Science Advocacy
The Mini-MSTP at Brain Blast
Mar. 26, 2018— MSTP students taught the cranial nerve exam to kids age 5-13 at "Brain Blast," an outreach event hosted by the Vanderbilt Brain Institute. Everyone loved learning about how doctors examine the brain without any imaging. Pictured are Krystian Kozek (G4), Mobolanle Adebesin (M1), Daniel Kashima (M3), and Rachel Brown (G1).
Dr. Paul Farmer Spends Day at Vanderbilt, Sharing Perspective on Global Health and Service
Feb. 28, 2018—“How does a university engage in [global health in] an ethically sound and meaningful manner?” asked Dr. Paul Farmer, M.D., Ph.D, on the heels of a 20+ hour trip from Sierra Leone, to open the 2018 Philip W. Felts Lecture in Humanities on Monday, February 19 at noon. Later that day, he conversed with Dr....
Justice and Advocacy for Health in Tennessee
Feb. 24, 2018—Justice and Advocacy for Health in Tennessee On a cold morning in February, over fifty medical students from schools across the state congregated in Light Hall, ready to learn new advocacy skills and workshop solutions to health problems in Tennessee. The introductory speaker, Josh Cockroft (VUSM M4) clarified the goal of the symposium, titled “Justice...
“The Effort Report”: A Podcast about Academic Medicine and Research
Jan. 30, 2018—by Camille Wang (M1) “The Effort Report,” a podcast hosted by Professors Elizabeth Matsui, MD, and Roger Peng, PhD, explores the intricacies and practicalities of academia. The show is directed at those who are in faculty positions, considering an academic career, or interested in academic medicine and/or research. Since its inception in July 2016, the...
The Vanderbilt MSTP hosts the largest mini MSTP event to date!
May. 19, 2017—This May, the MSTP hosted 160 students from twelve schools throughout Middle Tennessee for a one-day introduction to the Medical Scientist Training Program, known as the Mini-MSTP. Thanks to our 25 student volunteers, these visiting 5th- and 6th-grade students spent their day at Vanderbilt learning about science, medicine, and what it means to be a...
Tennessee Medical Students offer Five ACA Replacement Tenets
Mar. 30, 2017—Maggie Axelrod (M2), Michael Raddatz (M2), and several other Vanderbilt and Meharry medical students co-authored a petition signed by over 300 medical students from all five medical schools in Tennessee, articulating the concerns many medical students share regarding a possible repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act. The petition was published in the Tennessean.
The Academic #Twitter
Feb. 27, 2017—The Academic #twitter Jennifer Watchmaker (@jennwatch) is a third year graduate student interested in pursuing a career in radiology. She began her academic twitter account in 2014 and now has over 350 followers and growing. Her social media presence on twitter has helped her connect with other investigators and clinicians, find out about the most...
Op-Ed: The Power of Science Communication
Dec. 19, 2016—For news journalists, failure to communicate effectively is a failure of the news. So, the same is true about the journalists of the natural world: scientists. However, scientific communication is rarely taught during Ph.D. training. Students may learn to communicate in a niche scientific field, but if they are unable to communicate effectively to broader...
Science Policy and Advocacy – A Trip to Capitol Hill
Nov. 29, 2016—In October, I attended a two-day workshop on federal STEM policy and advocacy in Washington, D.C., an incredibly eye-opening experience organized annually by Vanderbilt University’s Office of Federal Relations. My motivation to apply for this workshop was fueled primarily by my (for lack of a better word) ignorance of how science policy is influenced through...
Another Successful mini-MSTP!
Jun. 13, 2016—This year over 120 middle school students from Dickson County Middle Schools (Dickson County Middle School, William James Middle School, and Charlotte Middle School) and LEAD Academy Middle School took part in the mini-MSTP, an outreach program designed to bring awareness of MD/PhD training programs and STEM career paths to these young students. The event occurred over the course of...