Vanderbilt University School of Medicine graduates celebrate Commencement
by Jill Clendening
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine held its diploma-awarding ceremony for the Class of 2025 on Friday, May 9. Jeff Balser, MD, PhD, President and CEO of Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Dean of the School of Medicine, welcomed graduates, friends and families to Langford Auditorium.
“Let’s just call this day what it is: extraordinary,” Balser said, addressing the audience. “Finally, after years of hard work, it’s your turn to sit in these chairs and wear these gowns. Parents, families and friends, let me again express our deepest gratitude for your support of our graduates.
“These are among the most demanding courses of study required of any professional anywhere in the world. You shaped their characters and supported them through not only triumphs but, at times, discouraging failures. The diplomas have their names on them, but they’re yours as well.”
He encouraged the graduates to be change makers and bold leaders as they begin their careers during “a particularly disruptive and challenging time.”
“It’s almost always the case that we do remarkable things in periods of stress,” Balser said. “Maybe it’s because we’re more motivated. Maybe it’s because we don’t feel limited by the normative constraints that hold us back in good times. You are emerging onto the health care scene at such a moment where leadership will matter so much more than it normally does. Don’t shrink back.
“Your leadership sprinkled with that special Vanderbilt blend of humanity and intellect, is exactly what we need in these times. Keep in mind the warranty that comes with your Vanderbilt degree does not shield against the pain of leadership. What it does guarantee is that you are superbly equipped to lead. You will notice that when you choose to do so, others will follow. Take this on for your patients, for your families, and for all of us.”
This year’s graduates include 83 MD and MD/PhD students, nine Doctors of Audiology, one Doctor of Medical Physics, two Masters of Education of the Deaf, 21 Masters of Science in Speech-Language Pathology, seven Masters of Genetic Counseling, four Masters of Imaging Science, six Masters of Science in Applied Clinical Informatics, three Masters of Science in Clinical Investigation, three Masters of Science in Medical Physics and 31 Masters of Public Health.
Graduate Carter Lakin Lovvorn, MD, was named Founder’s Medalist for the School of Medicine. Lovvorn graduated with a Doctor of Medicine degree. Lovvorn is a Nashville native and the son of Harold “Bo” Lovvorn, MD, a professor of Pediatric Surgery at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.
Lovvorn was co-president of the Gold Humanism Honor Society and volunteered as a certified medical interpreter and a care coordinator at Shade Tree Clinic, which provides free health care to uninsured people in the Nashville area. He also worked on research with Natasha Halasa, MD, MPH, Craig-Weaver Professor of Pediatrics, to explore barriers to pediatric vaccination. He acknowledged others who supported him during his training.
“First of all, it’s a testament to all my classmates and all the professors and physicians who get the best out of me,” Lovvorn said. “I am incredibly lucky to be surrounded by people who care about others and invest in their peers and students. The collaborative environment that was brought about by peers and faculty allowed me to be my best self over the last four years.
“Additionally, I am someone who tends to care a lot more about the journey than the outcome. Because of that, an honor like this makes me reflect on all the little moments with peers, faculty and patients that contributed to my learning and development into the person and doctor that I become today.
“Finally, it takes a village. I have an incredibly supportive family that has encouraged and loved me ever since I was little. This would not be possible without them.”
Fellow graduate Sunaya Krishnapura is headed to Stanford for her residency in pediatrics, and she credits the “culture of kindness and emphasis on community and belonging in the Medical School and the Medical Center” for making Vanderbilt her second home.
“I am incredibly thankful to have had the opportunity to train at VUSM, surrounded by passionate, empathetic and driven peers, residents and attendings that I consider my role models,” she said. “I credit my teachers for inculcating in us the value of approaching patient care from a holistic perspective, giving equal weight to both a patient’s social context as well as the acute clinical problem.
“In watching and following the example of my residents and attendings, I have had the privilege of listening and learning from the stories of our patients about their values, resilience and adaptability. I am grateful for the biggest lesson I will take away with me from VUSM — the importance of creating space for patients to feel heard and empowered to better treat not only the disease process but also the illness experience.”
