Promotional graphic showing a rendering of the Jim Ayers Tower, surrounded by tilted VUMC News webpage screenshots and gold confetti. Visible headline: “New VUMC hospital expansion to be named Jim Ayers Tower.” Caption states the tower will open to its first patients in October 2025.

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From labs to hospital halls, 2024 showcased why Vanderbilt University Medical Center is special.

The News and Communications team captured hundreds of these moments, turning them into stories that connect our community and spotlight the incredible work happening around the region — and even extending to Alaska. 

Before the page turns to 2025, we gathered some favorites chosen by both our storytellers and our readers. Think of it as your highlight reel: breakthrough discoveries, patient journeys, and the dedicated people who make it all possible. 

Take a look back with us at these memorable moments with some news-packed homepages from news.vumc.org. You’ll find some new favorites along the way! 

I wasn’t sure my hands were worthy of a blessing. Then I heard: “Bless these hands and the work they perform,” and I got misty-eyed.
VUMC team travels to Alaska to recover a donor heart
Lifting up voices to celebrate healthy Black births 
One year ago, VUMC nurse Susie Stephens was thrown from a horse and suffered a broken neck. The story of her injury, her recovery — and the day she got back on the horse.
Beethoven’s genes reveal low predisposition for beat synchronization
Commodore spirit proves too much for superfan’s blood vessels
A gunshot to the head. A long recovery. Then a wedding.
The LifeFlight legacy: 40 years in 40 photos
How a little girl, her mom, police officers, firefighters, an animal-removal service, and quite a few passers-by pulled off Operation Kitten Rescue
New urine test has higher diagnostic accuracy for prostate cancer
From ‘what happened’ to ‘what now:’ How one VUMC News & Communications writer became part of her own story about the Vanderbilt Health Coaching Program
Vanderbilt mourns the loss of neonatal medicine pioneer Mildred Stahlman
Unsung Zeros: How biostatistics advances personalized health in the era of smart data
Study sheds new light on autism, but there’s more work to be done
Common AFib drug linked to higher bleeding risk 
Nurses support one another as they grieve colleague
Vanderbilt scientists discover shared genetic foundations between musical rhythm and human language
Supercomputing redesign of a COVID monoclonal antibody
What happens when musicians lose their hearing? Many find their way to VUMC’s Katie Berg — a scientist, a clinician — and a musician.
Higher genetic risk of obesity means working out harder for same results 
‘Ava got a heart’: the best news a family could share about the baby approaching her first birthday
When he was 3 months old, an eye operation saved Jai Ailawadi’s sight. Now a 20-year-old college student, he returned to say thank you.
Following the clues through time: Old mummies, old bones and old teeth lead to new insight into disease for Katherine Van Schaik
Neurology’s Bruce Ayers brings his love of music to the world as the founder of Nashville African American Wind Symphony