By Anvith Reddy (G2)
Dr. Nathaniel (“Nate”) Berg is a second-year Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine fellow at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and a member of the Harrison Society. He is driven by a deep curiosity about the mechanisms of critical illness and aims to bridge bench science with practical insights that inform sepsis and acute lung injury care.
Before pursuing medicine, Dr. Berg studied nuclear engineering and medical physics. While conducting research as an undergraduate, he met an MD/PhD radiation oncologist whose career inspired him to merge science and medicine. While he initially intended on studying medical physics and radiation biology, his interests shifted during ICU rotations, where he was drawn to the intersection of physiology and mathematics in daily patient care. Those experiences influenced decision to pursue a career as a physician-scientist in pulmonary and critical care medicine.
Dr. Berg earned his M.D. from UT Houston’s McGovern Medical School and his Ph.D. from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where he studied acute lung injury and sepsis. At Vanderbilt, his research has evolved from purely bench work to clinical and translational studies incorporating omics approaches, under the mentorship of Dr. Lorraine Ware. His current work focuses on sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS which are conditions that remain leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the ICU. He is particularly interested in identifying predictors of mortality and long-term outcomes among survivors of sepsis, many of whom experience lasting physical and functional decline.
As part of the MSTP advisory community, Dr. Berg values the role as an opportunity for mutual learning by guiding students while continuing to grow through collaboration with emerging physician–scientists. His advice to trainees: “Don’t compare yourself to others. The Ph.D. teaches you how to conduct science, ask questions, and sit with uncertainty. That mindset also sets you up for clinical success.” He encourages MSTP and PSTP students to view research as an extension of clinical reasoning. This includes understanding which studies matter, how to communicate data effectively, and how scientific literacy strengthens both patient care and teaching.
Outside the hospital, Dr. Berg is an avid traveler and outdoorsman. He and his wife have hiked trails around the world, from France’s Tour du Mont Blanc to Patagonia, and he hopes to eventually step foot on every continent. He also enjoys running and hiking with his dog, playing fantasy football, and reading everything from fantasy (Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn trilogy) to historical fiction (Beneath the Scarlet Sky) and nonfiction (The Lost City of the Monkey God).