From the Dean
Purpose propels VUMC’s people
On Oct. 26, more than 60 of our colleagues and community partners came together in Langford Auditorium to share personal stories about their remarkable work in a vast array of Vanderbilt programs. It was Strategy Share, an annual event hosted by VUMC that showcases the abundant ways we come together…
Features
Endangered Species
Two thousand fifty years ago, the Roman poet Horace spun a phrase that never seems to lose its power: Carpe diem. Seize the day. The line continues: Put very little trust in tomorrow. By that Horace meant, don’t leave the future to chance. Act now. Make tomorrow better. Carpe diem…
Breathing Easier
Vanderbilt University Medical Center pathologist Joyce Johnson, MD, was pulling into her driveway when she heard the news that the U.S. Senate had passed a bill to expand health care benefits for veterans who became ill after exposure to open burn pits and other toxins during their military service. She…
“I do believe I can change someone’s world.”
Kathleen Gallagher, MD’19, is trained to do what most people can’t imagine – triage, evaluate and care for the casualties of combat. Gallagher, a third-year general surgery resident at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and graduate of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, served as a medic in the U.S. Army National…
The Expert from Nowhere
To understand a protein’s structure is to understand its function, says structural and chemical biologist Jens Meiler, PhD, distinguished research professor of Chemistry. It can take a PhD student up to five sleep-deprived years to determine the structure of a single protein, and of the 20,000 human proteins, only about…
Operation Greater Good
Rondi Kauffmann, MD, MPH, HS’13, associate professor of Surgery in the Division of Surgical Oncology and Endocrine Surgery, can pinpoint when her spark to address disparities in global health caught fire. She was a wide-eyed 12-year-old staring up at a 10-story mountain of garbage in Manila, Philippines. “It was the…
In My Life
Bruce Silverstein, MD’75
Bruce Silverstein, MD’75 Postgraduate training in medicine and gastroenterology at the University of Utah and University of Washington. Full-time faculty professor at the University of Washington where he helps run the medical school curriculum. Started photography in college and medical school, often shooting for national magazines and NBC; assignments paid…
Q+A
Q + A: Ritu Banerjee, MD, PhD
Ritu Banerjee, MD, PhD, is professor of Pediatrics, director of Clinical Services for the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, and medical director of the Pediatric Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. What do you like about being an infectious disease specialist? It’s never boring. It’s…
Did You Know?
Antibiotic Resistance: The Global Threat
Antibiotic resistance — when bacteria change and cause antibiotics to fail — is happening across the world. There is no system in place to track antibiotic resistance globally. According to the CDC, without urgent action, many modern medicines could become obsolete, turning even common infections into deadly threats.