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Vanderbilt legal, education experts: Not the end of affirmative action

Following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on the highly anticipated case, Fisher v. University of Texas, Vanderbilt University legal and education experts say this is not the end of affirmative action in the college admissions process. The plaintiff, Abigail Fisher, a white woman who was denied admission to the University of Texas, claims the school's use of race in its admissions policies is unconstitutional. While the Supreme Court did not rule on the constitutionality of affirmative action programs, and instead sent the case back to be reexamined by the lower courts, the justices affirmed seven to one the use of race in the admissions process as a means of creating a diverse campus. Vanderbilt Law School professor and one of the nation's top scholars on constitutional law Suzanna Sherry said the seven-to-one ruling is as narrow as the Court could have made, and it in no way portends the end of affirmative action. MORE

Constitutional law expert's opinion on Supreme Court's same-sex marriage decisions

Historic gains were made by supporters of same sex marriage on Wednesday after the Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision to overturn the federal Defense of Marriage Act. That 1996 act denied federal benefits to same-sex couples who were legally married in the states where they lived. In a second 5-4 decision, the court declined to rule on California's Proposition 8, which defined marriage as "between one man and one woman." One of the nation's top scholars on constitutional law, Vanderbilt law school professor Suzanna Sherry, the Herman O. Loewenstein Professor of Law and Harvie Branscomb Distinguished University Professor, wrote the following opinion piece for The Washington Post website right after the decision came down. MORE

Research effort seeks to improve home care for kidney failure patients

Vanderbilt nephrologist Thomas Golper, M.D., professor of Medicine in Nephrology and Hypertension, is leading an effort to form a research consortium with a goal of improving care for kidney failure patients who receive a form of home dialysis. Leading U.S. and Canadian experts in peritoneal dialysis gathered at Vanderbilt in mid-June at Golper's invitation, and voted to form the North American Research Consortium in Peritoneal Dialysis "Vanderbilt is a leader in this very cost-effective form of treatment with about triple the national rate of peritoneal dialysis among our kidney failure patients. But in today's changing health care climate it is critical to look at ways to increase the safety and use of peritoneal dialysis," Golper said. Kidney failure is an important cause of permanent disability in the United States. It can be the result of long-term chronic illnesses like high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. MORE

Sleep Center helps barge pilots stay on course

At the helm of a towboat navigating more than 20,000 tons of cargo down ever-shifting river channels, feeling sleepy is not an option for pilot Darrell Koontz. "Normally there are eight other people besides myself on the boat, and I have their lives in my hands, not to mention other people on the water or on bridges," said Koontz, a Paducah, Ky., native who pilots the M/V Daniel T. Martin for Ingram Barge Co. Good sleep is essential for towboat captains and pilots, but there are many barriers. The job is not physically active, so fatigue sets in much faster. Knowing the high stakes and risks that come with this profession, Ingram Barge Co. partnered with the Vanderbilt Sleep Center to provide sleep apnea screening, treatment and coaching to their employees. MORE

Insights on glaucoma gene mutations

Mutations in the gene for myocilin (MYOC), a secreted protein with unknown functions, are associated with juvenile and adult-onset primary open angle glaucoma – the leading cause of irreversible blindness. Cell culture and mouse studies suggest that MYOC mutations prevent myocilin secretion into the aqueous humor, and that its accumulation inside cells results in a stress response. Rachel Kuchtey, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, and colleagues tested this hypothesis in patients. The findings in patients are consistent with studies showing that MYOC mutations reduce myocilin secretion, and suggest that patients with these mutations may benefit from treatments that relieve the cellular stress response. This research was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and from Research to Prevent Blindness. MORE

Predicting cancer's response to therapy

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is increasingly used in women with locally advanced breast cancer before surgical treatment. Early assessment of response to NAC would allow clinicians to identify patients who are not responding and adjust their therapy. Thomas Yankeelov, Ph.D., Ingram Associate Professor of Cancer Research, and colleagues ... used the imaging data in a logistic model of tumor growth to calculate a proliferation rate after one cycle and from that, to predict the tumor cell number after NAC completion. They report in the June issue of Translational Oncology that the proliferation rate after one cycle was able to separate patients who went on to achieve a complete response (assessed after surgery) from those who did not. The methods, if validated in more patients, could be used to predict patient outcome early in the course of NAC. This research was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health. MORE

Stroke Center strikes 'Gold'

The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association has once again recognized the Vanderbilt Stroke Center for using evidence-based guidelines to provide the best possible care to patients. The Vanderbilt Stroke Center maintained its Gold Award for attaining at least 85 percent compliance with Get With The Guidelines measures for 24 consecutive months, and added a "Plus" designation for complying with additional quality measures. "This award is very important. It tells us officially that we're doing the right thing for stroke patients," said Howard Kirshner, M.D., professor of Neurology and director of the Vanderbilt Stroke Center. The Stroke Center has also been named to the Target: Stroke Honor Roll. Target: Stroke is a national quality initiative of the AHA/ASA to improve timeliness of intravenous clot-busting medication (known as tPA). MORE

Kapu elected a fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners

April Kapu, MSN, R.N., APRN, has been elected a fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). AANP fellows are selected based on outstanding contributions to clinical practice, research, education or policy. Kapu has worked at Vanderbilt for nine years, most recently serving as the assistant director of Advance Practice Critical Care at Vanderbilt University Hospital. She has helped spearhead many initiatives to better use nurse practitioners on health care teams, including adding nurse practitioners to rapid response teams. Additionally, she has co-authored articles on nurse practitioner-associated metrics for outcomes and is pursuing her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. Kapu was officially inducted at the AANP National Conference on June 22. MORE

This Week's VUCast

See how a musical pacifier teaches preemies a life-saving skill; Why this awesome "kid president" is spending so much time at Vanderbilt; Hear the Vandy student wowing judges on America's Got Talent. MORE

June 28, 2013

Vanderbilt University

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