Life in the MSTP
Life in the MSTP – June 2018
Jun. 27, 2018—Chris Peek (G1) and Jenny Marvin got engaged in Iceland! MSTP Program Manager Bryn Sierra, husband David, and big sister Elin (3 years old) welcomed Olivia Wren on June 17, 2018. Olivia weighed 5 lbs., 8 oz. and was 18 inches long. Congratulations to the Sierra family! Lizzie Flook (G1, formerly Hale) married Ryan Flook...
Words of Wisdom from the Vanderbilt MSTP 2018 Graduating Class
Jun. 27, 2018—We asked our recent graduates to pass along words of wisdom to the our MSTP students still in training. Here is what they had to say. “It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Mentor over project. Fail, Fail, Fail – it’s the only way to learn. Repetition is the branding iron of knowledge. Be honest with everyone,...
2018 Combining Clinical and Research Careers in Neuroscience Symposium at NIH
Jun. 27, 2018—The annual Combining Clinical and Research Careers (CCRC) in Neuroscience Symposium was held June 8-9 at the NIH in Bethesda, Maryland. Sponsored by the Association of University Professors of Neurology (AUPN) and NINDS, this event supports 50 MD/PhD and MD students from across the country with significant research experience and interest in a pursuing a...
Life in the MSTP – May 2018
May. 29, 2018—Congratulations to Carter and Alex Sundermann (G3) on the birth of their baby girl, Emery Clare, born on May 22, 2018 weighing 6 lbs. 13 oz.! Maggie Grau (M1) and Matthew McBride married in their hometown of Chardon, Ohio on April 28. The MSTP M1s joined them to celebrate! On Tuesday, May 29 the Vanderbilt MSTP celebrated “halftime”...
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...