News & Events

The majority of Tennessee parents take their children to their primary care provider or pediatrician when they are sick, but the latest analysis of polling by the Vanderbilt Center for Child Health Policy of parents across the state suggests there are misconceptions about antibiotics, and their use in treating viral infections.

Over 40% of Tennessee families with children say they are food insecure; 70% have changed spending on food by Jake Lowary This year’s Vanderbilt Child Health Poll shows that over 40% of Tennessee families report they are food insecure ― a similar proportion from last year. Most families (71%) say they have continued to change food spending habits due to high prices.

(Originally published in June 2023.)

(Originally published in March 2023.) Stacie Dusetzina, PhD, Ingram Professor of Cancer Research and Professor of Health Policy, joined Mark Cuban, billionaire and founder of Cost Plus Drugs Co., and Ruchika Talwar, MD, Urologic Oncology fellow in VUMC’s Department of Urology, for a lecture and discussion on the efforts to reduce prescription drug prices for Americans.

For years, Professor John Graves, PhD, has been studying health care markets and the policies that influence them. Using statistical models and data from multiple sources, Graves develops models to inform decision-makers and policymakers.

A May 2023 study from Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers published in the Annals of Internal Medicine examining the cost-effectiveness of testing for some hereditary cancers and hypocholesterolemia was recognized as one of the 10 “most significant” pieces of genomics research by a working group at the National Institutes of Health.

In early January 2024, the Food and Drug Administration said it would allow Florida to import some medications from Canada, where they are cheaper than buying in the U.S. It is the first U.S. state to import drugs in bulk, and has raised both acclaim and concern. Stacie Dusetzina, PhD, Professor of Health Policy, explains with CBS News how this policy can impact Florida taxpayers and who stands to benefit most from the expected lower prices of some certain drugs. 

A new federal rule published Nov. 15 will require additional transparency and disclosure of ownership and management of nursing homes across the country, and the rule was shaped by research conducted at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The rule will help families make more informed decisions about nursing home care, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said in a news release.

Jennifer Cunningham Erves, PhD, MPH, MAEd, MS, CHES, has joined Vanderbilt University Medical Center as associate professor of Health Policy, director of Community Engaged Research, Office of Health Equity, and scholar, Vanderbilt Center for Health Services Research.

A new study published in the medical journal BMJ finds that oncologists who received payments from the pharmaceutical industry were more likely to give patients prescriptions for cancer drugs that are less effective or more expensive.