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Diermeier urges universities to lead America back toward reasoned debate in ‘USA Today’ opinion piece
A new USA Today op-ed written by Chancellor Daniel Diermeier, “ Stand up for facts: How universities can lead America back toward reasoned debate,” urges top universities like Vanderbilt to take a leading role in restoring “reason, rationality and honesty” into the national dialogue. Reflecting on this moment in America, Diermeier argues that universities should leverage their strengths in research and transformational education to reestablish faith in one another and our institutions. In the piece, Diermeier points to the university’s work on the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy, to its critical role in developing a COVID-19 vaccine in record time, and to its long-standing tradition of educating the leaders of tomorrow. MORE
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SARS-CoV-2 protein blocks an essential step in host gene expression, new discovery finds
Vanderbilt biochemist Yi Ren is part of a team that has identified a new behavior of a SARS-CoV-2 protein and discovered that interfering with its function can block virus replication in host cells. This opens up the potential for new therapeutic targets for COVID-19. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ren has been applying her expertise in the mechanisms of gene expression and viral proteins to better understand SARS-CoV-2. The researchers acted quickly in early 2020, discovering that SARS-CoV-2 behaves like influenza A in mRNA signaling. In principle, this work is helpful in the study of future viruses. Viruses are very talented, Ren explains, because they can exploit the same pathway to a host cell through very different mechanisms. Learning more about each virus’ behavior can encourage more rapid development of targeted therapeutics. [This research is supported in part by the National Institutes of Health and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.] MORE
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Low-income and students with learning disabilities disproportionately affected by COVID-19 learning loss, Peabody College experts say
As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, school closures and the shift to remote learning have disrupted educational progress across the nation, disproportionately affecting students from low-income communities and those with learning disabilities, according to faculty experts from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College [of education and human development]. “The children we are most concerned about in regard to learning losses associated with learning online during the pandemic are those who have been historically underserved by our public schools and who have less access to resources to support quality online educational opportunities in the home,” said Carolyn Heinrich, Patricia and Rodes Hart Professor of Public Policy and Education. Moreover, Heinrich is concerned that well-intentioned measures to address learning loss may overshadow pre-existing educational inequities that have been intensified by the pandemic. MORE
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Dr. Buddy Creech answers first-year students’ COVID-19 questions
Vanderbilt first-year students recently met with Buddy Creech, BS’95, MPH’06, director of the Vanderbilt Vaccine Research Program and associate professor of pediatrics, for a special virtual chat to answer some of their COVID-19 vaccine questions. The event was coordinated through The Martha Rivers Ingram Commons. Creech and his team participated in several NIH-funded treatment trials of COVID-19, conducted phase 3 studies of the Moderna mRNA vaccine and the Johnson & Johnson adenovirus-vectored vaccine, and have been developing new ways to test immune responses in patients who have recovered from the highly contagious virus. Creech said his team soon will launch pediatric studies. MORE
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Despite limitations of pandemic, research continues in Arts and Science, Nursing
Vanderbilt researchers are prolific and resolute in their pursuit of transformative research and innovation. During the Research Ramp-up process, more than 3,000 Vanderbilt research personnel have returned to in-person research activities, while many others have continued remotely through perseverance and ingenuity. On campus and at home, they are making discoveries that advance knowledge and improve lives. [These researchers include John Wikswo from the College of Arts and Science who is advancing research into SARS-CoV-2, and Terrah Akard from the School of Nursing who is studying the effectiveness of music therapy delivered virtually.] MORE
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FEDERALLY FUNDED RESEARCH
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New $2 million NIH grant advances less invasive procedure for TLE
A Vanderbilt research team has received a $2 million National Institutes of Health grant to further develop a needle-size robotic surgery system with real-time MRI guidance for drug resistant temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Such a procedure has the potential to reduce or eliminate seizures using a minimally invasive approach over the current standard of care, open brain surgery. A craniotomy for TLE has a seizure-freedom rate of 70-80 percent, but perceived risks make many patients and referring physicians hesitant. [Members of the team] are faculty affiliates with the Vanderbilt Institute for Surgery and Engineering. The eventual goal is to provide a minimally invasive way to achieve the benefits of surgery but use a steerable needle delivered through the patient’s cheek, with thermal therapy to the brain. MORE
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Peabody-led research report sheds light on impact of effective school leadership on student learning outcomes
A major new research review released today paints a detailed picture of how strong principals affect students’ educational and social outcomes. The report, co-authored by Professor Jason A. Grissom at [ Peabody College of Education and Human Development], concludes that school leaders are even more important than previously believed and that investing in their success has a very large payoff. Drawing on 20 years of research and 219 studies, the synthesis identifies four behaviors of principals linked to positive school outcomes, suggests continued reorientation of the work of principals toward educational equity, and offers an emerging vision of how the four behaviors can be carried out with an equity focus. MORE
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Vanderbilt chemist wins Sloan Research Fellowship
Assistant Professor of Chemistry Steven D. Townsend, PhD’10, has been awarded a 2021 Sloan Research Fellowship, one of the highest honors for young scientists who have the potential to revolutionize their fields of study. Townsend, who previously received a Chancellor’s Research Award for his path-breaking scholarship on the unique carbohydrates found in human milk, is among 128 early career researchers selected for a 2021 Sloan Research Fellowship. [Townsend's research on human milk was supported by the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health.] MORE
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Alumni couple makes $5M gift to establish center dedicated to presidential scholarship
Vanderbilt University announced today that alumni Carolyn Thomas Rogers, BA’75, and Robert Moss Rogers, BA’75, have made a $5 million gift to establish the Carolyn T. and Robert M. Rogers Center for the American Presidency in the College of Arts and Science. The center will be a nationally recognized hub for innovative scholarship about the workings of the presidency, including its function and its role in and effect on current and historical events. The gift will support: a leading presidential scholar producing groundbreaking work to complement current faculty’s expertise; two Dean’s Faculty Fellows; a director to manage the center’s daily operations; a research fund to promote innovative, collaborative scholarship; visiting presidential scholars and thought leaders to engage with students, faculty and the public; and Immersion Vanderbilt experiences for undergraduate students. 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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