Reagan Villet

David C. Miller, Chief Executive Officer of Michigan Medicine and Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs for the University of Michigan, has been chosen to succeed Jeff Balser as the next President and CEO of Vanderbilt Health and Dean of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Miller will assume the role at Vanderbilt on Jan. 1, 2027. Earlier this year, Balser announced plans to retire on Dec. 31, after serving Vanderbilt in both leadership roles for nearly two decades. Read More

Dr. Charles Allen Brau, a distinguished physicist, educator, and researcher, passed away on June 7, 2026, surrounded by family. He devoted his life to family, education, and expanding the frontiers of physics and its application. Read More

Do you have a work sweater? That chilly office temperature setting may have its roots in male-dominated society. In his new paper “Heat Is a Power Relation,” published in Feminist Media Histories, Assistant Professor Sasha Crawford-Holland talks about temperature being more than a number on a thermostat or a personal experience. Social structures, technologies and institutions shape who stays comfortable—and whose comfort is taken seriously, he posits—and that information should be taken into account when policymakers think about climate and safety for all populations. Read More

Growing up with an intellectually disabled sibling has challenges, but there are powerful benefits as well—both immediate and lifelong—as revealed by a recent study by Assistant Professor Jessika Boles and two co-authors. The study, published in Research in Developmental Disabilities, collected information from siblings through a survey and online interviews. Boles and her co-authors brought their lived experience to the research; they all have younger siblings with IDD. And Boles has extended her knowledge to helping others; she is faculty director of the Vanderbilt chapter of SibShops—a regular gathering of young people who have siblings with disabilities. Read More

Inspired by a childhood fascination with medical imaging, Vanderbilt Ph.D. graduate Michael Kim is using advanced brain imaging and AI to better understand Alzheimer's disease and healthy brain aging. His research is helping map the brain's communication pathways and could shape the future of precision medicine. Read More

Chancellor Daniel Diermeier is the new board chair of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. He will collaborate with chamber CEO and President Stephanie Coleman to innovate and drive civic engagement that advances the region.   Read More

Vanderbilt University Librarian Jon Shaw, who has led the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries since 2022, has been reappointed for a five-year term and named dean of libraries and letters, effective July 1. Shaw is the inaugural Connie Vinita Dowell University Librarian, thanks to generous support from Dowell, M.L.S.’79, Vanderbilt’s first dean of libraries, and her husband, Stephen P. Miller. Their gift, made during Vanderbilt’s Dare to Grow campaign, reflects the couple’s ongoing commitment to the Heard Libraries and strengthens philanthropic momentum for the library dean’s role and strategic priorities.  Read More

With the United States marking the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Vanderbilt professor and historian James P. Byrd offers perspective on the role of religion in the nation’s founding and its enduring influence on American life. Read More

Annual parking zone assignments for the 2026–27 academic year are now available to eligible faculty, staff and postdoctoral scholars who participated in Parking Open Enrollment in early June. Read More

When EA SPORTS College Football 27 launches July 9, millions of gamers will hear the sounds of college marching bands performed by an ensemble that included 18 Blair School of Music students, faculty and alumni. Read More

Turns out it’s better to be three out of 12 than six out of 24, even though they’re technically the same thing. In a recent paper co-authored with Uri Barnea of Bocconi University and Alice Moon of Georgetown University, Associate Professor of Marketing Jackie Silverman examines how people evaluate rankings when they know both the option’s position and the length of the list. The core finding codifies what many of us are guilty of: preferring options ranked within shorter lists over options with equivalent relative standings in longer lists. Read More

For graduate students and postdoctoral fellows contemplating their next career steps, the possibilities can seem both exciting and overwhelming. The Vanderbilt University Office of Biomedical Research Education and Training’s 2026 Annual Career Symposium offered a roadmap to those possibilities, bringing together alums and professionals from across the biomedical enterprise to demonstrate the breadth of careers available to scientists beyond the traditional academic pathway. Read More

At the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences, researchers are advancing neuroscience discoveries through molecular biology, pharmacology, drug discovery, and more. Their work seeks to understand how the brain functions in health and disease, identify new therapeutic targets, and develop innovative treatments for conditions ranging from Alzheimer’s and addiction to depression and epilepsy. Read More

Seven incoming first-year students and two rising sophomores have been selected for the Ingram Scholars Program. They were chosen from among a highly competitive pool of applicants for the prestigious merit scholarship, which is awarded each year to students who demonstrate academic excellence and a strong commitment to service. Read More

For the 2026–27 academic year, the Curb Center will begin accepting applications for Creative Inquiry Grants on July 1, 2026. Grant applications are open to Vanderbilt University undergraduates, graduate students, faculty and staff. Learn more about the Curb Center’s Creative Inquiry Grant Program. Read More

Blood sugar spikes after lunch aren’t necessarily all about what you just ate—what you had for breakfast might have made a difference. Vanderbilt researchers are analyzing what people eat, and when, and how that affects liver function and blood sugar and insulin levels throughout the day. This may help clinicians better design individual treatments for patients with diabetes. Read More

Beginning with the fall 2027 semester, New Content Experience will be the default content design in Brightspace. New Content Experience is a more modern, intuitive design for the Content area of Brightspace courses. Since the Content page is the most used tool by faculty and students, the update brings improvements and better usability to Brightspace courses. New Content Experience provides better support for mobile devices for students and an improved instructor workflow for adding materials to courses.  Read More

On June 3, Vanderbilt University’s College of Connected Computing and Blair School of Music hosted an inspiring gathering at Vanderbilt University–New York City, bringing together alumni and friends to explore the future of music in the digital age. The evening highlighted the intersection of the arts and technology, underscoring Vanderbilt’s commitment to fostering and amplifying radical collaboration and innovation across disciplines. Read More

Vanderbilt University’s College of Connected Computing is launching a new Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence; a fully online degree built for working professionals across every field who want to influence how artificial intelligence is used in their organizations. Read More

Long evenings, outdoor concerts and community festivals make summer one of the best times to explore Nashville. Vanderbilt University is proud to partner with local nonprofits and cultural organizations to highlight events that welcome students, faculty, staff and the broader Nashville community. From live music in city parks to museum exhibitions and family-friendly celebrations, the season offers plenty of opportunities to experience the creativity that defines Music City. Read More