Latest IPPH Community News

Celebrating 26 New MPH GraduatesAt Vanderbilt University School of Medicine’s Commencement on May 8, MPH Program Director Christiane Roumie, MD, MPH, and Executive Vice Dean Donald Brady, MD, celebrated the achievements of this year’s graduates. Seven students completed the Global Health track, 11 finished Epidemiology, and eight earned degrees in Health Policy. Honoring Dr. Bill Dupont’s Lasting Impact on the MPH Program

PHD Health Policy & Health Services ResearchYang Zhang, mentored by Drs. Jinyi Zhu and Carlos Grijalva, received the Program in Unplanned Care Graduate Student Award from Vanderbilt Health’s Emergency Department. Her project examines how to make diagnosing community-acquired pneumonia in older patients more cost-effective in emergency settings, with a focus on using antibiotics wisely amid significant uncertainty.

Russell Rothman, MD, MPP, represented Vanderbilt as a featured speaker at the “Fireside Chat: C3TI Initiatives & Current Landscape” session during the workshop “Scaling Innovative Clinical Trial Approaches: Challenges, Progress, and Opportunities,” co-convened by the Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) CDER Center for Clinical Trial Innovation (C3TI).

A study published in Annals of Internal Medicine found that atrial fibrillation patients taking diltiazem with the blood thinners apixaban or rivaroxaban have a higher risk of serious bleeding than those using metoprolol. “These findings are particularly important at the population level,” said Ghadeer Dawwas, PhD, MBA, noting that in high-risk patients—especially at higher diltiazem doses—clinicians should carefully consider drug interactions, with metoprolol potentially representing a safer alternative.

A large national study published in JAMA Network Open found that nearly 20% of U.S. youth ages 2–19 have obesity, with rates rising to 38.5% among adolescents, raising concerns about lifelong health risks. “Obesity in childhood is common and serious, but modifiable,” said William Heerman, MD, MPH, emphasizing the need for early identification, family support, and proactive systems of care that ensure children and families have access to effective, evidence-based treatments.

At the 2026 Edge for Scholars Translational Science and Research Forum, Christianne Roumie, MD, MPH, was recognized for Excellence in Mentoring to Independence, highlighting her commitment to guiding multiple faculty investigators to research independence and advancing the next generation of translational scientists.