School Of Medicine

Vanderbilt University honored 32 retiring faculty members on May 9 for their years of service by bestowing upon them the title of emerita or emeritus faculty during Vanderbilt’s Commencement ceremony at GEODIS Park. Two outgoing deans also were recognized for service to the university. Read More

A new study by Vanderbilt investigators uncovered a previously unknown biological mechanism: how tissues detect and respond to damage in basement membranes, the thin layers of extracellular matrix that surround and support nearly every organ in the body. The research, published in Developmental Cell, is the first to show how local cells sense and respond to changes in basement membrane stiffness caused by damage—and how they activate a previously unknown set of “matrix mender” cells to repair the tissue. Read More

Nashville’s tumultuous spring weather upended plans for an in-person faculty assembly on April 3. Fortunately, faculty will still have an opportunity to connect with colleagues and congratulate the 10 spring award winners during the May 1 Faculty Senate meeting. Read More

While the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic sent most people into quarantine, doctor of medicine candidate Jessica Quintos Day was on the front lines, assisting in a California emergency room as a medical scribe while an undergraduate. It was that tenuous time that demanded multiple levels of collaboration, which ultimately… Read More

This spring, the Margaret Cuninggim Women’s Center to honor six individuals from the Vanderbilt community during its annual awards. Read More

The third annual Honors Banquet commemorated excellence in academics, leadership and innovation among Graduate School students and faculty. On March 20, the banquet was held to honor and reflect on remarkable achievements in research and creative expression from the more than 50 graduate programs and departments represented in the Graduate School. Read More

Meet four members of the Class of 2025 who are collaborating in powerful ways. Read More

Langford Auditorium at Vanderbilt University Medical Center was brimming with excitement and anticipation Friday, March 21, as 80 graduates of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine took turns opening their envelopes on the big stage and announcing the next stop on their medical careers: residency training. The National Resident Matching Program reports that this year’s Match — the process of matching the preferences of applicants for U.S. residency positions with the preferences of residency program directors — had an all-time record for applicant participation. Read More

After a rigorous nomination and review process, Lisa M. Monteggia and Matthew J. Tyska are among the 471 scientists elected as 2024 fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Dean of School of Medicine Basic Sciences John Kuriyan was also recently elected a member of the 2025 class of fellows of the American Association for Cancer Research academy. Read More

What does the way we learn have to do with drug addiction? In our fourth episode, Erin Calipari, associate professor of pharmacology and director of the Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, joins Provost C. Cybele Raver for an enlightening conversation. In this episode, they discuss nucleus accumbens—the part of our brain that helps us link cues and outcomes—and dissect how it affects the ways we make decisions that can lead to addictions, from food or drugs to behaviors. Read More

Kevin Murphy, Andrew W. Mellon Chair in the Humanities and professor of history of art and architecture, and Mary Anne Hunting, BA’80, have uncovered the histories of female architects in the American Modernism period of the U.S. in new research. Read More

The laboratory of Ege Kavalali, professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacology, published a new paper in Nature Communications that determined that liquid-liquid phase separation plays a key role within the nanostructure of synapses, and that its disruption affects evoked but not spontaneous neurotransmission. Read More

Medicine often takes a one-size-fits-all approach, but a disorder’s root cause can vary. Vanderbilt researchers have found that, for people with long QT syndrome, a heart condition that causes an irregular heartbeat, a more tailored approach could be beneficial. The research, led by Vanderbilt University Professor of Biochemistry and Vice Dean of Basic Sciences Charles Sanders and Northwestern University Professor and Chair of Pharmacology Dr. Al George, was published in PNAS in February 2025. Read More

See how art collector turned immunologist James Crowe combines abstract thinking with game-changing technology to prevent infectious disease. Read More

Vestigo is a print and online magazine published by the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences. Published once a year, Vestigo provides an in-depth view of research that’s happening in our community, highlights trainee accomplishments, and celebrates the successes of our staff and faculty. Read More

Vanderbilt University’s new Center for Computational Systems Biology brings computer science, engineering and biomedical researchers together with clinicians at Vanderbilt University Medical Center to accelerate discovery related to human diseases and conditions. Read More

Researchers at the Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, a clinical stage biotech within the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences, have detailed the successful drug discovery of a Phase I Single Ascending Dose clinical trial of VU319, a drug for memory loss in people with Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia. Read More

AdvancED spent it's first official year leveraging the collaborative potential of three university functions: online and lifelong learning, pedagogical support and educational technology. Look back at 2024's successes and milestones. Read More

From integrating literacy into music education to empowering teens to lead a more balanced digital life, seven innovative projects have been awarded funding through the fall 2024 cycle of the Community Engagement Collaboration Fund. Faculty and staff from 11 of Vanderbilt’s schools, departments and centers have joined forces with local nonprofits, schools and other community stakeholders to bring these initiatives to life.   Read More

Brent Dunworth, DNP, MBA, CRNA, NEA-BC, FAANA, joined Vanderbilt University School of Nursing on Nov. 1 as director of its new nurse anesthesia program, slated to launch in 2026. He has a joint appointment as VUSN associate professor of nursing and with the School of Medicine as associate professor of clinical anesthesiology. Read More