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MSTP Blog

MSTP Fall Physician Scientist Speaker Series: Dr. Ciara Shaver

Nov. 25, 2024—by Yash Pershad (G2) The MSTP’s Fall Physician Scientist Speaker Series recently featured Dr. Ciara Shaver, physician-scientist and transplant pulmonologist. On the first floor of Central Library, students enjoyed a Thanksgiving-style dinner and Dr. Shaver’s career journey. Dr. Shaver kindly provided ten key takeaways from her journey: This is your life and it’s not just...

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Meet the New PSTP Associate College Advisors for Avery-Cohen

Nov. 25, 2024—Maxwell Roeske, MD, PhD (’23) by Stirling Argabright (G1) Maxwell Roeske, MD PhD, is a Vanderbilt MSTP alum, PGY-2 psychiatry resident on the research track, and a new PSTP advisor for Avery-Cohen college. He grew up in the town of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, and earned his bachelor’s degree in biology and psychology from the University of...

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Life in the MSTP – November 2024

Nov. 25, 2024—  Members of the MSTP Leadership Team and Vanderbilt MSTP and MD students recently attended the SACNAS/National Diversity in STEM and ABRCMS conferences where they were able to catch up with former participants in the MSTP Summer Undergraduate Research Program!   Thank you to Ericka Randazzo (G3) and the MSTP Wellness Committee for working with the Vanderbilt...

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This Month in Science and Medicine History: November 2024

Nov. 25, 2024—by Leigh Ann Gardner (MSTP Senior Grants Manager) November 7: Born on November 7, 1937, in Winchester, Kentucky, John E. Fryer was a notable psychiatrist and advocate for LGBT equality thanks to his work to have homosexuality removed as a classified mental illness in the APA Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Fryer...

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Honors and Awards – November 2024

Nov. 25, 2024—Congratulations to Drew Kittleson (G3) who received the Medical Student Levi Watkins, Jr. Award! The Levi Watkins Jr. MD Awards recognize students, trainees, and faculty members who have made outstanding contributions to improve diversity, inclusion, and equity in healthcare, continuing the legacy of Dr. Watkins himself.   Congratulations to Victor Borza (G4) for winning first place (the Martin Epstein...

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MSTPublications: November 2024

Nov. 25, 2024—Sexual Trauma, Polygenic Scores, and Mental Health Diagnoses and Outcomes. Lake AM, Zhou Y, Wang B, Actkins KV, Zhang Y, Shelley JP, Rajamani A, Steigman M, Kennedy CJ, Smoller JW, Choi KW, Khankari NK, Davis LK. JAMA Psychiatry. 2024 Oct 30. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2024.3426. Online ahead of print. PMID: 39475956 Importance: Leveraging real-world clinical biobanks to...

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Honors and Awards – October 2024

Oct. 30, 2024—Vanderbilt University Medical Center recently held a Directorship Celebration to honor 17 leaders from across the enterprise in clinical care, research, education and administration. Our own MSTP Associate Director Ambra Pozzi, PhD, received the Thomas Golper Directorship. Congratulations, Ambra!

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MSTPets

Oct. 30, 2024—Jeewoo Kim (G3) and her fiance Daniel welcomed home two new kittens, Whiskey and Rocket!  

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Life in the MSTP – October 2024

Oct. 30, 2024—Congratulations to Megan Tigue (G4) and her husband Sam on their wedding last month in Asheville, NC! For anyone interested in learning about ways to support the Western North Carolina community, here is a resource.   Thank you to the MSTP Wellness Committee for organizing a hike at Percy Warner Park (left) and the First-Ever MSTP Dog...

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This Month in Science and Medicine History: October 2024

Oct. 30, 2024—by Leigh Ann Gardner (MSTP Senior Grants Manager) October 4: On October 4, 2018, Expedition 57 to the International Space Station launched, and included in its flight crew Dr. Serena Auñón-Chancellor, the first Hispanic physician to travel to space. Born in 1976, Auñón-Chancellor is a Cuban American (her father is a Cuban exile) who received...

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MSTPublications: October 2024

Oct. 30, 2024—NeuroimaGene: an R package for assessing the neurological correlates of genetically regulated gene expression. Bledsoe X, Gamazon ER. BMC Bioinformatics. 2024 Oct 8;25(1):325. doi: 10.1186/s12859-024-05936-x. Background: We present the NeuroimaGene resource as an R package designed to assist researchers in identifying genes and neurologic features relevant to psychiatric and neurological health. While recent studies have...

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Leadership Workshop 1

Oct. 30, 2024—By Clara Si (G4), Avery Bogart (G4), and Kevin Zhang (G2) The MSTP held its 10th biennial Leadership Workshop I on Friday, October 18th, 2024. Leadership Workshop I is attended by G1 and G2 students, and is designed to provide formal instruction on leadership competencies fundamental to the physician-scientist career path, with a particular focus...

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2024 AAMC Biomedical Research Training Conference

Oct. 30, 2024—By Dr. Megan Willams (MSTP Assistant Director) Members of the Vanderbilt MSTP Leadership Team attended the 2024 Biomedical Research Training Conference Hosted by the AAMC Group on Research, Education, and Training (GREAT) in Dallas, TX October 7-9. Dr. Chris Williams, MSTP Director, said “The AAMC GREAT meeting was fantastic – packed with networking and brainstorming...

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MSTPets

Sep. 30, 2024—  Say hello to Billy, the newest addition to Avery Bogart’s (G4) household! This ball of energy loves every toy, treat, and bone he can get his paws on. So far, he hasn’t met a human or animal that he doesn’t want to befriend!

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This Month in Science History: September 2024

Sep. 27, 2024—By Leigh Ann Gardner (MSTP Grants Manager) Each month Leigh Ann Gardner, Vanderbilt MSTP Grants Manager and Historian by training, puts together a series looking back at the month in science history often highlighting groups historically underrepresented in science and medicine. See what happened in September! September 1: Born on September 1, 1854, in New...

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