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FEDERALLY FUNDED RESEARCH
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Vanderbilt research: Better understanding of fundamental cell behavior can improve drug development
Pioneering research from Vanderbilt scientists shows that cells respond differently to acute stress than to gradual stress. The findings establish an entirely new way to look at cell-to-cell communication, or signaling, and may fundamentally change how biomedical researchers study cells. Research led by Alexander Thiemicke, former graduate student in chemical and physical biology, and Gregor Neuert, assistant professor of molecular physiology and biophysics . . . sought to clarify how cells behave in environments where stress is changed gradually, as opposed to conditions that produce rapid change. "This has serious implications as we unravel fundamental biological questions and for how drug development is pursued,” said Neuert. [This research was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health.] MORE
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Diet of Homotherium sabertooth cat included baby mammoths, according to new research
When you think of sabertooth cats, chances are you picture the iconic Smilodon fatalis, which has massively elongated canines and is best known from specimens found in the La Brea Tar Pits in Southern California. ( Smilodon fatalis fossils were also found in Nashville, Tennessee—which led to the name and mascot of the NHL’s Nashville Predators hockey team.) However, the cat that once occupied all continents except Australia and Antarctica is the scimitar-toothed Homotherium. This cat’s teeth were more flattened and less elongated, but it was still a formidable predator. According to a new study led by paleontologist and Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Larisa DeSantis . . . Homotherium had a unique ecology that included the consumption of prey that resided in open grasslands. Among the prey were baby mammoths. The research was made possible by the National Science Foundation. MORE
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Student-developed machine-learning techniques make surgeries safer and easier to review
An interdisciplinary fellowship with the Data Science Institute has resulted in a promising machine-learning technology that can effectively track complex surgical activity, thus having the potential to improve patient outcomes, safety and documentation. TingYan “Nicholas” Deng, a third-year student majoring in computer science, mathematics and economics, used algorithms similar to those that control autonomous vehicles to develop technology that analyzes surgical video captured by a camera worn around a surgeon’s neck. [This work was supported by Vanderbilt Institute for Surgery and Engineering which has received support from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.] MORE
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Assistant principals have much to offer in advancing equity and improving schools, Vanderbilt-led research finds
Effective assistant principals have the potential to greatly impact a school’s success, though they are often underutilized, a new Vanderbilt-led study finds. The report—developed by Peabody College of education and human development faculty Ellen Goldring and Mollie Rubin, and Mariesa Herrmann of Mathematica—also sheds light on the varied functions of assistant principals across the country and suggests ways to better prepare and support them to increase impact on students. The assistant principal position, which comprises a mix of instructional leadership, management and student discipline, has become an increasingly common stepping-stone for educators hoping to become principals. The job could play an important role in promoting racial and gender equity in school leadership, the report concludes, as well as in advancing more equitable outcomes for students. MORE
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Vanderbilt Poll: Approvals slip for Nashville’s elected leaders, public schools; mayor receives high marks for response to challenging issues
Davidson County voters have slightly less confidence in their elected officials and core institutions as compared with last year, including the Metro Nashville Police Department and Nashville public schools, according to the latest Vanderbilt Poll-Nashville. A majority of Nashville residents, however—59 percent—still think things in Nashville are “generally headed in the right direction.” That is down from 63 percent last year. Concurrently, 40 percent of poll respondents feel that things in the Nashville area are “off on the wrong track”; that number is up from 36 percent last year. MORE
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New research framework proposes equitable approach to preventing gun violence
