Alice Coogan, MD, the Dorothy Beryl and Theodore R. Austin Professor of Pathology, chair of the Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology (PM&I), and system pathologist-in-chief for Vanderbilt University Medical Center, will retire Dec. 31. Coogan will be succeeded in these roles by Adam Seegmiller, MD, PhD, professor and vice chair for Clinical Affairs for PM&I.
Coogan, who joined VUMC in 1997, has served as PM&I’s interim chair and chair since 2019, leading the department through the extraordinary testing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the dramatic strategic expansion of clinical laboratory services with the opening of VUMC’s new labs at MetroCenter.
Seegmiller, who also serves as executive medical director for the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Clinical Service Center, joined VUMC in 2009 and has held a succession of increasingly responsible roles. He helped lead the opening of the new labs at MetroCenter, allowing for an expansion in the volume and types of tests which can now be performed in-house.
In addition to supporting the clinical laboratory needs of the Vanderbilt Health System, PM&I is home to more than 189 primary and secondary faculty with wide-ranging expertise. The department is broadly recognized for its basic science investigations in microbial pathogenesis, immunology and cancer biology, and for its clinical and translational research defining the practice of pathology. In 2024, the department ranked No. 10 among peer departments in total National Institutes of Health research funding.
“The Department of PM&I continues to be one of the leading and most innovative of its kind in the nation. Under Dr. Coogan’s leadership, the department has achieved a series of transformative milestones that have significantly advanced its clinical, educational and research missions,” said Jeff Balser, MD, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of VUMC and Dean of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. “I want to express my gratitude to Alice for her leadership across all areas associated with the department’s growth and success. Her contributions will have a lasting impact.
“Having earned extensive experience from leading key components of our clinical laboratory programs, Dr. Seegmiller is well prepared to make important contributions supporting the future of PM&I. I look forward to working with him in this new role.”
Since 2019, major PM&I initiatives have included:
Faculty Expansion: The department recruited 87 new faculty members, strengthening its subspecialty expertise across all clinical divisions and enhancing VUMC’s research mission.
Laboratory Transformation Project: The relocation of most anatomic and clinical pathology laboratories to a cutting-edge, 110,000-square-foot facility at MetroCenter, allowing for operational efficiency and significant test menu expansion including the establishment of a dedicated Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics Laboratory to support VUMC’s world-class transplant program.
Allied Health Program Growth: The department expanded its allied health portfolio with the launch of a new Histotechnology Program, addressing workforce needs and advancing technical education.
Increased Operational Efficiency: The department assumed dermatopathology technical operations, resulting in significant annual cost savings to the institution.
Innovation in Digital Pathology: The department recruited Fedaa Najdawi, MBBS, assistant professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, as medical director of Pathology Informatics and Digital Pathology. The department and the institution are developing plans to implement digital pathology for all clinical work.
Research Excellence: PM&I has successfully integrated a substantial basic science research enterprise within a large, robust clinical department. Faculty published impactful discoveries in the highest profile journals, and their successes have been recognized with honors from the National Academy of Sciences, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Pew Charitable Trusts, Burroughs Wellcome Fund and others.
More than 30,000 square feet of research space have been renovated, including the upcoming opening of a state-of-the-art, NIH-funded Biosafety Level 3 Facility. This growth has been mirrored by the explosive expansion of PM&I’s graduate programs in Microbe-Host Interactions and Molecular Pathology and Immunology, which are now the largest biomedical doctoral programs at Vanderbilt.
“The strength of PM&I is integral to our health system’s success. Through the initiatives and priorities Dr. Coogan has pursued during her tenure as chair, along with the institutional investments to expand diagnostic lab services, including the recent addition of the state-of-the-art MetroCenter facility, PM&I is very well positioned,” said Jane Freedman, MD, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Health System Officer for VUMC.
“I want to thank Alice for her thoughtful leadership, which has paved the way for the department’s bright future. I also want to welcome Dr. Seegmiller into this new role on our senior leadership team as we work together to serve the needs of our clinicians and patients.”
Throughout her career, Coogan has received honors for teaching, including the Shovel Teaching Award, Jack Davies Basic Science Teaching Award, Residents’ Teaching Award in Anatomic Pathology, and the Faculty Teaching Award for teaching excellence in a small group setting. She was inducted into the Academy for Excellence in Education in 2012.
“It has been an honor to work alongside such a dedicated and talented team of faculty, trainees and staff. Together, we have achieved significant milestones, but perhaps more importantly, we have transformed the culture in ways that will serve as the foundation for future success,” said Coogan.
“Dr. Seegmiller, a visionary leader, has been pivotal in this transformation. I have every confidence that the department will continue to thrive under his leadership. I am grateful to Dr. Balser for his unwavering support of the department and for giving me the opportunity to serve in this role.”
In 2021, Seegmiller was appointed to his current leadership roles as vice chair for Clinical Affairs in PM&I as well as executive medical director of the newly formed Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Clinical Service Center.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he oversaw the collaborative effort that enabled VUMC to quickly ramp up testing for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, resulting in a process that provided hundreds of real-time test results each day that helped inform care across the region.
Seegmiller was also involved in bringing diagnostic management teams in the practice of hematopathology to VUMC, an approach he developed to apply evidence-based standards to test ordering for bone marrow biopsies. He designed metrics and data collection tools to monitor the application of the standards and to refine the process. The approach has significantly improved test ordering and interpretation in hematopathology.
“I am so grateful to Dr. Coogan for her outstanding leadership as chair and for mentoring me in my leadership responsibilities. This department has been my professional home for many years, and my personal growth and success has been a direct result of my association with our talented and dedicated faculty, trainees, researchers and staff. I am excited by the opportunity to give back to them and continue the PM&I tradition of excellence and accomplishment as I serve in this new role,” said Seegmiller.
Seegmiller’s clinical interests are in the practice of laboratory medicine and hematopathology. He has particular interests in test utilization strategies and the application of flow cytometry to the diagnosis, prognosis and monitoring of blood cancers including leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, and he is a frequently invited speaker on the topics of laboratory testing for hematologic disorders and medical laboratory administration.
He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Utah and received his MD and PhD degrees from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, where he also completed a clinical pathology residency and hematopathology fellowship. He is a fellow of the College of American Pathologists and the American Society for Clinical Pathology.
