Alexandra Scammell

The Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences welcomed 42 new graduate students into its Interdisciplinary Graduate Program and Quantitative and Chemical Biology Program through orientation events and the Simple Beginnings ceremony. These academic programs combine coursework and research to guide students toward earning a Ph.D. and careers in the biomedical sciences. Read More

Meet Hannah Schaeffer, administrative manager for the Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery. Read More

Vanderbilt scientists shed light on how the enteric nervous system—sometimes called the "brain" of the gut—forms and functions, offering insights that may advance treatments for gut motility disorders like irritable bowel syndrome and chronic constipation. Read More

Richard Gustin, PhD’10, sat down with us to discuss his experience studying basic science and pharmacology at Vanderbilt and how it played a role in his career. Gustin is now a senior director of innovation and strategic initiatives at Neurelis, Inc. Read More

Meet Rosalind “Roz” Johnson, a graduate education program manager who is in charge of the day-to-day activities of the Human Genetics and Neuroscience graduate programs. Read More

Congratulations to our School of Medicine Basic Sciences members who were promoted or received new appointments between April and June 2025. These individuals significantly enrich our pursuit of pathbreaking research and contribute to the growth and success of our school. Read More

Walt Gall, PhD’02, sat down with us to discuss his experience studying basic science at Vanderbilt and how it played a role in his career. Gall is an entrepreneur in residence at the Exploration Institute. Read More

With a new method, researchers have captured a high-resolution metabolic “map” of how cells orchestrate glucose processing, revealing a hidden world where organelles and molecular complexes collaborate when responding to a rush of nutrients. The results of the pioneering work provide insights into an organizational and molecular framework that can be used to study how metabolic processes are disrupted in diseases and aging. Read More

Quynh Anh Nguyen has been awarded the highly competitive Klingenstein Fellowship in Neuroscience, a national honor that recognizes promising early-career investigators pursuing high-risk, high-reward research in the neurosciences. The fellowship will support Nguyen’s pioneering investigations into the brain’s inhibitory circuitry and its role in the development and control of epilepsy. Read More

The Center for AI in Protein Dynamics launched the Biomedical and Computational Discovery Experience, a new, one-week program designed to introduce high school students with little or no prior experience to the world of biomedical research. Read More