Changing Lives

Our mission to translate research findings into practice can lead to improved disease prevention and survival. Some of the ways we are impacting health include:

Developing New Models for the Care of Depression
A report co-authored by center faculty Bruce Compas, Ph.D. highlights the effects of parental depression on children and recommends preventive interventions and a focus on family-centered care.  Read the full Institute of Medicine report: Depression in Parents, Parenting, and Children: Opportunities to Improve Identification, Treatment, and Prevention.

Promoting Reduced Miscarriage Rates
A study from center faculty member Katherine Hartmann, M.D., Ph.D. and colleagues demonstrated an association between pre-conception vitamin use and lowered miscarriage rates.  As part of the Right from the Start study, women in the early weeks of pregnancy completed surveys assessing their health behaviors including use of vitamins, general diet, and medication use.  Women who reported taking vitamins had a substantially lower rate of miscarriage than did women not reporting taking vitamins.  Read the full study abstract or more about the study.

Working Towards Identifying Cancer Susceptibility
Research from center director Wei Zheng, M.D., Ph.D. and faculty Jirong Long, Ph.D., Chun Li, Ph.D., Wanqing Wen, M.D., Sandra Deming, Ph.D., M.P.H., Jonathan Haines, Ph.D., Qiuyin Cai, M.D., Ph.D., and Xiao-Ou Shu, M.D., Ph.D.  identified a strong, consistent association between the genetic marker rs2046210 on chromosome 6 and non-inherited breast cancers.  Notes Zheng "Eventually, we hope that we can use this model to identify high-risk women for chemoprevention or regular cancer screening to reduce their breast cancer mortality." Read the full abstract or more in the Vanderbilt Reporter.

Exploring Dietary and Nutritional Influences on Cancer
Center research in collaboration with China´s Shanghai Cancer Institute demonstrated reduced cancer risk in women with particular genotypes and increased consumption of cruciferous vegetables.  Read the full study or more about the research.  Center researchers havealso identified anti-cancer effects associated with soy food intake and licorice compounds.

Detecting Delirium in Critically Ill Children
Research from center faculty Wes Ely, M.D. into delirium in adult ICU patients and its association with greater risk for death inspired researchers at Vanderbilt´s Children´s Hospital to develop a tool to assess delirium in children.  Read more.