Ultrasound Section of Radiology receives AIUM re-accreditation

The Ultrasound Section of Vanderbilt’s Department of Radiology recently received maximum length re-accreditation through the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, the largest ultrasound organization in the world. The re-accreditation recognizes that the sonographic exams in the department are of the highest quality and in several areas set the standards for sonographic studies performed throughout the country.

Cancer Nanomedicines on Target

Therapeutic nanoparticles – particles that can serve as both imaging probes and therapeutic agents – offer advantages over traditional cancer chemotherapeutics, but the delivery of these particles to tumor tissues is a major challenge.

MRI Used as New Tool in Predicting Lymphedema Risk

A new Vanderbilt study is the first to use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to noninvasively measure lymphatic flow. Researchers say this technique holds future potential in the identification of patients at highest risk for developing lymphedema and in the evaluation of response to lymphedema therapy.

Breast Center Earns NAPBC Accreditation

As part of a rigorous evaluation and quality compliance program from the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), the Vanderbilt Breast Center has been awarded a three-year full accreditation. The NAPBC, a program of the American College of Surgeons, represents a consortium of national organizations dedicated to the improvement of the quality of care and monitoring of outcomes of patients with diseases of the breast.

John Gore receives Earl Sutherland Prize for Achievement in Research

John Gore, Ph.D. accepted the Earl Sutherland Prize for achievement in research at the Fall Faculty Assembly. The Sutherland Prize, the most prestigious honor that Vanderbilt bestows on a faculty member, is given annually to a member of the faculty whose achievements in research, scholarship or creative expression have received significant critical acclaim and are recognized nationally or internationally.

Methods for Imaging Myelin Loss

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is commonly used to diagnose multiple sclerosis (MS) – an inflammatory disease in which the myelin sheaths around brain and spinal cord neurons are damaged and lost. Current MRI methods, however, do not quantify the extent of myelin loss, which is important for treatment planning and for monitoring disease progression and response to therapy.

Brown to Lead new Interventional Oncology division

Daniel Brown, M.D., has been named Director of Interventional Oncology, a new division within the Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences. Brown comes to Vanderbilt from Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, where he was chief of Interventional Radiology, professor of Radiology and a member of the Kimmel Cancer Center.

Validating Maps of the Brain’s Resting State

Kick back and shut your eyes. Now stop thinking. You have just put your brain into what neuroscientists call its resting state. What the brain is doing when an individual is not focused on the outside world has become the focus of considerable research in recent years. One of the potential benefits of these studies could be definitive diagnoses of mental health disorders ranging from bipolar to post-traumatic stress disorders.