Research, News & Discoveries

Research by David Merryman and Craig Lindsley has resulted in the development of VU6047534, a new drug that treats pulmonary arterial hypertension—a type of high blood pressure that affects arteries in the lungs and in the heart—without serious neurological side effects. The article, “Development of a Peripherally Restricted… Read More

Nancy Carrasco, MD Please join us in congratulating Nancy Carrasco, Joe C. Davis Chair in Biomedical Science and chair of the Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, for receiving the 2024 Award for the Biophysics of Health and Disease from the Biophysical Society. Carrasco’s lab focuses on understanding… Read More

The Robert J. Kleberg, Jr. and Helen C. Kleberg Foundation has awarded a three-year grant to support research led by Houra Merrikh, PhD, professor of Biochemistry, and Ben Ho Park, MD, PhD, the Benjamin F. Byrd Jr. Professor of Oncology and director of Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, to create an anti-evolution drug… Read More

Vivian Gama, PhD Vivian Gama, associate professor of cell and developmental biology, has been named the new associate dean for equity and inclusive mentoring as of Sept. 1. “In order to build upon our past and current efforts, we are excited to name Vivian Gama as associate dean of equity… Read More

Lourdes Estrada, PhD, is the newly named assistant dean of Health Equity Education in the School of Medicine. Estrada is also a professor of Biochemistry, associate director of Academic Programs & Operations for the Medical Scientist Training Program and director of Vanderbilt Academy for Excellence in Education. Read More

In a landmark achievement, Neil Dani, an assistant professor in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, has been named a 2023 Rita Allen Foundation Scholar. The prestigious grant program supports early-career biomedical scholars who adopt bold and innovative approaches to fundamental… Read More

Md. Jashim Uddin Md. Jashim Uddin, research associate professor of biochemistry, has received the Phi Beta Psi national research award for the second year in a row. The award will fund an ongoing project in which Uddin and colleagues are working to develop an improved cancer imaging platform… Read More

By Aaron Conley Emily Hodges, assistant professor of biochemistry, and Cody Siciliano, assistant professor of pharmacology, have been named Dean’s Faculty Fellows of the School of Medicine Basic Sciences. The Dean’s Faculty Fellows program, started in 2020, is designed to recognize the efforts of faculty in the early… Read More

John Jumper, Ph.D. To highlight major inflection points in research, the Vanderbilt School of Medicine Basic Sciences launched the Apex Lecture Series earlier this year, which allows the Basic Sciences community to engage with researchers from around the world who are influencing the trajectory of their fields. John… Read More

The Office of the Dean of Basic Sciences is proud to announce the 2023 recipients of the Dean’s Award for Exceptional Achievement in Graduate Studies. This year, 10 graduate students were recognized for their high academic and scientific achievement and for the originality, significance, and rigor of their dissertation research. Read More