Wake Forest and Vanderbilt collaborate on medical research and basketball

Wake Forest University and Vanderbilt University are engaging in both athletic competition and significant medical research collaborations. On November 5, 2026, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons men’s basketball team is scheduled to play the No. 24 ranked Vanderbilt Commodores at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, Tennessee.

Beyond athletics, researchers from the Wake Forest University School of Medicine and Vanderbilt University Medical Center are collaborating on life-saving medical advancements. Clinical trials published in the New England Journal of Medicine, funded by the Department of Defense, have identified methods to reduce risks of cardiac arrest and oxygen drops during emergency intubation by altering pre-intubation oxygenation. Additionally, studies involving over 2,300 patients have found that specific sedation medications can reduce the risk of low blood pressure during emergency procedures.

The institutions also partner through the APOL1 Long-term Kidney Transplantation Outcomes Network (APOLLO). Coordinated by Wake Forest and funded by the NIH, this multi-center initiative studies kidney transplant outcomes to improve patient safety and address health disparities among Black patients.