Life in the MSTP
Life in the MSTP – April 2018
Apr. 30, 2018—Congratulations to Liz and Kevin Bersell (M4) and big brother Ben on the birth of their baby girl, Abigail! Dean Bonnie Miller, Senior Associate Dean of VUSM Health Sciences Education and Executive Vice President for VUMC Educational Affairs, recently participated in our Lunches with Leaders series. Pictured are Chike Abana (M3), Caleb Ford (G2), Thao Le (M2), Stephanie...
Op-Ed: My Personal “Struggle:” Welcoming Ramadan as a Clerkship Student
Apr. 27, 2018—The life of a clerkship student, at the risk of sounding ungrateful, can sometimes be frustrating. Yes, you come to realize what wearing a white coat is all about: patients trust you with information, you learn a new language of “clinical-speak” and start forgetting how to talk to non-healthcare professionals, and you learn so much,...
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Apr. 26, 2018—While Nashville has plenty of wonderful hikes, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is on another level. The park is only a four-hour drive from Nashville and, along with all state parks in Tennessee, it is completely free. It is also the most visited National Park in the United States, with over ten million visitors...
MSTPets: Part 8
Apr. 21, 2018—Here’s an ode to our furry (or not so furry) friends who have helped us study for anatomy practicals, kept us company while we wrote our papers and thesis dissertations, and welcomed us home after a long shift on surgery. MSTPet: Copernicus Age: 5 years old MSTParents: Pedro Teixeira (M4) and Carolyn Teixeira...
Op-Ed: The Struggle is Real
Mar. 26, 2018—Every year, like clockwork, a new batch of MD/PhD students begins one of the most significant challenges in their life. No, not the beginning of medical school or residency, but the smack-dab-middle of graduate school. The G2 and G3 years of MD/PhD training are perhaps the most emotionally challenging of all the MD/PhD years. Take...
Insights from Dr. James Allison, Discoverer of CTLA-4
Mar. 26, 2018—Earlier this month, Vanderbilt University hosted the founder of immune checkpoint inhibition and fellow Checkpoints band member Dr. Jim Allison. Dr. Allison is a highly regarded immunologist at MD Anderson, revered for his discovery of CTLA-4 and the development of ipilimumab, the first FDA-approved immune checkpoint inhibitor for the treatment of metastatic cancer. In today’s...
Life in the MSTP – March 2018
Mar. 26, 2018—MSTP family Caleb Ford (G2), Stephanie Dudzinski (G3), and Maggie Axelrod (G1) welcomed SLW attendees at the annual MSTP pizza making dinner. Joe Luchsinger (G2) and Alex Sundermann (G3) competed in the 6th annual Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition. Read about last year’s 3MT here. VUSM students drew attention to gun violence as a public health issue...
Advice for SLW from the M1 Class
Mar. 19, 2018—Congratulations! We are so excited to welcome you to Nashville and to share our community with you. As first years, we remember quite distinctly all of the time spent applying and traveling. Being on the other side is a great feeling. This coming weekend, we have an agenda filled with informative activities and wonderful entertainment....
Thoughts on the Vanderbilt MSTP Curriculum
Mar. 15, 2018—You can refresh your memory on the Vanderbilt MSTP curriculum here. Below are some comments from current students about the advantages of Curriculum 2.0 for Vanderbilt MSTP students. Bring any questions you may have with you to Second Look. "Curriculum 2.0 is actually one of the things that drew me to Vanderbilt. I liked that...
Welcome from your SLW hosts!
Mar. 13, 2018—Congratulations on being accepted to the Vandy MSTP! The application cycle year is long, difficult, and anxiety-provoking. But now is the time to sit back and enjoy your visit because you’re now on the road to becoming physician-scientists! We are all looking forward to your visit to Nashville over Second Look Weekend, and you have...