Marissa Shapiro

James Hayes, Rekha Nagarajan, and James Costanzo are the winners of the 2025 Cell Imaging Shared Resource Life Is Beautiful image contest. CISR provides researchers with access to state-of-the-art imaging equipment and expert technical support for sophisticated microscopy and analysis of tissue and cellular anatomy and physiology. Read More

Scott Hiebert, Hortense B. Ingram Chair in Cancer Research, has been named Chief Scientific Officer of the  Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. Hiebert served as chair of the National Cancer Advisory Board and brought global recognition to the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center during his 28 years at Vanderbilt. Read More

Researchers at VUMC and Parse Biosciences, an innovator in single-cell sequencing, today announced a strategic collaboration aimed at generating a single-cell “atlas” that potentially will lead to new antibody therapies against measles, mumps and rubella. Researchers will scan the landscape of plasmablasts, the first antibody-producing, B-type immune cells that respond to MMR infection using Parse's technology, which can sequence more than 10 million cells in a single run. Read More

Research led by Thilo Womelsdorf, professor of psychology and biomedical engineering at the Vanderbilt Brain Institute, could revolutionize how brain-computer interfaces are used to treat disorders of memory and cognition. Read More

Madhvi Venkatesh has been named director of Vanderbilt’s Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences and Stephanie Richards will expand her role to support the program and its first-year curriculum. The appointments reflect a continued focus on innovation, student support, and collaborative leadership within the BRET office. Read More

Maria Hadjifrangiskou has been appointed senior assistant dean in Vanderbilt’s Office of Biomedical Research Education and Training. In this role, she will oversee all aspects of biomedical graduate education, from admissions through Ph.D. completion, and help shape the future of graduate training across programs like the IGP and QCB. Read More

In a landmark study published in Science Advances, Vanderbilt researchers have created the first high-resolution lipid atlas of the human kidney, mapping over 100,000 functional tissue units across 29 donors. By integrating advanced imaging mass spectrometry with microscopy using machine learning, the team identified distinct lipid signatures that could transform diagnostics and precision treatments for kidney disease. Read More

Research findings from Dr. Amanda Doran's lab suggest that regulating the immune response to high cholesterol through the protein CaMK4 could enhance blood vessel repair and slow atherosclerosis progression. Read More

The School of Medicine Basic Sciences is proud to announce the 2025 recipients of the Dean’s Award for Exceptional Achievement in Graduate Studies. Ten graduate students were recognized for their high academic and scientific achievement and for the originality, significance, and rigor of their dissertation research. Read More

The 2025 School of Medicine Faculty Awards for Excellence in Teaching, Extraordinary Performance of Clinical Service, and Outstanding Contributions to Research were presented during the May 30 Spring Faculty Meeting. Read More