Two physician-scientists at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have been elected this year to membership in the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI), one of the nation’s oldest and most respected medical honor societies. They are:
Alexander Bick, MD, PhD, associate professor of Medicine and director of the Division of Genetic Medicine.
Jonathan Kropski, MD, the Rudy W. Jacobson Professor of Pulmonary Medicine and associate professor of Medicine and of Cell & Developmental Biology.
They are among more than 3,500 ASCI members, 48 of whom are current, full-time faculty members of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. The new members will be recognized April 25 during the joint annual meeting of the ASCI, Association of American Physicians and American Physician Scientists Association in Chicago.
“Election to the ASCI is a major honor, and we are thrilled for Dr. Kropski and Dr. Bick,” said Jane Freedman, MD, the Gladys Parkinson Stahlman Professor of Cardiovascular Research and chair of the Department of Medicine.
“They are both cutting-edge scientists with their respective groundbreaking research, innovative approaches and leadership in their field,” Freedman said. “Their achievements reflect the scientific and research strengths of the department, including the collegiality and collaborative spirit, and the overall support for developing early- and mid-stage career researchers.”
Bick, who joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 2020, is internationally known for his research on the genetics of blood disorders.
He and his colleagues have advanced the understanding of somatic (non-inherited) mutations in blood stem cells that can trigger an explosive, and potentially life-threatening, clonal growth of abnormal cells called clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminant potential, or CHIP.
Kropski joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 2015. He and his colleagues have determined the molecular and cellular underpinnings of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and recently identified a potential new treatment for the progressive, incurable lung disease, which is on the rise in the United States.
Kropski and Bick also are among 23 Vanderbilt investigators who, early in their first faculty appointments, received Young Physician-Scientist Awards from the Council of the ASCI for “notable achievements” in research.
VUMC is an influential advocate for increasing the supply of physician-scientists nationally and internationally, and Vanderbilt faculty members have contributed significantly to the mission of the ASCI.
Kimryn Rathmell, MD, PhD, MMHC, former chair of Medicine who was appointed director of the National Cancer Institute in 2023, and Lorraine Ware, MD, the Ralph and Lulu Owen Professor of Medicine, served back-to-back terms as ASCI council president in 2020 and 2021.
Last April, Julie Bastarache, MD, assistant vice president for Clinical & Translational Scientist Development at VUMC, was elected ASCI vice president for 2024-2025.
An associate professor in the Departments of Medicine, Cell & Developmental Biology, and Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, Bastarache subsequently will serve one-year terms as president-elect, and as ASCI president in 2026-2027.