Ban Mishu Allos, MD, associate professor of Medicine, was the recipient of this year’s Shovel Award which recognizes the impact she had on the graduating medical students’ education. Allos read the names of graduates as they received their academic hoods and diplomas.
Maya Neeley, MD, associate professor of Pediatrics and Hospital Medicine, and director of Pediatric Medical Student Education, was chosen by the students to lead them in the recitation of the Doctor of Medicine Oath.
During the ceremony, Balser recognized 10 emeriti faculty who “have served the university with distinction and deep abiding commitment to their fields.” They are Naji Abumrad, MD, professor emeritus of Surgery; Thomas Aune, PhD, professor emeritus of Medicine; Mary Margaret Chren, MD, professor emerita of Dermatology; Mark Denison, MD, professor emeritus of Pediatrics; Douglas Heimburger, MD, professor emeritus of Medicine; James Johns, MD, professor emeritus of Pediatrics; Robert Miller, MD, professor emeritus of Medicine; Wayne Ray, PhD, professor emeritus of Preventative Medicine; John Sergent, MD, professor emeritus of Medicine; and David Shaffer, MD, professor emeritus of Surgery.
Biomedical Sciences graduates pursue a variety of career paths
By Bill Snyder
Among the 114 students who earned PhDs in the biomedical sciences from the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine during the 2024-2025 academic year, two women are staking out very different career paths.
Rebecca Buchanan, PhD, has landed her first job out of graduate school as a postdoctoral research scholar in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University Medical Center. She is pursuing a career in academia.
Ebony Hargrove-Wiley, PhD, is interning in medical and scientific relations at the Alzheimer’s Association while she seeks a position that would enable her to contribute to scientific and clinical affairs in the pharmaceutical industry.
Both are grateful for the support and resources they received through the medical school’s Office of Biomedical Research Education and Training (BRET), and the ASPIRE Path in Molecular Medicine, a unique personalized approach that offers course work and disease-based clinical experiences. They also acknowledged their faculty mentors in both clinical and basic sciences.
“What really sold me (on Vanderbilt) was the BRET office and ASPIRE,” said Buchanan, a University of Georgia graduate who earned her doctorate in Neuroscience. “It’s not only unique but very well organized and comprehensive in terms of support for professional development. There’s so much opportunity, it’s almost overwhelming.”
Hargrove-Wiley, a Tuskegee University graduate who earned her doctorate in Cancer Biology, agreed. The informational sessions offered through ASPIRE and the BRET office helped clarify her aptitude for scientific communication supporting the development of pharmaceutical products that potentially will help clinicians improve outcomes for their patients.
Buchanan, who is from Carrolton, Georgia, gravitated to neuroscience because of a long-standing interest in neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease.
Under the mentorship of Fiona Harrison, PhD, associate professor of Medicine, she focused her research on potentially modifiable risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease. For her dissertation project, she explored the neurotoxic effects of overexposure to the trace mineral manganese in an animal model.
Currently, Buchanan is working in the laboratory of Erin Gibson, PhD, assistant professor in the Division of Sleep Medicine at Stanford, focusing on the role that glial cells in the brain play in regulating the body’s circadian “clock” and in cognition.
Hargrove-Wiley, who is from Kansas City, Missouri, chose research aimed at understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms that drive cancer progression. She was mentored by Barbara Fingleton, PhD, associate professor of Pharmacology, and director of the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences.
For her dissertation project, Hargrove-Wiley assessed sex-related differences in immune responses to male and female breast cancers. She is first author of a paper published last year that recommended more rigorous pre-clinical and translational investigations of male breast cancer biology.
According to Abigail Brown, PhD, director of Outcomes Research in the BRET office and co-director of ASPIRE, 71% of this year’s PhD graduates are planning to pursue postgraduate training, while 27% have accepted or are in negotiations for jobs that don’t require postdoctoral work.
