standards. Read More

The Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center has been chosen by the National Cancer Institute to join an elite group of researchers asked to test the most cutting-edge cancer treatments in Phase II clinical trials in both solid tumor and hematologic malignancies. Read More

Efforts to reform drug regulation in the wake of the Vioxx withdrawal do not go far enough, according to experts at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Read More

A study in the January/February 2006 issue of the journal Health Affairs concludes that increasing the number of registered nurses and hours of nursing care per patient would save 6,700 lives. Read More

Researchers at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center have uncovered a clue to explain the invasive nature of an aggressive kind of brain tumor called glioblastoma multiforme, or gliomas, and their findings are published in this week's online edition of the journal Oncogene. Read More

Michelle Grant, a poison specialist at the Tennessee Poison Control Center, said many poisonings occur when there is a distraction in the home, and there are plenty of those during the holidays, when decorating, cooking and giving gifts are abundant. Read More

Equity Music Group's Little Big Town is coming to the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt joining the annual visit by members of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. (known for the Grammy awards). Read More

Vanderbilt University's Kevin Niswender, M.D., Ph.D., has been named one of three 2006 Charles E. Culpeper Medical scholars, according to Goldman Philanthropic Partnerships. Read More

Daniel Masys, M.D., professor and chair of Vanderbilt's Department of Biomedical Informatics, is the new president-elect of the American College of Medical Informatics. Read More

Michael R. Petracek, M.D., a cardiothoracic surgeon currently practicing with Cardiovascular Surgery Associates and the Saint Thomas Heart Institute, and one of Nashville's leading heart surgeons for over 20 years, is leaving Saint Thomas Hospital to join the faculty of Vanderbilt University Medical Center as a full-time clinical professor of Surgery in the Department of Cardiac Surgery. Read More