Vanderbilt University School of Medicine played a major role last month in a national conference that showcased the critical need to train biomedical researchers to advance medical care and public health.
Six Vanderbilt leaders in the training of MD- and PhD-level scientists spoke and participated in workshops at the 2025 Biomedical Research Training Conference, hosted by the Association of American Medical Colleges’ Group on Research, Education and Training (GREAT).
The conference was held in Arlington, Virginia, in conjunction with the meeting of the National Association of Clinician Scientist Training.
“Together, we are helping strengthen MD-PhD education and ensuring that our trainees are well prepared to lead in science and medicine,” said one of the speakers, Chris Williams, MD, PhD, director of the School of Medicine’s Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP).
“We (also) bring back fresh insights and strategies that directly support our trainees in achieving excellence in their research and advancing their professional development,” added Ashley Brady, PhD, assistant dean of Biomedical Career Engagement and Strategic Partnerships in the Office of Biomedical Research Education and Training (BRET).
Vanderbilt has been training physician-scientists for more than 60 years. Many of the program’s graduates have gone on to leadership positions in academia, government, industry and clinical practice.
The Vanderbilt BRET office has trained more than 2,000 PhD students from around the world through its umbrella biomedical graduate programs, the Vanderbilt Interdisciplinary Graduate Program (IGP) in Biological and Biomedical Sciences and the Quantitative and Chemical Biology Program.
Panel discussions during the conference highlighted Vanderbilt’s cutting-edge approach to training that emphasizes fundamental principles of biology along with core competencies in problem-solving, communication and other skills.
IGP Director Madhvi Venkatesh, DPhil, and James Dewar, PhD, assistant professor of Biochemistry and director of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Initiatives for the IGP, discussed new coursework for graduate students that addresses the effective and responsible use of generative AI tools in biomedical research.
“It is imperative,” Venkatesh said, “that we equip our trainees with strong critical thinking skills and an understanding of new technologies to prepare them to improve our world through their research, leadership and innovation.”
To that end, the BRET Office of Career Development offers a program of career and professional development support called ASPIRE (Augmenting Scholar Preparation and Integration with Research-Related Endeavors). Each year the program serves Vanderbilt’s approximately 1,000 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in the biomedical sciences.
Others from Vanderbilt who spoke at the AAMC “GREAT” conference were Lourdes Estrada, PhD, professor of Biochemistry and associate MSTP director for Academic Programs and Operations, and Megan Williams, PhD, assistant professor of Pharmacology and assistant MSTP director.
Chris Williams, an MSTP alumnus who has directed the program since 2016, is professor of Medicine, associate dean for Physician-Scientist Education in the School of Medicine, and holder of the MSTP Directorship. He also is president of the National Association of Clinician Scientist Training and chairs the AAMC MD-PhD Training Opportunities for Physician-Scientists Committee.
Brady, associate professor of Medical Education and Administration, is a co-leader of the ASPIRE program. She helped develop the ASPIRE internship program, the ASPIRE on the Road biopharma industry site-visit program, and the ASPIRE to Innovate Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, which provides entrepreneurial training in the commercialization of Vanderbilt inventions.
Venkatesh, assistant professor of Biochemistry, led implementation of a new competency-based IGP curriculum in 2021. A member of the AAMC GREAT Academic Publishing Working Group, she oversees the first year of training in the IGP program as well as ongoing curriculum innovation and assessment.
