David Gaston, MD, PhD, medical director of the Molecular Infectious Diseases Laboratory, is committed to his colleagues. He leads by example.
One example is when Vanderbilt Medical Laboratories largely relocated from the Main Campus to its new 110,000-square-foot MetroCenter location on March 1, 2024. To ease the transition, Gaston volunteered for a week of overnight shifts.
“He spent the night personally easing concerns and following up on challenges in real time, running from fire to fire, to help provide communication, clarity and resolution for clinical problems as they arose,” one person wrote in Gaston’s award nomination.
Because of his leadership, dedication to patients and his colleagues, and commitment to quality, Gaston received a Credo Award at the January VUMC Leadership Assembly. Characteristically, Gaston was quick to share the credit with his team.
“It was really humbling,” he said. “There are so many people who are doing as good if not better work than I’m doing that are not getting recognized. I’m grateful to be able to shine that light on others.”
Gaston, a clinical microbiologist and infectious disease physician, came to Vanderbilt in 2022. He obtained his MD and PhD at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical Scientist Training Program, thereafter completed an internal medicine residency at the University of Utah, an infectious disease fellowship at Yale-New Haven Hospital, and a clinical microbiology fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
“I was looking for a position where I’d be able to direct a molecular laboratory,” Gaston said, “in a place that was collaborative and collegial and also a well-respected, field-leading institution.
“The longer that I’ve been here, the more collaborative it seems to be. And it’s just incredible.”
When he’s not working the night shift, Gaston’s day job is to oversee a lab that tests specimens from patients served in the VUMC system to determine if infectious pathogens are present. He cofounded and serves as the executive director of the Consortium for Clinical Metagenomics and Infectious Diseases which includes thought leaders around the nation and world.
Gaston’s work also includes working with medical students, medical laboratory science students, graduate students, residents and fellows that join him on rounds for special learning sessions in the laboratory.
“The trainees absolutely love David,” another nominator wrote. “He was awarded our resident teaching award in pathology both years he has been faculty here. He is very humble in this regard — he confided he felt a bit embarrassed to be honored twice in a row, but to be honest, it is so well deserved.”
When he’s not in the lab, you can find Gaston biking to and from work, enjoying time with his wife and 12-year-old daughter, camping, rock climbing and enjoying live music. He relishes being part of the Nashville community. Some of his extended family, including his parents in December 2024, have moved to Nashville.
“Another reason that I wanted to come to Vanderbilt is that there is a real emphasis on balance … your life is a lot more than what happens in the hospital or in the lab,” he said. “Anyone given the right amount of training and the right amount of experience could do what I do, but I’m the only husband to my wife, and I’m the only father to my daughter. That really is a priority.”
View David Gaston’s video from Leadership Assembly.
If you are a VUMC employee, you can nominate a colleague for an Elevate Credo Award, Five Pillar Leader Award, or Team Award. Visit the Elevate website to fill out a nomination form. Employees demonstrate credo behaviors when: they make those they serve the highest priority; respect privacy and confidentiality; communicate effectively; conduct themselves professionally; have a sense of ownership; and are committed to their colleagues. Elevate award nominations are accepted year-round. If a nomination is received after the cut off for an award selection period, the nomination will be considered for the next period. VUMC VOICE will post stories on each of the award winners in the weeks following their announcement.
