Vanderbilt Kennedy Center News Sunday, December 15, 2019

Eight Vanderbilt faculty elected AAAS fellows for 2019

Eight Vanderbilt faculty elected AAAS fellows for 2019

Last Updated: 12/2/2019 1:50:21 PM

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have taken a major step that could ultimately facilitate development of a new class of antidepressants which may relieve symptoms more rapidly and effectively and with fewer side effects than current medications.

Study explores potential new class of antidepressants

Last Updated: 11/25/2019 3:27:25 PM

Kathryn Edwards, MD, who holds the Sarah H. Sell and Cornelius Vanderbilt Endowed Chair in Pediatrics and is a professor of Pediatrics at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, is the recipient of the 2020 John Howland Award, the highest honor given by the American Pediatric Society (APS).

Edwards receives American Pediatric Society’s top award

Last Updated: 11/15/2019 10:09:45 AM

Proteins that move electrically charged ions of sodium, potassium and chloride across the cell membrane are vital for the control of cell volume — the amount of water inside the cell and regulation of intracellular chloride.

Blueprint for treating epilepsy

Last Updated: 11/15/2019 10:09:15 AM

Study explores genetic risk profiling of insomnia in autism

Last Updated: 11/12/2019 10:40:10 AM

Sleep experts and chronobiologists advocate eliminating outdated policy.

Daylight Savings Time: Bad for the brain?

Last Updated: 11/8/2019 11:05:49 AM

Researchers from the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center and the Marcus Autism Center at Emory University School of Medicine are partnering to study musical rhythm synchronization as a part of social development and how it’s disrupted in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in hopes of developing music interventions for improving social communication.

Autism study tracks musical rhythm as possible treatment

Last Updated: 11/7/2019 2:00:01 PM

Bunmi Olatunji, professor of psychology and associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, has been appointed associate dean of academic affairs at the Graduate School, effective Jan. 1, 2020. He succeeds Richard Hoover, professor of pathology, microbiology and immunology and associate professor of pediatrics, who is stepping down after 18 years in the role and will retire from Vanderbilt on Dec. 31.

Olatunji appointed associate dean of academic affairs at Graduate School

Last Updated: 10/22/2019 9:12:54 AM

Vanderbilt University’s No. 1 ranked Department of Special Education has been awarded more than $19 million in federal funding to support intensive interventions for children, young people and adults with a wide array of disabilities.

Vanderbilt earns $19M in federal funding for special education training and research

Last Updated: 10/22/2019 9:11:46 AM

This month, a committee within the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine published its review of NASA’s updated Science Plan. Among those named to the exclusive committee responsible for reviewing the plan is Keivan Stassun, Stevenson Endowed Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Vanderbilt.

National Academies committee including Vanderbilt astrophysicist publishes review of latest NASA Science Plan

Last Updated: 10/22/2019 9:11:03 AM

A new multisite study funded by the National Institute on Aging will examine whether co-occurring Alzheimer’s disease and stage 4 breast or prostate cancer alters pain perception, potentially leading to undertreated cancer pain.

Study examines pain processing in co-occurring cancer, Alzheimer’s disease

Last Updated: 10/15/2019 2:57:34 PM

The International Rett Syndrome Foundation appoints three to the board.

Monteggia appointed to International Rett Syndrome Foundation Board of Directors

Last Updated: 10/4/2019 3:40:35 PM

Mutations in a subunit of a receptor that binds the major inhibitory neurotransmitter GABAA in the brain have been linked, through a common mechanism, to epilepsy, autism and intellectual disability, researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and colleagues report.

Team discovers one more piece to the autism puzzle

Last Updated: 10/4/2019 3:39:19 PM

<p>(October - December at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center)</p> <p>Sponsored by the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, this free annual exhibit features works of art in a variety of media by artists with a wide range of abilities/disabilities and ages on the theme of “Art is for All.”</p>

Creative Expressions XXV

Last Updated: 9/20/2019 9:44:56 AM

Two faculty members from Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences have been recognized with annual awards from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), VUMC’s credentialing organization.

Tharpe, Woynaroski honored by speech sciences association

Last Updated: 9/16/2019 9:07:45 AM

Vanderbilt University will train a new generation of engineers and scientists to develop innovations that connect 21st-century workforce needs to the talents and abilities of neurodiverse individuals, such as those living along the autism spectrum, thanks to a $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation.

