Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Vanderbilt Kennedy Center News Tuesday, July 2, 2024

Peabody College Special Education research assistant professor and Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Member Ben Schwartzman, Ph.D., recently received funding from the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF) to create a peer mentorship program between job-seeking adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and employed adults with IDD. The Peer Empowerment Network received $195,155 over the next two years.

Schwartzman receives funding to create employment mentorship program for adults with IDD

Last Updated: 6/19/2024 9:47:24 AM

Singer/songwriter Doug Mathis has pre-released his new song "How Many Days," with all proceeds during the next 30 days going to benefit the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center’s Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (VKC TRIAD).

New Doug Mathis song download benefiting Vanderbilt Kennedy Center during month of June

Last Updated: 6/4/2024 11:25:04 AM

When Vanderbilt announced its new College of Connected Computing, Provost C. Cybele Raver knew the university needed an extraordinary leader to oversee the initial startup of the college—a gifted scholar capable of understanding the interdisciplinary scope of the new college who also had the leadership skills to unite faculty from across campus to lay vital groundwork for the appointment of a new dean. She found the perfect candidate in cognitive scientist Duane Watson, who will lead the initial planning of the college as vice provost for special initiatives.

Duane Watson to lead startup of College of Connected Computing as vice provost for special initiatives

Last Updated: 5/20/2024 10:06:31 AM

Alex Christensen and Eric Wilkey, assistant professors of psychology and human development, are emerging leaders in the psychological sciences, strengthening Vanderbilt’s expertise in data science and the neuroscience of mathematical learning, respectively. In recognition of their advancements in the field of psychology, the Association for Psychological Science named them 2024 APS Rising Stars.

Christensen and Wilkey: emerging leaders in psychological sciences

Last Updated: 5/15/2024 4:06:34 PM

The IDD Toolkit is a website that provides information for the primary care providers of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The toolkit has been recently updated to reflect revised consensus guidelines led by the Developmental Disabilities Primary Care Program of Ontario, Canada.

Enhancing Health Care for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: Toolkit for Primary Care Providers

Last Updated: 5/7/2024 2:17:31 PM

Reyna Gordon, PhD, associate professor of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, has been appointed director of the VICTR KL2 Program and director of Postdoctoral Training for Edge for Scholars (EFS) at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The KL2 is a critical component of the Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (VICTR) program that supports career development for postdoctoral scholars doing clinical and translational research.

Reyna Gordon appointed to VICTR leadership role

Last Updated: 5/7/2024 2:15:10 PM

Roaring Into Recovery [Art Exhibit]

Roaring Into Recovery [Art Exhibit]

Last Updated: 4/15/2024 9:50:03 AM

Visual Perception in Autism: Circuit-Level to Real-World Insights

Visual Perception in Autism: Circuit-Level to Real-World Insights

Last Updated: 4/12/2024 4:27:23 PM

VKC UCEDD Virtual Workshop: "Preventing Fraudulent Participants in REDCap"

VKC UCEDD Virtual Workshop: "Preventing Fraudulent Participants in REDCap"

Last Updated: 4/10/2024 3:36:43 PM

Frist Center for Autism and Innovation Salon Series Panel Discussion: "Clinical and Services Research in the Neurodiverse World"

Frist Center for Autism and Innovation Salon Series Panel Discussion: "Clinical and Services Research in the Neurodiverse World"

Last Updated: 3/28/2024 1:12:51 PM

VKC IDDRC Data Sciences Core (Core E) Lecture: "Innovative Barcode Tracking with REDCap Tuple Tables for the Gut Cell Atlas"

VKC IDDRC Data Sciences Core (Core E) Lecture: "Innovative Barcode Tracking with REDCap Tuple Tables for the Gut Cell Atlas"

Last Updated: 3/28/2024 1:12:10 PM

Translation of Disease-Targeted Therapies in Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Translation of Disease-Targeted Therapies in Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Last Updated: 3/28/2024 12:32:16 PM

The Department of Special Education at Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development received two training grants totaling $2.48 million in funding from the Office of Special Education Programs at the U.S. Department of Education.

Vanderbilt awarded $2.48M in special education training grants

Last Updated: 3/26/2024 2:44:23 PM

A five-year, $8.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health will help establish the Vanderbilt AUD Research and Education Center and bolster Vanderbilt University’s leadership in neuroscience, addiction research and innovative approaches to the study of alcohol use disorder.

Vanderbilt launches AUD Research and Education Center with prestigious $8.9 million NIH grant

Last Updated: 3/26/2024 2:43:40 PM

Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development faculty members Jason Chow and Doug and Lynn Fuchs were recognized by the Council for Exceptional Children, the major professional organization in the field of special education, at its annual meeting in March.

