Sealy to retire, named emerita faculty

Dear Colleagues,

I am writing to share the news that Linda Sealy, Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Associate Professor of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, is retiring effective August 15, 2020. Her appointment as Emerita Associate Professor of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics will be announced tomorrow as part of the Commencement activities. Linda joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 1986 and pursued an active research program for 26 years on the function of the three isoforms of the C/EBPbeta transcription factor. She demonstrated that they play roles in Ras oncogene-induced senescence, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and acquisition of the metastatic phenotype inter alia.

Linda has been a strong and consistent voice for improving the culture at Vanderbilt particularly with regard to graduate education. She has co-directed the Vanderbilt Initiative to Maximize Student Diversity (IMSD) for nearly 20 years, which has dramatically increased the recruitment and training of graduate students from under-represented backgrounds. Currently, approximately 25% of the PhD students in the School of Medicine are under-represented minorities, and Vanderbilt is one of the top producers of African-American PhDs in the biomedical sciences in the United States. This is largely because of the success of the IMSD.

Since 2017, Linda has been Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the School of Medicine Basic Sciences. In that role, she has been a force for diversifying the faculty as well as the student body. She is passionate about enhancing the talent of the Basic Sciences not only by increasing diversity, but also by promoting a more inclusive environment to support those from diverse backgrounds.  Linda is also dedicated to providing mental health and wellness support for our trainees. She has been a constant and reliable listening ear for our graduate students and is co-chairing the Dean’s Advisory Council for Mental Health and Wellness.

In 2018, Linda was honored with the Lifetime Mentor Award of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.  She was the first recipient—in 2016—of the Bishop Joseph A. Johnson Jr. Distinguished Leadership Professor Award for exemplary contributions to promoting diversity and inclusion at Vanderbilt.

I am deeply indebted to Linda for her dedication, energy and imagination. She has had a profound positive impact on our community and she is one of my most trusted and dependable advisors. She has taught me a great deal and I will miss having her in the role of Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Fortunately, she will continue as an advisor to several important programs in the Basic Sciences. Please join me in thanking Linda for her tireless efforts on behalf of our community and congratulate her on being named Emerita Associate Professor of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics.

Sincerely,

Larry Marnett