NSF funds Vanderbilt graduate trainee program to develop workplace innovations for those with autism

Last Updated: 9/13/2019 9:42:50 AM

A residential community that brings together Vanderbilt Divinity School students and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities is celebrating the opening of its third house.

Third Friendship House connects young adults with disabilities and Divinity School students

Last Updated: 9/9/2019 6:00:23 PM

2019 VKC Science Day registration open through Sept. 12

2019 VKC Science Day registration open through Sept. 12

Last Updated: 9/5/2019 3:49:10 PM

Vanderbilt University has been awarded a $3.2 million grant by the National Institutes of Health to better understand how children who are deaf or hard of hearing excel at reading. Millions of children are hearing impaired and these individuals tend to have below-average reading skills. Only about 10 percent of DHH individuals attain age-appropriate reading levels by high school graduation.

$3.2M grant to fund Vanderbilt study of reading skills in children who are deaf or hard of hearing

Last Updated: 9/5/2019 3:14:19 PM

A team led by an engineering professor who specializes in techniques to analyze functional neuroimaging data and a neurosurgeon-scientist has received a $3 million NIH grant for epilepsy research.

Chang, Englot receive $3 million NIH grant for epilepsy imaging work

Last Updated: 8/30/2019 9:56:26 AM

Preschoolers are capable of learning more complicated math concepts than most parents realize, according to a new Vanderbilt study. What’s more, these concepts can be easily introduced through simple games and tasks at home.

Preschoolers can do more math than you think

Last Updated: 8/19/2019 10:19:02 AM

An accurate diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is possible when a child is 18 months old, but the average age of diagnosis and initial intervention remains above 4 years. Many community providers and the families they serve lack a clear pathway for accessing diagnostic services and knowledge of available resources, delaying care that could improve developmental outcomes.

System set to help coordinate autism care

Last Updated: 8/16/2019 9:30:08 AM

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center and The Arc Tennessee are partnering to collect stories from individuals with disabilities and their families on the topic of civic engagement.

VKC, The Arc TN seeking personal stories for Civic Engagement issue of Kindred Stories

Last Updated: 8/8/2019 1:53:28 PM

VIDEO: TN Inclusive Higher Education Programs

Last Updated: 8/1/2019 10:37:07 AM

Little ones may be fascinated by the cartoon character or person on TV asking them questions and pausing for a response. But science shows that children under the age of 30 months don’t tend to learn from such encounters.

Toddler brains resist learning from screens, even video chat

Last Updated: 8/1/2019 9:08:50 AM

he Frist Center for Autism and Innovation, a new center that brings engineers, business scholars and disabilities researchers together with experts in neuroscience and education to understand, maximize and promote neurodiverse talent, celebrated its grand opening on Thursday, July 25. Located at the Innovation Pavilion in Vanderbilt University’s Engineering and Science Building, adjacent to the Wondr’y, the center was made possible by a $10 million endowed gift from Jennifer R. Frist, BS’93, and husband William R. “Billy” Frist in fall 2018.

Vanderbilt celebrates opening of Frist Center for Autism and Innovation

Last Updated: 7/30/2019 9:22:40 AM

Signaling by the neurotransmitter dopamine is a critical regulator of movement, attention and reward. Disrupted dopamine signaling has been implicated in brain disorders including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Defective transporter linked to autism

Last Updated: 7/26/2019 11:49:34 AM

Detecting and treating schizophrenia early, perhaps even before symptoms arise, could lead to better therapeutic outcomes. Studies have demonstrated differences in social function and cognition among people who later develop symptoms of schizophrenia, but less is known about pre-morbid temperament and personality.

Early detection of schizophrenia

Last Updated: 7/1/2019 9:58:15 AM

For many people, simple sensations such as the gentle caress of a loved one or walking barefoot through the grass feel pleasant. For individuals with autism, the feeling of light pressure on the skin may be perceived as aversive or even cringe-worthy.

Researchers explore perceptions of touch in people with autism

Last Updated: 6/27/2019 8:52:36 AM

Tennessee Disability Pathfinder program director Megan Hart, M.Ed., was recently elected as chair of the Tennessee Disability Coalition Board of Directors.

Hart elected chair of Tennessee Disability Coalition Board of Directors

Last Updated: 6/24/2019 3:06:11 PM

Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences has received a $10 million endowed gift to fund translational research, support clinical programs and create an endowed chair within the department.

$10 million gift bolsters psychosis research efforts

Last Updated: 6/24/2019 9:38:44 AM

Vanderbilt University Medical Center is forming a new Center for Improving the Public’s Health Using Informatics (CIPHI, pronounced “Sci Fi”) to be co-directed by Michael Matheny, MD, MS, MPH, and Melissa McPheeters, PhD, MPH.

