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Field of His Dreams: Derek Riffert returns to VUSM
Oct. 5, 2021—An undergraduate experience through Vanderbilt’s Summer Science Academy prompted M1 Derek Riffert to return for medical school by Lexie Little M1 Derek Riffert shares a first name with his hero, Derek Jeter. As a kid in West Lafayette, Indiana, he watched the five-time World Series champion lead the New York Yankees to win after win....
Medical Scholars: William Quach explores a different approach
Sep. 28, 2021—by Lexie Little When William Quach (MD ’23) arrived at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine after studying biology at the University of California San Diego, he brought research experience with him. Quach, an aspiring anesthesiologist, examined how a specific protein traditionally known to play a role in the death of cells actually helped ovarian and...
‘Paging Drs. White-Dzuro’: Siblings continue VUSM legacy
Sep. 23, 2021—Family bonds strengthen at VUSM for two students, one alumna by Lexie Little Google “White-Dzuro M.D. Vanderbilt” and three names will appear: Gabrielle (Brie), an anesthesiology resident at Massachusetts General Hospital; Colin, a fourth-year medical student; and Claire, a first-year medical student. Each studied biochemistry as undergraduates. Each played collegiate volleyball. Each hails from Toronto,...
Bass Military Scholar looks to lead
Sep. 19, 2021—by Lexie Little As 1st Lt. Gunther Wong crouched behind a dusty wall in Afghanistan in 2016, a career in medicine didn’t pop up on his radar. However, as he reflected on the civilian needs he observed, he set his sights on applying the values and discipline he gained in the U.S. Army to a...
Opening doors: VUSM program welcomes future physician-advocate
Sep. 16, 2021—by Lexie Little First-year MD student Yeongha Oh strives to enact change based on experience. M1 Yeongha Oh knows how to navigate. Immigrating to the United States from South Korea with her family at age three, she lived in New York before spending most of her childhood in Tennessee and Georgia. But when she charted...
Threads old and new: HPSP students take oath at White Coat Ceremony
Sep. 10, 2021—by Lexie Little M1 students Sean Luong and Natalie Jones commit to service as officer-physicians When Lt. Col. Will Hansen officially retired from the U.S. Army on Sept. 1, 2019, he stashed his uniform in the closet not knowing light outside would ever reach its stitching for a military reason again. Five days later, he...
How doodling leads to innovation: a conversation with physician-innovator Reed Omary
Aug. 23, 2021—by Emma Mattson For radiologist and physician-innovator Reed Omary, MD, doodling isn’t just a hobby— it’s an essential step in the innovation process. “The concept of sketching or doodling is a way to ensure my own understanding,” Omary explains. “When you write, don’t you feel like you learn the material better and you clarify your...
VUMC resident Pauleatha Bonds (‘21) shares lessons from the Health Equity Certificate
Aug. 16, 2021—by Emma Mattson “I’d been interested in health disparities for a long time, probably even before I knew what the phrase ‘health disparities’ was,” remembers Pauleatha Bonds, MD (VUSM ‘21), a member of the first graduating class in VUSM’s Health Equity Certificate and current dermatology resident at VUMC. Created by Senior Associate Dean for Health...
M4 Lex Erath rejoins VUSM after MBA year out, reflects on med school experience
Aug. 9, 2021—by Emma Mattson Five years ago, when Boston native Lex Erath first joined the Vanderbilt community, she packed a few doubts into her suitcase. “While I was thrilled to be attending Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, I was also a little nervous about the culture shock of the South and Tennessee in particular,” Erath wrote...
A glimpse into the next year of Social Mission at VUSM
Aug. 1, 2021—by Emma Mattson This fall, M3s Eki Olumese and Helen Gambrah take over co-directorship of the Social Mission Committee. Olumese and Gambrah will be the organization’s third set of co-presidents since its official student organization status in 2019, and they’re thrilled to begin this year’s work. In fact, Gambrah and Olumese both entered medical school...