Reagan Villet

Everything you touch was developed by basic science, says Ian Macara, chair of the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology. From food varieties and new crops, to your phone, your computer and the plastics we use every day, everything originally came out of a basic research lab. Macara's department, within the School of Medicine Basic Sciences, aims to train the next generation of scientists to advance basic biomedical research at the cellular, molecular and organismal levels. Read More

Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management has been named the National Partner of the Year by America’s Blood Centers, in recognition of the school’s partnership with the organization to develop and deliver its Executive Fellows Program. Read More

The results of 2026 Vanderbilt Poll–Nashville reflect, in part, the effects of the ice storm that gripped the region in late January. The storm and its aftermath zapped the level of optimism that city residents have enjoyed for the past decade, and respondents also expressed more concerns about Nashville’s direction and leadership. Approval ratings for the school board, police and fire departments remained relatively stable, but Mayor Freddie O’Connell and Metro Council suffered a notable dip in public support.   Read More

Let’s show the world what happens when Commodores are ⚓Anchored in Community⚓. Giving Day is April 16, 2026. More than just a 24-hour clock, it’s the grand finale of I Love ⚓U Week, a weeklong celebration of the people, programs and progress that make Vandy home. The energy of Vanderbilt students, faculty, staff and alumni fuels the innovations of tomorrow. Read More

The Business of VU program provides students, faculty and staff with direct access to the strategy, structure and financial framework that drive Vanderbilt University. Now entering its 10th cohort, the program continues its mission of strengthening institutional understanding, leadership readiness and cross-campus connection. Read More

Gabrielle Goodwin, a freshman at Vanderbilt University, turned a childhood frustration with hair barrettes falling out into a patented product and thriving business. Working with her mother, she created GaBBY Bows, a double-snap barrette designed to stay securely in place, and later launched a company focused on promoting confidence and entrepreneurship among young girls. Now a student at Vanderbilt, Goodwin continues to grow her business while mentoring aspiring young entrepreneurs and encouraging others to turn their ideas into opportunities. Read More

Vanderbilt Law School has received a $10 million commitment from Lara and Clay Travis to fund a number of key priorities, including the First Amendment Clinic, the Law School’s “Respectfully Dissent” debate series, merit- and need-based scholarship aid, child care funding for student-parents, support services for student veterans, and the Law School’s ongoing building renovation. The Travis’ investment directly supports the university’s historic Dare to Grow campaign. Read More

After nearly two decades serving as President and Chief Executive Officer of Vanderbilt Health and Dean of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Jeff Balser, MD, PhD, will retire from both leadership roles on Dec. 31. A national search for his successor, who will hold both leadership roles, will be led by the Vanderbilt Health Board of Directors. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers are hunting down ways to combat Alzheimer’s by developing compounds that affect the proteins that are linked to it. TAOK-1 is such a protein, but it has not been thoroughly studied because there wasn’t a “tool compound” to study it with. Former postdoctoral fellow Daniel Schultz and Ph.D. student Lauren Parr have developed two such compounds—one that inhibits TAOK-1, and another that activates the entire TAOK protein family—through work conducted in the WCNDD, led by Executive Director Craig Lindsley. Read More

Think of cells as factories that hold sets of machines doing different things. How those machines are organized and used determines the efficiency of the factory. Vanderbilt researchers are looking into how cells reorganize those machines over time—and what that means for aging. They’re focused on a cell structure (machine) called the ER, which is known to be vital to cell processes but has not yet been thoroughly studied. “Changes in the ER occur relatively early in the aging process,” says Assistant Professor Kris Burkewitz. “One of the most exciting implications of this is that it may be one of the triggers for what comes later: dysfunction and disease.” And identifying the trigger could lead to being able to stop the firing. Read More

Cyberattacks on medical devices and health care systems can endanger patient lives. A project led by a team of Vanderbilt faculty—the Advance Risk Management and Operational Resilience for Hospitals system—is a vulnerability mitigation platform to help avert and thwart such threats. Its development got a $7 million boost from the federal ARPA-H program. Read More

Birdsong performed by males has a direct role in evolution—its main functions are to attract mates and defend territory from rival males. But female birds sing, too, and their abilities may reflect generations of cooperation in breeding and parenting. “Birdsong … sits at the intersection of genetics, learning, culture and social interaction,” says Associate Professor Nicole Creanza, who has just published a paper about female birdsong with postdoctoral scholar Kate Snyder. “By studying how cooperation and territorial behavior influence communication in birds, we gain insight into how social complexity shapes evolution more generally,” Snyder adds. Their research was funded through a Vanderbilt Scaling Success Grant. Read More

On February 25 and 26, Squishmallows made their debut at a college sporting event for the very first time. The idea was developed by Owen Graduate School of Management MBA students, shaped through coursework with faculty member Mario Avila, and brought to life by Jeremy Padawer, MBA’01. What started as a classroom connection turned into one of the most unexpected game weekends Memorial Gym has seen. Read More

Vanderbilt University Public Safety will conduct an off-cycle test of the Big Voice Outdoor Siren System on Saturday, March 14, at noon. This brief test is necessary to complete scheduled maintenance and ensure that the system stays fully operational. If Vanderbilt experiences inclement weather at the scheduled time, the test will be rescheduled. Read More

Kevin Galloway, research associate professor of mechanical engineering, has been named the new Evans Family Executive Director of the Wond’ry, Vanderbilt’s Center for Innovation and Design. Galloway, formerly director of making at the Wond’ry, succeeds David A. Owens in a planned leadership transition. After a decade of service to the Wond’ry, Owens will return to teaching in Owen Graduate School of Management and will continue to contribute to Vanderbilt’s innovation ecosystem. Read More

The Eagles are bringing “The Long Goodbye, Act III” to FirstBank Stadium at Vanderbilt University on Saturday, May 9 — and Vanderbilt faculty, staff and students have access to a special presale. Read More

Vanderbilt University now maintains its own REDCap instance, a secure web application for building and managing online surveys and databases. University staff and postdoctoral researchers currently using REDCap through the Vanderbilt University Medical Center instance must migrate their projects to the university instance by Wednesday, April 15, 2026, to avoid loss of project data. Read More

A new report by Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator director of artificial intelligence and technology policy Asad Ramzanali and Akhil Rajan analyzes the foundational model market, highlights a case study of a startup that experienced unfair treatment from a foundation model provider, and recommends a requirement for AI neutrality similar to “net neutrality” rules in broadband. Read More

For patients with advanced melanoma without BRAF mutation who no longer respond to immune checkpoint inhibitors, treatment options remain frustratingly limited. A new study from Vanderbilt researchers led by Professor Emerita of Pharmacology Ann Richmond outlines a promising therapeutic strategy that may re-sensitize these resistant tumors to immunotherapy. Read More

Vanderbilt’s Central Library second-floor gallery is awash with color with the opening of Brighter and Brighter: The Poetry Prints of Sam Maitin. The exhibit is on view at Central through August, when it will move to Special Collections and University Archives and be on display there through November 2026. Read More