The 23rd annual Levi Watkins Jr., MD Lecture, held recently in honor of the distinguished surgeon and researcher, featured guest speaker Constance Mobley, MD, PhD, associate director of Liver Transplantation at Houston Methodist J.D. Walter Jr. Transplant Center and assistant professor of Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College.
In 1966, Watkins became the first African American student to be admitted to Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and was the only African American student at Vanderbilt until he graduated in 1970. Watkins continued his career at Johns Hopkins and Harvard, becoming a leading physician-scientist, mentor and role model for countless students, trainees and faculty members. He was passionate about increasing opportunities for those from historically marginalized groups in medicine and the biomedical sciences.
Mobley shared her journey to becoming a transplant surgeon and physician researcher, the research and clinical innovations she has contributed to during her career, and the wisdom she has gained through the years.
She was a familiar face to many in the audience as she spent 11 years in training at Vanderbilt. She earned her MD and PhD from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and was a member of the inaugural Interdisciplinary Graduate Program class conceived by one of her mentors, Roger Chalkley, DPhil, professor emeritus of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics.
“Vanderbilt is a part of me, and I carry it with me every day,” Mobley said. “It’s the foundation that set everything for my career, so I’m very proud to be an alumnus of this very fine institution.”
Mobley worked in the lab of another valued mentor, Linda Sealy, PhD, associate professor emeritus of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, before continuing her education at the University of Michigan and UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine.
Mobley credited VUMC’s John Tarpley, MD, professor emeritus of Surgery and Anesthesiology, for encouraging her to become a surgeon. She called her sister, Norma Mobley, MD, her first mentor and role model.
During her talk, Mobley shared elements of success she picked up while in training and early in her career including having intellectual curiosity; building a fund of knowledge; hard work, perseverance and grit; and the need to have balance.
Mobley spoke of her work to improve access to liver transplantation for critically ill patients, including transplant candidates who have severe coronary artery disease. Mobley and her team developed a process to allow patients with recent stent placement to receive a quickly reversible perioperative dual antiplatelet therapy and then be listed for transplantation. These patients were stented and transplanted all within one to two weeks.
“This has allowed critically ill patients previously excluded due to coronary artery disease to have access to liver transplantation,” she said. “This way of approaching patient care and solving problems is something that I developed when I was in graduate school.”
At the event, awards were presented to recognize Vanderbilt University School of Medicine or Vanderbilt University Medical Center faculty members, house staff, graduate and professional students, and medical students for noteworthy contributions that reflect Watkins’ mission of improving health care for all people.
Levi Watkins Jr., MD, Award Winners
Medical Student Award Winner: Andrew “Drew” Kittleson, MD/PhD candidate
As a MD/PhD candidate at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine’s Medical Scientist Training Program, Kittleson has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to improving the care of LGBTQ+ populations. Some of his contributions have been incorporated into the School of Medicine curriculum. For example, surveys for the LGBTQ+ Integrated Science Course are instrumental in improving LGBTQ+-related health competency. Kittleson works in the lab of Julia Sheffield, PhD, in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.
Faculty Award Winner: Ebele Umeukeje, MD, MPH
Ebele Umeukeje, MD, MPH, assistant professor of Medicine in the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, has had multiple leadership roles and received numerous awards for her efforts to promote diversity, both locally and nationally. She leads biweekly Diversity Initiative meetings to promote awareness and facilitate continuous learning, and she organized a division-wide training on unconscious bias.
House Staff Award Winner: Tia’Asia James, MD
Tia’Asia James, MD, is committed to improving diversity in medicine, primarily through volunteering activities and mentorship. She has been a mentor for Fisk University, the Tour for Diversity program, the VUMC GME Minority Housestaff Mentoring Program, and Meharry Medical College. She helped 15 underrepresented in medicine students successfully matriculate at their desired medical schools and has assisted 12 students with matching into their first choice for residency.
Professional/Graduate Student Award Winner: Ariana Matos, MPH candidate
The contributions of Ariana Matos, MPH candidate in Global Health, over the past year and across multiple organizations at Vanderbilt exemplify her dedication to improving health outcomes for Latino communities. Through her work and service both at Vanderbilt and in the community, Matos is making a difference in the health of racial and ethnic minorities and women.
