The Vanderbilt Story

They say everyone loves a winner, so musicians, like athletes and entrepreneurs, spend an inordinate amount of time preparing to outperform the competition. There’s no scoreboard or balance sheet. Musicians leave their progress lingering in the air to hear every time they perform. “There’s no way of avoiding competition,” says… Read More

Teach Twice shares stories from other cultures to create opportunities for change L-r: Whitley O’Connor, Grace Appert, David Schroeder, Trevor Burbank, Dan Litzow, Grace Stearns and Caroline Martin are members of the Teach Twice team. (Joe Howell/Vanderbilt) What do those in developing countries – where poverty is widespread and… Read More

Sociologist Laura Carpenter examines the evolution of intimacy over the lifespan Did you know that sexually transmitted infections are on the rise in retirement homes? How about that some gay men who get the right to marry are apparently more likely to indulge in affairs, with the knowledge and consent… Read More

Dave Perkins (John Russell/Vanderbilt) “For me, the creative life is a life of the spirit,” said Dave Perkins, musician, Vanderbilt Divinity School graduate and associate director of the school’s Religion in the Arts and Contemporary Culture program. “An animating force is given to you, and… Read More

Sometimes the best measure of success for a leader is what happens on his or her watch. Upon first meeting Bonnie Miller, M.D., the diminutive, soft-spoken senior associate dean for Health Sciences Education, you might not suspect the key role she played in bringing about the most significant curriculum change… Read More

Although clichés are passé, omnia vincit amor – love conquers all – is highly appropriate in describing the longtime relationship between third-year Vanderbilt medical student Sarah Proffitt and her boyfriend, Amos Clark. Proffitt and Clark grew up in the small town of Athens in East Tennessee where almost everyone knows… Read More

Vanderbilt researcher and Gabon, Africa, native is working to discover ways to kill malaria-spreading mosquitoes. Read More

Dogs experience the world through their noses. With an average of 200 million scent receptors (compared to a measly 5 million in humans), dogs can pick up a scent from a mere handshake and follow trails that are years old. That was good news for the family of Johnny Hahn,… Read More

Walk into Dr. Scott Hoffman’s office, and it’s clear you are in the domain of a dog lover. There are photographs of dogs framed and displayed on shelves, and hanging on the wall. There is other dog artwork: some drawings, a woodcarving, even a dog’s image rendered in copper. Hoffman… Read More

Glen and Tracy Parsons (front) and their children (Daniel Dubois/Vanderbilt) At 10:30 p.m., the phone rang and woke Tracy Parsons from a sound sleep. She thought the call must be from her husband, Glen, a truck driver who was on the road that night. But caller ID read “Department… Read More

Beth Halteman Harwell, one of the most powerful and politically connected women in the state of Tennessee, began her political profession in the classroom. Read More

In the history of collegiate football, only a handful of names are considered to be among the best ever. Among that elite group is Bobby Bowden, who came to Peabody in 1953 to earn a master’s degree so he could begin a coaching career—a career in which he logged more… Read More

We all know when you go to the hospital, you want to be treated like a real person—not just a medical condition. A Vanderbilt University Medical Center surgeon believes this so strongly, he’s teaching a unique and very personal class to Vanderbilt undergrads interested in medicine. VUCast’s Barb Cramer shows… Read More

If someone stopped breathing, would you know how to save them? A Vanderbilt senior almost died as a little girl—and was saved by her quick-thinking dad and CPR. As VUCast’s Amy Wolf shows us, that second chance at life propelled Kristen Cattoi into a mission that’s surpassing her wildest dreams. Read More

How three Vanderbilt nurses are changing the world, one child at a time Vanderbilt School of Nursing’s Marie Phillips poses with 7-year-old A’Darius Parrish at Park Avenue Elementary School in Nashville, where Phillips serves as school nurse. (Anne Rayner/Vanderbilt) Marie Phillips, Kathy Warren and Theresa Hook are Vanderbilt nurses,… Read More

Community Connections aims to enrich the work lives of Vanderbilt staff Janiece Vincz (left) and Lara Beth Lehman (John Russell/Vanderbilt) As one of Tennessee’s largest employers, Vanderbilt is, in essence, a small city. More than 22,000 workers comprise this bustling community, which is service-minded, rich in creativity and culturally diverse. What… Read More

Vijay Padmanabhan helps tread the line between detainees’ safety and human rights Vijay Padmanabhan (Sandy Campbell/Vanderbilt) Candidate Barack Obama pledged in 2008 to close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. But as President Obama runs for re-election four years later, it remains open. Vanderbilt law professor and former State Department… Read More

Jen-Jen Lin (John Russell/Vanderbilt) Jen-Jen Lin keeps six lions in her basement and a dragon in the closet. The awesome lion costumes live at her home until brought to life by dancers who perform the traditional Chinese Lion Dance under her direction. The spectacular 60-foot dragon, used… Read More

VUCast’s Carole Bartoo tells us about the “Next Steps” program and the powerful impact it’s having on young adults with special needs-and the Vanderbilt students helping them. You can learn more about the Next Steps program at nextstep.vanderbilt.edu/.  You can read a feature on the program in the January… Read More

This Week on VUCast, Vanderbilt’s weekly newscast highlighting research, experts, students, sports and everything Vanderbilt: Next Steps: Redefining “team effort” A student’s mission to save lives becomes reality A surgeon teaches compassion through memories Rascal Flatts brings harmony to sick children [vucastblurb]… Read More