VUMC forms new Center for Improving the Public’s Health Using Informatics (CIPHI)

Last Updated: 6/24/2019 9:35:02 AM

Cathy Maxwell, PhD, Shelagh Mulvaney, PhD, and Bethany Rhoten, PhD, have been named Vanderbilt University School of Nursing’s first Valere Potter Distinguished Dean’s Faculty Fellows.

Three School of Nursing faculty named first Valere Potter Distinguished Dean’s Faculty Fellows

Last Updated: 6/17/2019 9:56:22 AM

<p>(July - September at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center)</p> <p>This free exhibit features original work and reproductions of art by and about Tennesseans with disabilities that are featured in the annual arts issue of <em>Breaking Ground</em> magazine of the Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities. </p>

Breaking Ground III at the VKC

Last Updated: 6/13/2019 2:15:39 PM

Shari Barkin, MD, MSHS, division chief of General Pediatrics at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, was honored recently with the 2019 Academic Pediatric Association (APA) Research Award.

Academic Pediatric Association honors Barkin

Last Updated: 5/29/2019 9:40:37 AM

John Gore, PhD, director of the Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science (VUIIS), and Michael King, PhD, J. Lawrence Wilson Professor and chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Vanderbilt University, were recently elected to the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering (IAMBE) 2019 Class of Fellows in recognition of their contributions in the field of medical and biological engineering.

Gore, King elected to 2019 IAMBE Class of Fellows

Last Updated: 5/29/2019 9:39:49 AM

Vanderbilt University astrophysicist Keivan Stassun, Stevenson Professor of Physics and Astronomy, was named Tuesday to the National Academies’ Decadal Survey on Astronomy and Astrophysics (Astro2020) Steering Committee.

Stassun appointed to Astro2020 Steering Committee

Last Updated: 5/29/2019 9:39:01 AM

MegaConference

VKC at Tennessee Disability MegaConference

Last Updated: 5/24/2019 11:59:44 AM

A pair of Vanderbilt University neuroscientists will collaborate with a Buffalo, New York, art gallery on a two-year project that recently earned a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Research: Art Works program award.

Vanderbilt neuroscientists, art museum collaborate on NEA-funded visual cognition research

Last Updated: 5/20/2019 9:52:53 AM

New News Item

AERA Ideas in Action - Also Noted

Last Updated: 5/15/2019 10:41:15 AM

American Educational Research Association 2018 Ideas in Action Conference

AERA Ideas in Action – Notes and Honors

Last Updated: 5/15/2019 10:32:04 AM

A team of Vanderbilt University biologists are a step closer to determining how prenatal exposure to long summer days or long winter nights affects long-term mental wellbeing.

Vanderbilt team determining how seasonal light for pregnant moms affects offspring’s mental health

Last Updated: 5/15/2019 10:17:29 AM

On a two-day visit to Tennessee, Julie Hocker, Commissioner of the U.S. Administration on Disability, met with Vanderbilt Kennedy Center leadership, faculty, trainees, and Tennessee Developmental Disabilities Network partners. Hocker visited at the suggestion of Lance Robertson, Assistant Secretary for Aging at the Administration for Community Living, who travelled to Tennessee in January and returned enthusiastic about the collaborative relationships within the state.

AOD Commissioner Julie Hocker visits Vanderbilt Kennedy Center

Last Updated: 5/14/2019 11:45:02 AM

Eleven outstanding faculty members from across the university have been selected for the 2019 cohort of Chancellor Faculty Fellows. This group is composed of highly accomplished, recently tenured faculty from a wide variety of disciplines and areas of expertise.

Eleven faculty members named as 2019 Chancellor Faculty Fellows

Last Updated: 5/14/2019 9:19:47 AM

Twenty-five retiring faculty members were recognized during Vanderbilt’s Commencement ceremony May 10, when the university honored their years of service and bestowed on them the title of emeritus or emerita faculty.

Vanderbilt University honors 25 as emeriti faculty; Zeppos appointed chancellor emeritus

Last Updated: 5/13/2019 9:27:50 AM

http://news.vumc.org/2019/05/08/nettles-receives-nashville-cables-power-of-inclusion-individual-award/

Nettles receives Nashville Cable’s Power of Inclusion Individual Award

Last Updated: 5/9/2019 3:35:05 PM

Two Purposes: Accepting and Including People with Disabilities

Last Updated: 5/6/2019 1:44:38 PM

Vanderbilt’s six newest endowed chairs were honored by colleagues, university leaders, family members and donors at a ceremony on April 30 in the Student Life Center.

