The Vanderbilt Story

Amanda Havard doesn’t shy away from a challenge. Launch a startup targeting the public sector? Learn the ins and outs of Medicaid? Lead a health care company as a technologist? These questions did nothing to deter Havard. Drawing on her passion for technology solutions, Havard launched Health:ELT in 2014 with… Read More

In theory, solar energy is an elegant solution to serious impending challenges such as climate change and energy crises. In reality, it can be ugly, clunky and—most important—impractical; the places where we most need solar panels are where we have the least room for them. This was the problem Miles… Read More

Sylvia Bozeman enrolled in Vanderbilt’s graduate program in mathematics in 1968, one year after the program was integrated, and went on to become the first African American woman to earn a master’s degree in math from the university. Today she is a professor, emerita, of Spelman College in… Read More

This essay is adapted from The Long View: Essays, Poems, Stories (2015, Cordelia Hollis) by Susan Ford Wiltshire, Vanderbilt professor of classical studies, emerita. Wiltshire wrote this piece as a letter to her daughter, Carrie Wiltshire McCutcheon, JD’05, who is an attorney at Baker Donelson law firm in Nashville. Read More

It’s Homecoming Week and all of Vanderbilt is busy preparing for the weekend’s events. One of the main draws is the football game against Tennessee State University. But it’s more than just a three hour athletic event with all of the coordination takes place, especially from the police department. However,… Read More

New Professor of Economics Mattias K. Polborn is interested in how political institutions affect the “political equilibrium”—in particular, the competition between candidates in elections. Read More

New Instructor in Nursing Susanna Rudy brings to Vanderbilt a wealth of experience. She’s a board-certified nurse practitioner in emergency, family and adult-gerontology acute care who earned a master’s degree in forensic science before earning master of science in nursing and doctor of nursing practice degrees, the latter two from Vanderbilt. Read More

While the biggest legal questions are debated before the U.S. Supreme Court, new Assistant Professor of Law Sara Mayeux is more interested in what happens in less prestigious settings. Read More

Ronald Alvarez, new professor of obstetrics and gynecology and chair of the department, is a leading expert in the field of clinical gene therapy for ovarian and cervical cancers. Read More

New Associate Professor of Psychology Suzana Herculano-Houzel produced the first accurate count of the number of neurons in the human brain—86 billion, making it simply an enlarged primate brain. Read More

Joseph, a new assistant professor of mathematics education at Peabody College, has made understanding racial minorities’ experiences in mathematics and advocating for their educational needs her life’s mission. Read More

Homecoming came early this year for Vanderbilt alumnus David Sweatt, who joined the faculty as chair of Pharmacology this summer, 30 years after receiving his Ph.D. from the department he now leads. Read More

Learn more about Valerie Hotchkiss, who became Vanderbilt’s university librarian Aug. 1. She serves as the executive administrator of the Jean and Alexander Heard Library as well as a professor of religious studies in the College of Arts and Science. Read More

Kenny Tao, a new assistant professor of biomedical engineering, brings his innovations in the field of optical coherence tomography and his wry sense of humor to Vanderbilt's laboratories and classrooms. Read More

Joerg Rieger, a new Distinguished Professor of Theology and the Cal Turner Chancellor's Chair of Wesleyan Studies, defines justice as the search for the right relationships. “Religion can play an important role in changing our relationships for the better,” he said. Read More

By understanding the systematic ways in which practices differ from one organization to another, new Assistant Professor of Strategic Management Megan Lawrence hopes her research will help companies learn to adapt and renew themselves as they look for long-term success in changing markets. Read More

The next time you find yourself stumbling through a presentation or public speaking engagement, take heart. The most polished speakers are not necessarily the most effective ones, says Duane Watson, a new associate professor of psychology and human development at Peabody College. Read More

There’s one thing we already know about the chief executive who will follow President Obama into the White House, according to Sharece Thrower, Vanderbilt’s newest presidential scholar. “With every president, there’s been an accumulation of a little bit more power,” she said. Read More

Jose Sibaja is a versatile performer in demand for his ability to teach and play trumpet in a variety of styles—classical, Latin, jazz and pop. “I like quality music, and quality music comes in a lot of different flavors,” he said. Read More

Meet Kathryn Speckles, or “K-Specks” as she’s known to many on campus, though the spellings of her nickname can vary. You may have seen her rap at Spotlight as a part of Vandy Spoken Word, but she can also be found singing in Voce A Cappella, interviewing applicants for the… Read More