Four physicians from Vanderbilt University Medical Center have been elected to membership in two of the nation’s oldest and most respected medical honor societies — the Association of American Physicians (AAP) and the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI).
Wonder Drake, M.D., associate professor of Medicine and of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, was elected to the ASCI.
Newly elected members of the AAP are Mark Denison, M.D., the Craig-Weaver Professor of Pediatrics; Volker Haase, M.D., the Krick-Brooks Professor of Nephrology; and
Tina Hartert, M.D., MPH, the Lulu H. Owen Professor of Medicine and VUMC vice president for Translational Science.
They were inducted last month during the societies’ joint annual meeting in Chicago.
Drake, has helped advance the understanding of infectious agents in sarcoidosis pathogenesis, and is currently investigating the efficacy of antimycobacterial therapy in the treatment of chronic pulmonary sarcoidosis, a difficult-to-control disease.
A graduate of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, she has been a member of the Vanderbilt faculty since 2001.
The ASCI, established in 1908, has more than 3,000 physician-scientists from all medical specialties who were elected for “outstanding records of scholarly achievement in biomedical research” early in their careers. Drake joins nearly 50 current and emeritus Vanderbilt faculty members who are members of ASCI.
Denison, who also is a professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, has made major contributions to understanding the role of human coronaviruses in diseases such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
A graduate of the University of Kansas School of Medicine, he has been a member of the Vanderbilt faculty since 1991.
Haase, who also is professor of Medicine, Cancer Biology and of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, studies the molecular responses to low oxygen (hypoxia) and has helped determine the mechanism by which the kidney hormone erythropoietin increases new red blood cell production.
Haase earned his medical degree from Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany, joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 2008 and also serves as Vanderbilt’s institutional representative to the ASCI.
Hartert, who also is director of the Vanderbilt Center for Asthma Research, has pioneered the use of electronic health records, claims data and prospective clinical studies to identify risk factors for asthma and to develop strategies to prevent it.
She earned her M.D. and MPH degrees at Vanderbilt and joined the faculty in 1998.
The AAP was founded in 1885 for “the advancement of scientific and practical medicine.” The AAP includes more than 1,300 active members and approximately 600 emeritus and honorary members. Denison, Haase and Hartert join more than 40 current and emeritus Vanderbilt faculty members who are members of the AAP.