Six new endowed chairs from Medicine, A&S, Owen and Law School honored

Last Updated: 5/3/2019 4:20:59 PM

The sight of a dog in a therapy vest trotting down a hospital hallway or being petted by a child lying in a hospital bed is familiar to many, yet the scientific research showing the impact of therapy animals is largely anecdotal, says Vanderbilt University School of Nursing Professor Mary Jo Gilmer, PhD, FAAN. Her work is changing that.

Vanderbilt Nursing professor launches study on therapy animals and children with cancer

Last Updated: 5/3/2019 8:50:19 AM

Erasing the term disability from the collective vocabulary is misguided and has harmful sociocultural implications, according to a new article by leading scholars and rehabilitation psychologists in the field of disability identity.

Disability is not a dirty word; ‘handi-capable’ should be retired

Last Updated: 4/24/2019 2:40:45 PM

New findings from an ongoing 45-year Vanderbilt study reveal that patterns found in test scores and a psychological assessment measuring the personal values of nearly 700 intellectually gifted adolescents were highly predictive of the distinct fields of eminence they would occupy by age 50.

Gifted kids turn 50: Most successful followed heart, not just head

Last Updated: 4/24/2019 2:39:58 PM

David Dickinson, Margaret Cowan Chair in Education and associate dean for research at Peabody College, has published with Ann B. Morse Connecting Through Talk: Nurturing Children’s Development with Language (Brookes Publishing, 2019).

Kudos: Read about faculty and student awards, appointments and achievements

Last Updated: 4/19/2019 9:27:33 AM

Using a unique computational framework they developed, a team of scientist cyber-sleuths in the Vanderbilt University Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics and the Vanderbilt Genetics Institute (VGI) has identified 104 high-risk genes for schizophrenia.

Researchers find high-risk genes for schizophrenia

Last Updated: 4/18/2019 3:20:36 PM

New News Item

Doug and Lynn Fuchs win the Alexander Heard Distinguished Service Professor Award

Last Updated: 4/16/2019 3:52:02 PM

<p>(April - June at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center)</p> <p>This free exhibit features 10 charcoal drawings created by participants from the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Swaney Art Workshop. Led by artist Kat Kennedy, these artists with disabilities explored the workshop’s theme, <em>Residue and Renewal</em>, through various media such as charcoal, tape-resist painting, and photography.</p> <p>The workshop and show are a collaboration between the VKC and Metro Parks disABILITIES, made possible by a gift from the late Mary Jane Swaney. A talented artist, Swaney recognized the importance of using her passion in her efforts to give back. Through her support of the VKC art program, she shared that passion for art with people with disabilities of all ages. </p>

Residue: from the Swaney Art Workshop

Last Updated: 3/26/2019 2:09:37 PM

Robot-guided video game gets older adults out of comfort zone, learning and working together

Last Updated: 3/19/2019 9:28:18 AM

With the aid of $2.5 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Vanderbilt researchers are on a quest to develop early biomarkers of treatment outcomes for patients with temporal lobe epilepsy based on their individual brain networks.

Study aims to predict treatment response in epilepsy patients

Last Updated: 3/15/2019 8:52:51 AM

Vanderbilt University neuroscientist James R. Booth is making available the largest known neuroimaging dataset on math development. His goal in doing so is to support the work of other researchers across the world who are working to understand how arithmetic skills develop in childhood.

Researcher shares largest neuroimaging dataset on math development

Last Updated: 3/8/2019 2:59:18 PM

Although increasing evidence shows that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can be accurately identified during their second year of life, the average age of diagnosis in both Tennessee and across the country remains well above 4 years of age.

Telemedicine holds promise for quick diagnosis of autism

Last Updated: 3/8/2019 9:01:14 AM

A Nicholas Hobbs Discovery Grant and a Director’s Strategic Priorities Grant have been awarded to Vanderbilt Kennedy Center investigators for 2019-20. The grants aim to further understanding of how social information is processed within the reward circuit and explore the creation of an objective measure of social information processing.

VKC Hobbs Discovery and Strategic Priorities grants announced

Last Updated: 3/8/2019 8:58:06 AM

The science of sleep, and how to get people to do it better, is getting attention from policymakers to researchers who are trying to understand how sleep impacts performance and health.

