Vanderbilt University
Medical Center

Vanderbilt University Medical Center has built a strong reputation as a leader in medical education, research and patient care throughout the Southeast and the nation over the course of its 135-year history. At its heart the Vanderbilt Medical Center is driven by discovery and the immediate incorporation of new knowledge into innovation in patient care and physician and nurse education.

As a national leader in medical education, research and patient care, the Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) has strong interests in federal developments affecting these areas.

Research
Biomedical research at Vanderbilt has long been recognized for its contributions to the advancement of medicine. The Medical School’s reputation for outstanding research is reflected in the amount of federal and private support it receives. Because of the creativity of the faculty, the School of Medicine ranked No. 10 among U.S. medical schools for NIH funding for federal fiscal year 2008. VUMC research funding from all sources has doubled since 2001. Support for competitive research grants from all external sources has grown continually to more than $423 million for fiscal year 2009. In addition, five School of Medicine departments ranked in the top ten nationwide in scholarly output in 2006-07, calculated in terms of faculty publications, citations, awards and grants.

Major translational research initiatives at Vanderbilt are moving discoveries from the bench to the bedside and will transform health care and health care delivery.

Vanderbilt in partnership with Meharry Medical College has received a $50 million award from the NIH to sup- port clinical and translational research Infrastructure and to promote translation of discoveries in bench and clinical research to improved human health.

At the School of Nursing, the faculty engage in research aimed at improving the lives of individuals, families and communities. Faculty researchers collaborate with investigators from across the Medical Center, University and the world. School of Nursing researchers accomplish their mission through studies that emphasize clinical and health services interventions. The School prepares future researchers primarily through its Ph.D. and post-doctoral education programs.

Patient Care
In 2009, the Vanderbilt clinics had over 1,266,000 patient visits, and more than 51,600 patients were admitted to the Vanderbilt hospitals. A principal referral center for physicians and patients throughout the region, Vanderbilt University Hospital and the Vanderbilt clinics consistently rank among the premier health-care facilities in the United States. Vanderbilt University Hospital and the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt are two of only three Tennessee hospitals included on the list of “America’s Best Hospitals” compiled by U.S. News & World Report magazine

Among Vanderbilt’s specialty program is the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, the only Comprehensive Cancer Center designated by the National Cancer Institute in Tennessee that conducts research and provides care for adult and pediatric cancers. The Cancer Center provides innovative, multi-disciplinary care for patients and families along with comprehensive programs in discovery science; translational, clinical and population-based research; and prevention, early detection and survivorship. It is a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, a non-profit alliance of the 21 of the world’s elite centers collaborating to improve the quality and effectiveness of cancer care for patients everywhere.

Additionally, VUMC’s Level I trauma center, comprehensive burn center and LifeFlight air emergency transport program offer critical trauma care to a three-state region. The Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt is the most comprehensive children’s hospital in the state and is dedicated to meeting the unique health care needs of children, from newborns to young adults, by providing primary and sub-specialty services. Children’s Hospital serves as a regional referral center and has been recognized by U.S. News and World Report as one of the best children’s hospitals in the nation.

The Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute has become one of the nation’s foremost cardiac research programs. U.S. News & World Report recently ranked Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute 23rd on its list of “Best Hospitals” in the Heart and Heart Surgery category.

Vanderbilt Transplant Center is one of the largest and most respected in the Southeast with more than 400 solid organ and bone marrow transplants performed each year. A new pediatric liver transplant program was started October 1, 2007 at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.

*Note: Information taken from 2010 Factbook.