Special education faculty honored by Council for Exceptional Children

Last Updated: 3/19/2024 2:13:39 PM

Sunil Kripalani, MD, MSc, a nationally recognized leader in patient-centered and health systems research, has been named Vice President for Health System Sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, effective March 1.

Kripalani named VP for Health System Sciences

Last Updated: 3/5/2024 3:56:28 PM

Drawing on My Style: Fashionista in the Classroom [Art Exhibit]

Drawing on My Style: Fashionista in the Classroom [Art Exhibit]

Last Updated: 2/16/2024 12:01:50 PM

Promoting Positive Outcomes in Children and Youth with Autism by Tackling Heterogeneity

Promoting Positive Outcomes in Children and Youth with Autism by Tackling Heterogeneity

Last Updated: 2/14/2024 10:48:18 AM

Getting Started: Imaging the Minds and Brains of Human Infants

Getting Started: Imaging the Minds and Brains of Human Infants

Last Updated: 2/14/2024 10:48:06 AM

Arie Nettles, PhD, professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Retired, at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, has never been the silent type.

Health equity champion Arie Nettles retires

Last Updated: 2/8/2024 11:30:04 AM

Vanderbilt neurologist Beth Malow, MD, has received a three-year, $249,660 grant from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine to mount a community-based educational program for improving sleep in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Malow receives grant to mount sleep program for children with autism

Last Updated: 1/25/2024 10:26:52 AM

Vanderbilt University Medical Center received a $13 million Department of Defense grant to lead a multisite clinical trial that will evaluate repurposed FDA-approved drugs as treatment options for patients with Rett syndrome.

VUMC receives $13 million grant to coordinate multisite clinical trial for Rett syndrome treatment

Last Updated: 1/11/2024 12:18:05 PM

Elvis Meets Spider-man and Other Tales [Art Exhibit]

Elvis Meets Spider-man and Other Tales [Art Exhibit]

Last Updated: 12/6/2023 9:41:19 AM

Something was wrong. Eleanor had not begun to walk or form words. Her behavior and mannerisms were unusual for an 18-month-old.

Nonprofits support quest to cure childhood epilepsy

Last Updated: 12/5/2023 9:15:56 AM

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center held its 14th annual VKC Science Day on Thursday, Nov. 30, at Vanderbilt University’s Student Life Center.

2023 VKC Science Day Poster Competition winners announced

Last Updated: 12/4/2023 10:53:42 AM

On Nov. 2, Lisa Monteggia, Barlow Family Director of the Vanderbilt Brain Institute and professor of pharmacology, psychiatry and psychology, joined John Hoomes, CEO and artistic director of the Nashville Opera, for a discussion on the artistic approach and scientific research behind the Nashville Opera’s upcoming performance of The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat.

Opera meets neuroscience: Vanderbilt’s Lisa Monteggia discusses the science of Nashville Opera’s ‘The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat’

Last Updated: 11/13/2023 2:36:09 PM

A three-year, $1.6 million grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development will support Sophia Vinci-Booher, assistant professor of psychology and human development at Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development, and her team in evaluating brain development for letter and number learning in early childhood, specifically how brain responses for letters and numbers emerge and develop throughout the first grade.

Vinci-Booher leads multi-institutional research on child learning using first-ever neuroimaging process

Last Updated: 11/13/2023 2:34:29 PM

Sleep experts recommend permanent standard time to best support human health.

Debate Over Changing the Clock Winds On

Last Updated: 11/9/2023 11:34:32 AM

Educate to Advocate Virtual Public Policy Workshop

Educate to Advocate Virtual Public Policy Workshop

Last Updated: 11/2/2023 3:41:14 PM

Advocating for Supports to Improve Transition for Autistic Young Adults

Advocating for Supports to Improve Transition for Autistic Young Adults

Last Updated: 11/2/2023 3:41:03 PM

Peggy Chatfield, VKC coordinator of facilities and reservations, to retire

Peggy Chatfield, VKC coordinator of facilities and reservations, to retire

Last Updated: 10/31/2023 9:59:35 AM

ChatGPT is here to stay, and educators need to adapt to their students using it—at least, that’s what news headlines have suggested for almost a year following ChatGPT’s unveiling. Much of the coverage has given voice to worries about the possibility that AI will hinder learning by doing students’ work for them. But the AI revolution has just begun, and some experts are seizing on AI’s positive potential to augment teaching and learning.

Peabody researchers receive funding to launch data science challenges to improve education

Last Updated: 10/20/2023 3:21:42 PM

Little is known about the origins and development of scientific literacy and interests that emerge in early childhood, but according to Amy Booth, professor of psychology and human development at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of education and human development, expanding knowledge of early scientific understanding is critical for tackling disparities in long-term STEM participation and achievement.

