Vanderbilt Health policy researchers land more than $15 million in new federal grants
NIH-funded projects will study opioid treatment in pregnancy, sickle cell care, wheelchair access and GLP-1 drugs.
NASHVILLE - Researchers in Vanderbilt Health's Department of Health Policy have received more than $15 million in new federal grants, according to an Oct. 13 announcement from the medical center. Vanderbilt Health said the National Institutes of Health funds the awards.
Ashley Leech and collaborators at Boston University and Boston Medical Center received a five-year, $3.7 million grant to study maternal health outcomes tied to medications for opioid use disorder, including buprenorphine dosing in pregnancy.
Andrew Wiese and partners at three other universities received a five-year, $4.3 million grant to compare ways to prevent infections in children with sickle cell disease in Tennessee, Georgia and Michigan.
Laura Keohane received a five-year, $3 million grant to study gaps in Medicare coverage of wheelchairs for older adults, Vanderbilt Health said. Margaret Adgent received a five-year, $4 million grant to study the effects of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs used before or during pregnancy.
The announcement did not say whether the grants add jobs in Nashville.
Source: Vanderbilt Health News, Oct. 13, 2026 (https://news.vumc.org/2026/10/13/new-grants-will-advance-research-into-maternal-substance-use-sickle-cell-wheelchair-policy-glp-1-use-during-pregnancy/)