On April 8, the Biden administration announced executive orders that will regulate “ghost guns” and stabilizers, encourage states to develop “red flag” laws, increase research on gun trafficking, and fund community violence intervention programs. “This should be the beginning of the conversation,” says Dr. Jonathan Metzl, Vanderbilt University’s Frederick B. Rentschler II Professor of Sociology and Medicine, Health, and Society, and director of the Department of Medicine, Health, and Society. Metzl and two colleagues provide that focus in a new Social Science and Medicine article [that challenges] researchers to promote better solutions to the “structural drivers of America’s gun violence,” to renew attention to the mental health outcomes of gun trauma, to engage minoritized communities in more effective ways, and to develop methods that directly counter social and political divisions around guns. The authors outline a five-part agenda for the future of firearm research centered on addressing the root causes of gun violence and deeper focus on the socioeconomic factors and biases that produce inequitable outcomes. MORE
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Cultural context of health is critical in responding to pandemics, new research shows
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. The research team consulted with 23 health experts from across the globe, engaged in an extensive literature review of cross-cultural experiences, and developed a report with five key recommendations based on cultural responses. The report . . . was developed in partnership between the Vanderbilt Cultural Contexts of Health and Wellbeing Initiative, the World Health Organization, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. MORE
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Lutz named Vanderbilt University vice chancellor for development and alumni relations; Sweet to lead Information Technology
John M. Lutz, who has served as Vanderbilt University’s interim vice chancellor for development and alumni relations since April 2020, will assume the role permanently, Chancellor Daniel Diermeier announced today. Lutz’s appointment as vice chancellor for development and alumni relations is effective immediately. The strong engagement of current and future Vanderbilt alumni was evident in the overwhelming success of this year’s Giving Day on April 7—held for the first time since the pandemic began—which raised more than $5 million to advance the university’s mission of education, discovery and leadership. Effective immediately, Vice Chancellor for Finance, Information Technology and Chief Financial Officer Brett C. Sweet will assume leadership of Vanderbilt University Information Technology in addition to his finance leadership role. MORE
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Vanderbilt Arts and Science professor named 2021 Guggenheim Fellow
Emily Greble, a historian of modern Europe whose research explores how the Balkans challenge presumptions about European history, is among 184 artists, writers, scholars and scientists awarded a 2021 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship. Greble, associate professor of history and associate professor of German, Russian and East European studies, received a Guggenheim Fellowship in European and Latin American history. She was selected from a group of almost 3,000 applicants during a rigorous peer-review process. Greble’s fellowship will support research for her book project on how the legal encounters of 19th-century ordinary citizens who lived along the borders of Europe and the Ottoman Empire influenced the evolution of the modern European legal order. MORE
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H. Richard Milner IV voted president-elect of American Educational Research Association
Vanderbilt University Cornelius Vanderbilt Distinguished Professor of Education H. Richard Milner IV has been voted president-elect of the American Educational Research Association, the largest interdisciplinary research association devoted to the scientific study of education and learning in the world. Milner’s presidency will begin at the conclusion of the association’s 2022 annual meeting. As COVID-19 has impacted educational opportunities for students across the United States, Milner is eager to facilitate research-backed dialogue and to support programs of research that address educational inequity. Milner began his career at Vanderbilt in 2001. In 2008, Milner became the first Black person in the history of Peabody College to earn tenure. MORE
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Churchwell to moderate April 19 discussion with veteran civil rights leader Andrew Young
André Churchwell, Vanderbilt vice chancellor for equity, diversity and inclusion and chief diversity officer, will moderate a discussion with veteran civil rights leader Andrew Young at 6 p.m. on Monday, April 19. The conversation will focus on voting rights and the future of democracy. The event is a part of the University School of Nashville’s Evening Classes, which are open to the public. Register for the upcoming session on the USN website. As a long-standing civil rights leader and former Ambassador to the United Nations, Andrew Young has been serving and shaping our country for more than 50 years. Young was a close confidant to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and when he was elected to Congress in 1972, he was the first African American elected from the South since Reconstruction. He was elected as the mayor of Atlanta in 1981 and was reelected in 1985. MORE
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VUbrief summarizes Vanderbilt news items to inform our Congressional community of developments at the university. Visit our website for past issues of VUbrief. Vanderbilt University Office of Federal Relations (202) 216-4361
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