Bill Snyder

Nashville

Senior Science Writer at VUMC Reporter

Articles

Research Staff Awards honor three who drive research in the School of Medicine

2 weeks ago | news.vumc.org | Bill Snyder

Three of the many people who empower the highly impactful and internationally recognized research enterprise at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine were honored April 4 during the 21st annual Research Staff Awards ceremony at the Kimpton Aertson Hotel in Nashville.
Colleagues honor the memory of VUMC gastroenterologist Terrence “TA” Smith

2 weeks ago | news.vumc.org | Bill Snyder

Terrence Allen “TA” Smith, MD, MMHC, a former Vanderbilt faculty member in gastroenterology and a former U.S. Army flight surgeon who served in Iraq, died on April 7 at Vanderbilt University Medical Center from injuries sustained in a bicycle accident. He was 68. “TA was a role model for all of us,” said Richard Peek, MD, the Mina Cobb Wallace Professor of Immunology, professor of Medicine and director of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition.
Study details genetic architecture of congenital diarrheal disorders in infants

2 weeks ago | news.vumc.org | Bill Snyder

A research consortium co-led by Vanderbilt University Medical Center and supported in part by the National Institutes of Health has identified three previously unknown genes that cause severe congenital diarrheal disorders in infants. The findings, published April 4 in The New England Journal of Medicine, represent a significant advance toward development of more effective, targeted therapies for congenital diarrhea and enteropathies (CODEs).
VUMC mourns the passing of noted businessman and philanthropist Jim Ayers

3 weeks ago | news.vumc.org | Bill Snyder

Prominent Tennessee banker, businessman and philanthropist James W. “Jim” Ayers, after whom a new, 15-story patient care tower under construction at Vanderbilt University Medical Center is named, died April 1 in Nashville. He was 81. Mr. Ayers and his wife, Janet, have been a major philanthropic force in all of Tennessee.
New gene discoveries target uterine fibroids

3 weeks ago | news.vumc.org | Bill Snyder

A multicenter study led by researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center has identified multiple new genes associated with benign tumors (fibroids) of the uterus, the leading indication for hysterectomy in the country. Their report, published in the journal Nature Communications, is another step toward development of targeted therapies aimed at reducing the incidence and medical burden of this common condition, which costs the U.S. health care system billions of dollars annually.
VUMC mourns loss of noted philanthropist Henry Rodes Hart Sr.

3 weeks ago | news.vumc.org | Bill Snyder

Henry Rodes Hart Sr., a well-known Nashville businessman, philanthropist and strong supporter of Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center, died at his home on March 30. He was 93. A 1954 graduate of Vanderbilt University and longtime CEO of Franklin Industries, one of the nation’s largest suppliers of industrial and agricultural minerals, Mr. Hart served as a member of the Vanderbilt University Board of Trust for more than 30 years.
VUMC’s Wesley Ely recognized by the American Thoracic Society

3 weeks ago | news.vumc.org | Bill Snyder

The American Thoracic Society has selected E. Wesley Ely, MD, MPH, the Grant W. Liddle Professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and co-director of the Critical Illness, Brain Dysfunction and Survivorship (CIBS) Center, to receive the 2025 John W. Walsh PAR Award for Excellence. The American Thoracic Society is the world’s leading medical society dedicated to advancing public health, research and treatment of pulmonary disease, critical illness and sleep disorders.
Six Vanderbilt faculty elected fellows of international scientific society

4 weeks ago | news.vumc.org | Bill Snyder

Six Vanderbilt University faculty members have been elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). They are among 471 scientists, engineers and innovators who have been elected to the 2024 class of AAAS Fellows across 24 disciplinary sections. One of the world’s largest multidisciplinary scientific societies, the AAAS also publishes the Science family of journals.
Systemic sclerosis program gains a national recognition

1 month ago | news.vumc.org | Bill Snyder

The National Scleroderma Foundation has recognized Vanderbilt University Medical Center as a Designated Scleroderma Research and Treatment Center for the second time since 2022. Institutions that receive designation status provide high-quality scleroderma care, training and research. VUMC is one of 37 NSF-designated centers in the country and the only one in Tennessee.
‘Trajectories’ of poor sleep over time may shorten your life: study

1 month ago | news.vumc.org | Bill Snyder

An unhealthy “trajectory” in the amount of sleep you get each night, over time, may reduce your lifespan, a new study led by researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center suggests. For more than 12 years, the researchers tracked the health of nearly 47,000 adults who recorded how long they slept at two time points, five years apart.