‘Very exciting time’ for sleep research as studies zero in on performance, health

Last Updated: 3/7/2019 2:46:16 PM

Researcher shares largest neuroimaging dataset on math development

Researcher shares largest neuroimaging dataset on math development

Last Updated: 3/6/2019 8:50:18 AM

Vanderbilt University’s eight newest endowed chair holders were celebrated for their path-breaking scholarship and research by family members, donors, colleagues and friends during a Feb. 25 ceremony at the Student Life Center.

Endowed chair holder celebration honors eight faculty members

Last Updated: 3/1/2019 9:45:56 AM

Vanderbilt Kennedy Center investigator Blythe Corbett and her winter 2019 participants of the SENSE Theatre program will bring the original musical The Makeover to life March 8 and 9 at Belmont University’s Troutt Black Box Theater. The performances are the culmination of practice and hard work put in by research participants on the autism spectrum as well as trained typically developing peer actors who will join them on stage.

SENSE Theatre to perform ‘The Makeover’ March 8-9

Last Updated: 2/28/2019 9:45:02 AM

Kindred Stories at Disability Day on the Hill

Kindred Stories at Disability Day on the Hill

Last Updated: 2/26/2019 3:43:46 PM

Vanderbilt University Medical Center recently received a $3.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to improve outcomes for children with significant hearing loss by providing individualized, prescription-like programming for their cochlear implants.

Study takes personal approach to cochlear implant programming

Last Updated: 2/26/2019 12:34:55 PM

Ben Scheer jumps imagination-first into big projects, and he’s not afraid of a lot of trial and error. The Vanderbilt human and organizational development and economics double major has worked on dozens of entrepreneurial endeavors ranging from coding to music to virtual reality to photography, with his biggest focus being on connecting with people and solving problems.

Student creates app for orangutans

Last Updated: 2/26/2019 12:34:11 PM

2019 Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Hobbs Discovery and Strategic Priorities Grants announced

2019 Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Hobbs Discovery and Strategic Priorities Grants announced

Last Updated: 2/21/2019 2:27:31 PM

A recent study by Vanderbilt researchers of 11 counties in Middle Tennessee revealed that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were nearly 2.5 times more likely than children without ASD to be reported to the Child Abuse Hotline by the age of 8.

Study finds children with autism more likely to face maltreatment

Last Updated: 2/15/2019 11:30:13 AM

Stress contributes to psychiatric diseases including depression, eating disorders and addiction. Neurons that express the stress signal corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) in a brain region called the BNST are thought to promote negative responses to stress.

Modulating stress circuits

Last Updated: 2/15/2019 11:29:10 AM

Kennedy Center Lectures on Development and Developmental Disabilities: "Can't Fight This Feeling: Understanding and Remediating Anxiety in Teens with Autism"

Last Updated: 2/8/2019 11:15:47 AM

Educate to Advocate 2019

Last Updated: 2/5/2019 2:35:53 PM

Alacia Stainbrook, Ph.D., BCBA-D, director of Early Learning for the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center’s Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (VKC TRIAD), has recently been promoted to the tile of Associate Director within the organization.

Stainbrook named Associate Director of VKC TRIAD

Last Updated: 1/18/2019 9:49:06 AM

Psychiatrists diagnose people with schizophrenia, ADHD, bipolar disorder and other mental illnesses by spending time with them, looking for the particular behavior symptoms of each. What follows can be a hit-or-miss series of medications and dosages until disruptive behaviors go away.

Team finds how error and reward signals are organized within cerebral cortex

Last Updated: 1/15/2019 2:27:47 PM

A Vanderbilt special education research team served as guest editors of the January issue of Exceptional Children, the distinguished research journal of the Council for Exceptional Children, available online today.

Researchers highlight moderator analysis in ‘Exceptional Children’ special issue

Last Updated: 1/11/2019 10:37:39 AM

Verity Rodrigues, M.S., Ph.D., educational consultant and instructor in Pediatrics at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (VKC TRIAD), has been selected to participate on the advisory board for the National Training Center on Mental Health and Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities (MHIDD).

VKC TRIAD’s Rodrigues to serve on National Mental Health Advisory Board

Last Updated: 1/7/2019 2:24:35 PM

Colorful figures of the human body are helping Vanderbilt University researchers understand how people experience emotion through their bodies and how this process is radically altered in people with schizophrenia.

People with schizophrenia experience emotion differently from others, ‘body maps’ show

Last Updated: 12/31/2018 10:13:17 AM