During their years in graduate school, the students, on average, co-authored five research papers that were published in highly respected journals including Nature, Cell, Science, and the Journal of Clinical Investigation. They averaged two papers in which they were listed as first author.
External fellowships helped support the training of 48% of the graduate students. In 2024, for example, Buchanan was an ambassador in the Alzheimer’s Association International Society to Advance Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment (ISTAART). The program provides professional development and networking opportunities.
Hargrove-Wiley’s outside experiences included a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, an Endocrine Society FLARE (Future Leaders Advancing Research in Endocrinology) fellowship, and an internship in portfolio program management at the pharmaceutical company AbbVie.
As the first in her family to earn a PhD, Hargrove-Wiley had some advice for incoming graduate students.
“Always seek mentorship and a support system,” she said. “You’re more than capable. You wouldn’t be here if you weren’t capable.”
But graduate school is stressful, she added. “Find what you need to see it through.”
In his remarks to the graduates, C. André Christie-Mizell, PhD, Centennial Professor of Sociology, Vice Provost for Graduate Education, and Dean of the Graduate School, challenged them to “take the spirit of inquiry into everything you do. The pursuit of knowledge is never finished.”
Christie-Mizell also urged the graduates to realize the impact that their work can have on their communities and on society.
“Embrace the transformative power of education to illuminate pathways for others,” he said. “Small acts and a kind word can change the direction of someone’s life.”
School of Nursing graduates 413 students at 2025 Commencement ceremony
By Kyle Lubinsky
Vanderbilt University School of Nursing celebrated graduating students and their entry into the nursing profession with a pinning ceremony and reception Thursday, May 8, followed by Investiture on Friday, May 9, on Vanderbilt’s Magnolia Lawn. The ceremonies recognized students completing their programs in August and December 2024 and May 2025.
The Class of 2025 included 324 Master of Science in Nursing students, 60 Doctor of Nursing Practice students and 29 Master of Nursing students. Four PhD in Nursing Science graduates were also recognized. In addition to their degrees, several nurses earned Post-Master’s Certificates in additional advanced practice specialties.
Pamela Jeffries, PhD, Dean and Valere Potter Distinguished Professor of Nursing, called the graduates “pioneers and advocates.”
“All the members of this class — MNs, MSNs, DNPs and PhDs — have many things in common: excellence, dedication, intelligence, accomplishment and hard work, to name a few,” Jeffries said. “You are Vanderbilt’s answer to society’s health care challenges. Not just because you are so very needed as providers, but because each of you is a nurse leader equipped to ask the hard questions, identify the problems, find the best solutions, discover knowledge and lead the discussions that will revolutionize health care delivery.”
Vicky Nicolas, MSN, was selected as Founder’s Medalist for the School of Nursing. Each year, Vanderbilt awards the Founder’s Medal to the top scholar in each of its 10 schools in honor of founder Cornelius Vanderbilt.
“Vicky has embraced the belief that serving others makes life fulfilling,” Jeffries said. “She is determined to provide primary care with her trademark dedication, compassion and commitment to patient well-being, and she will no doubt continue to make a difference in nursing going forward.”
Nicolas was inspired to become a nurse practitioner by her adoptive mother, who overcame poverty to become a certified nursing assistant. As a VUSN student, Nicolas received the DAISY Award, which recognizes extraordinary nurses and nursing students, and was selected for a federal Health Resources and Services Administration–funded program that provides clinical nursing experience in rural and underserved health clinics in Kentucky.
Graduating students also received words of encouragement from Vanderbilt University Medical Center System Chief Nursing Officer Karen Keady, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, who urged them to build their support systems and to find their passion as they advance their nursing careers.
“What you have learned here at Vanderbilt will follow you forward,” Keady said. “You can count on us for support and a lifelong academic, clinical and leadership connection as you navigate the amazing careers that are ahead of you. I know that I can speak for everyone here today — we are so proud of what you have accomplished and so excited to see what you will do next.”
