Yash Choksi, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, has been appointed to the newly created position of Associate Director of the Department of Medicine’s Physician-Scientist Training Program (PSTP) and Harrison Society at Vanderbilt Health.
A PTSP alumnus and Harrison Society member, Choksi “has built an outstanding career as a physician-scientist, mentor and leader in academic medicine,” said Evan Brittain, MD, MSCI, PSTP/Harrison Society Director and Professor and Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Medicine.
Brittain, who holds the Rose Marie Robertson Directorship, said Choksi “is deeply committed to physician-scientist development and has been active in mentoring trainees, supporting early-career investigators, and leading professional development initiatives through regional and national scientific societies.”
“He has repeatedly volunteered his time to support our trainees and recruitment efforts, bringing both the perspective of a successful investigator and a genuine passion for helping others navigate careers in academic medicine,” Brittain said. “We are fortunate to have Yash take on this expanded leadership role and look forward to the impact he will have on the next generation of physician-scientists at Vanderbilt.”
Physician-scientist training at Vanderbilt Health couples internal medicine residency and clinical fellowship training with training in basic or clinical research. This qualifies participants for board eligibility in internal medicine through the American Board of Internal Medicine Research Pathway.
Trainees also become lifelong members of the Harrison Society, which facilitates mentoring by Vanderbilt faculty members and distinguished visiting professors.
“The PSTP gave me the protected time I needed to learn how to be a scientist, and the Harrison Society provided a critical peer network I could lean on for support and mentorship,” Choksi said.
A 2012 graduate of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Choksi completed both an internal medicine residency and a fellowship in gastroenterology at Vanderbilt Health and joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 2018. He is board certified in both internal medicine and gastroenterology.
The co-author of more than 50 scientific publications, Choksi’s research interests include defining the role of eosinophils, a type of white blood cell, in esophageal cancers, and the role of oxidative stress in eosinophilic esophagitis, an allergic inflammation of the esophagus.
In 2024 he received a Research Investigator Early Career Faculty Award from the Southern Society for Clinical Investigation (SSCI). He is a current fellow of the society and co-directs an SSCI career development program for early career physician-scientists.
Choksi also is principal investigator of research projects at the Nashville VA Medical Center and a faculty member of the Vanderbilt University Program in Cancer Biology. which trains graduate students for careers in basic and applied cancer research.
“Physician-scientist training is long and hard,” Choksi said. “It requires adaptability over time. I want to provide support and advice for trainees as they navigate the stages of establishing this challenging but rewarding career.”
