The School of Medicine Basic Sciences comprises the four departments listed below. Each of these departments attracts talented and high-achieving faculty, Ph.D. students, postdoctoral scholars, and staff. Over the last decade, our departments have been consistently represented within the top 10 in the nation for National Institutes of Health funding compared with similar departments at other U.S. research institutions and universities, as measured by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research.
Each of our departments has a corresponding Ph.D. program, but students in other biomedical Ph.D. programs can do their dissertation work within these SOMBS departments.
Departments
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Department of Biochemistry
Biochemistry is the field of study of the chemical basis of biological processes. As research develops, the field uses new tools and approaches to address problems in more detail. The study of biochemistry began here in Nashville, even before the founding of Vanderbilt University, with lectures given at the Medical Department of the University of Nashville at its founding in 1851. When the Vanderbilt School of Medicine was established in 1925, the Department of Biochemistry was one of its component departments. The department has flourished since and is now part of the School of Medicine Basic Sciences. The Department of Biochemistry has been led by five chairs and, as of 2026, has 26 primary faculty members and 51 Ph.D. students.
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Department of Cell and Developmental Biology
The Department of Cell and Developmental Biology is a vibrant, interdisciplinary environment for cutting-edge research that covers a scale spanning seven powers of ten, from single molecules to whole organisms. The difference between a test tube and a cell is spatio-temporal organization; we study molecular, cellular, and tissue organization, seeking insights into fundamental biological questions and human disease. The department is interactive and highly collaborative, outstanding core facilities, a top-ranked developmental biology Ph.D. program with a strong graduate student association, and exceptionally talented faculty.
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Department Molecular Physiology and Biophysics
The Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics is a basic science department with diverse interests that include gene regulation and cell signaling, genetics, obesity, diabetes and metabolism, neuroscience, and structural biology and biophysics. One of the school’s two Nobel laureates, Earl Sutherland, pioneered research on cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP while working in the department. The Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics has historic strengths in diabetes that carry on through today.
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Department of Pharmacology
The Department of Pharmacology is one of the most distinguished pharmacology departments in the country. Research interests include seven major areas: bioactive lipids, cancer biology, drug discovery, molecular basis of neuropsychiatric signaling, neuronal communication and synaptic signaling, signal transduction mechanisms, and structural biology. Molecules under investigation include G-protein coupled receptors, heterotrimeric G-proteins, ion channels, transporters and regulatory proteins such as arrestins, protein kinases and protein phosphatases. The department provides training focused on critical thinking to promote innovation, scholarship, and integrity and fosters creativity, collegiality, and leadership.