Booth awarded $1.64 million to extend research on early childhood scientific literacy development

Last Updated: 10/9/2023 10:14:10 AM

Weeding Out the Bad from the Good: Strategies for Researchers Preventing and Identifying Invalid Online Survey Responses

Weeding Out the Bad from the Good: Strategies for Researchers Preventing and Identifying Invalid Online Survey Responses

Last Updated: 9/22/2023 10:34:20 AM

Erin Calipari, associate professor of pharmacology and associate director of the Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, has received a grant of nearly $2 million from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to understand what happens in the brain that makes individuals return to drinking after periods of abstinence.

Erin Calipari receives $2M to study how alcohol use disorder develops in the brain

Last Updated: 9/18/2023 11:07:52 AM

Study with a million-plus subjects finds shared genetic susceptibility to tobacco, alcohol, opioid and cannabis addictions.

Brain Genetics Influence Profile of Addiction Risk

Last Updated: 9/14/2023 1:47:34 PM

Design and Development of VR HMDs With/For Autistic Groups; Examples of Applied VR Led by Autistic Input and Feedback

Design and Development of VR HMDs With/For Autistic Groups; Examples of Applied VR Led by Autistic Input and Feedback

Last Updated: 9/12/2023 1:09:15 PM

Earlier this year, the U.S. and Tennessee Departments of Education awarded grants totaling more than $9.9 million to Hilary Travers, PhD’21, research assistant professor of special education, to support transition outcomes of students with disabilities in Tennessee.

Peabody College researcher awarded more than $9.9 million to support students with disabilities, visual impairments

Last Updated: 9/8/2023 3:24:41 PM

Many students from Spanish-speaking homes—whether designated as English learners or not—struggle with English language and reading comprehension, including students born and raised in the U.S. and who attend English-only-instruction schools. These students’ low scores on standardized English reading and language assessments are often associated with their disproportionate representation in special education, but the use of English-only assessments raises concerns about educational equity as well as whether and to what extent students from Spanish-speaking homes are misrepresented in special education.

Mancilla-Martinez receives $1.66M grant to study assessment practices for students from Spanish-speaking homes

Last Updated: 9/8/2023 3:23:59 PM

A five-year, $3.9 million grant from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders will support novel research into the brain function of language development in 4- to- 8-year-old late talkers with language delay to identify predictive biomarkers that could support early screening and treatment.

Booth leads first longitudinal study to identify biomarkers of language delay in young children

Last Updated: 9/1/2023 2:28:40 PM

Kindred Stories: Mental Health and Disability [Art Exhibit]

Kindred Stories: Mental Health and Disability [Art Exhibit]

Last Updated: 8/25/2023 11:11:32 AM

Laurie Cutting, Patricia and Rodes Hart Professor and professor of special education, psychology and human development, electrical and computer engineering, radiology and pediatrics, has been appointed associate provost in the Office of the Vice Provost for Research and Innovation, effective Aug. 1.

Laurie Cutting appointed associate provost in Office of the Vice Provost for Research and Innovation

Last Updated: 8/14/2023 8:44:27 AM

Former Vanderbilt Kennedy Center director Travis I. Thompson, Ph.D., died Aug. 2, in Roseville, Minn., after an extended illness.

Vanderbilt Kennedy Center mourns the loss of former director Travis Thompson

Last Updated: 8/8/2023 11:12:37 AM

Kathryn Humphreys, associate professor of psychology and human development at Vanderbilt Peabody College, has won a 2023 Early Career Impact Award from the Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences. According to the federation, the award “recognizes scientists from FABBS member societies who have made major contributions to the sciences of mind, brain, and behavior.”

Humphreys receives Early Career Impact Award for contributions to brain and behavioral sciences

Last Updated: 8/2/2023 10:25:21 AM

Mark Wallace, Louise B. McGavock Chair of Neuroscience, professor of psychology, is leading a five-year project to characterize how sensory and multisensory perception develops in children.

Vanderbilt neuroscientist leading international research to explore multisensory perception development in children

Last Updated: 7/31/2023 9:28:04 AM

On July 20, representatives of the International Rett Syndrome Foundation headed to Washington, D.C. to advocate for Rett syndrome.

Neul, International Rett Syndrome Foundation advocates in Washington, D.C.

Last Updated: 7/24/2023 10:11:10 AM

The Academy for Excellence in Education was established in 2006 to provide a forum to foster higher levels of participation and promote excellence and scholarship in the delivery of education to health professionals.

Academy for Excellence in Education elects 13 new members

Last Updated: 7/20/2023 8:24:51 AM

The first drug to treat the symptoms of Rett syndrome was recently approved, following a Nature Medicine study publishing results from the pivotal phase 3 LAVENDER study led by investigators from Vanderbilt University Medical Center to evaluate efficacy and safety of trofinetide.

Rett syndrome drug studied at Vanderbilt approved for patients

Last Updated: 7/14/2023 10:49:41 AM