First-year medical student Priscilla La, an enthusiastic member of Gabbe College, waves the college’s banner during the 2025 College Cup opening ceremony and spirit competition. Photo by Chad Driver.
As the medical students in the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Class of 2029 began their formal training in 2025, friendly, competitive banter between the students was already flying.
It wasn’t about who would ace their first Foundations of Medical Knowledge courses. It was about who would claim ultimate bragging rights at the much-anticipated College Cup.
This annual Olympics-style showdown brings together all students in VUSM’s four advisory colleges for a week filled with athletic feats, skillful challenges, artistic contests and raucous team spirit. The action kicks off with an opening ceremony and spirit competition, where the medical students proudly wave the brightly colored banners of their advisory colleges, perform choreographed dances, and toss out challenges.
From an Iron Chef-style cook-off and participation in the Shade Tree Trot 5K to basketball, soccer, board games, video games, pumpkin carving, poetry challenges and more, the competition is fierce — but fun. At the end of the spectacular competitions, points are tallied, and the members of one college hoist the coveted College Cup trophy, an enviable honor until next year’s rematch.
“College Cup is a foundational core of our medical student wellness program and has occurred annually for almost two decades,” said Amy Fleming, MD, senior associate dean for Medical Student and Alumni Affairs. “The competitive events build strong relationships and camaraderie among the students across all four years, as well as important relationships between the students and faculty (who also participate). It is incredible to watch the college teams come together full of joy, dedication and energy.
“College Cup is embedded in our culture here, and students look forward to it all year. It is a good reminder for them that medical school isn’t just about filling their minds with new knowledge; it’s also a time to build lifelong friendships, focus on their health and well-being, and develop resilience for dealing with stress and reducing burnout. College Cup is a catalyst for all of this.”
The College Cup began in 2007, spearheaded by Scott Rodgers, MD, then associate dean for Medical Student Affairs and faculty sponsor of the VUSM Student Wellness Committee, which organizes the event. Rodgers said the message of College Cup is “that students should strive to take good care of themselves. This means such things as forming new friendships, exercising and pursuing hobbies.”
While it all looks like fun and games, College Cup is so much more. Team-oriented, multidisciplinary care is the heart of today’s heath care model. Building camaraderie and trust early in the medical school experience establishes connections that strengthen the four-year experience and paves the way for future collaborations that benefit both physicians and their patients.
Kyle Maas, a third-year medical student who was a co-organizer for College Cup 2025, said the event is the perfect opportunity for first-year medical students to connect with more advanced students they otherwise might not see very often. Maas is a member of Robinson College.
“I remember my first year, and it was so fun getting to see all the upperclassmen,” he said. “It was a great way to get to know more people and to feel like I was part of the Vanderbilt community as a whole. This year, I was helping lead it, so I saw things from a different perspective. It was cool to be a part of bringing that same experience to the incoming first years.”
Shannon Lester, MD, assistant professor of Clinical Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine and Public Health, is a faculty mentor for Robinson College. She’s also a 2014 graduate of VUSM, so she’s experienced College Cup from different perspectives as well.
“This is really such a special and impactful Vanderbilt University medical school event,” she said. “After attending a recent conference about learning communities, I realized just how special Vanderbilt is in the way we do things — how embedded the learning communities are and how important those relationships are among the students and between students and faculty. That’s really a pillar of the Vanderbilt University medical school culture.”
College Cup rivalry is kick-started during College Reveal, an orientation event in late July during which first-year medical students are ceremoniously sorted into advisory colleges. It’s much like how new Hogwarts students are sorted into rival houses in “Harry Potter.” Each advisory college has two dedicated faculty mentors and multiple faculty affiliate advisers and student affiliate advisers (senior students).
Medical students are sorted into one of four advisory colleges named for former VUSM deans:
Batson Advisory College, named after Randolph Batson, MD, Dean from 1963-1975. Batson’s mascot is the phoenix, and the signature color is blue.
Chapman Advisory College, named after John E. Chapman, MD, Dean from 1975-2001. Chapman’s mascot is the dragon, and the signature color is green.
Gabbe Advisory College, named after Steven Gabbe, MD, Dean from 2002-2008. Gabbe’s mascot is the lion, and the signature color is red.
Robinson Advisory College, named after George Canby Robinson, MD, Dean from 1920-1928. Robinson’s mascot is the raven, and the signature color is yellow.
The advisory colleges provide faculty mentorship, advising and peer connections for students to help foster a sense of belonging and to form supportive learning communities throughout the four-year medical school experience.
Participating in the College Cup events allows the medical students to appreciate aspects of each other that otherwise might be unseen in the classroom and clinical spaces.
“Everyone had such complex lives before medical school, and we only ever see each other in the medical school setting,” said third-year student Katlyn Knox, a member of Batson College and one of the 2025 co-organizers. “It’s really cool to see people that are former college football players or soccer players play in the punt, pass and kick event or the soccer. Even the art — you’d never know that someone is so good at art until they’re helping with the pumpkin carving or the speed art. Everyone gets to showcase their individual talents.”
Tori Tong, fourth-year medical student and member of the ultimately victorious Gabbe College, said the strong connections formed with the advisory college mentors have been invaluable.
“The mentors are important in creating that really supportive community,” she said. “They help with the curricular side of things, as well as the wellness and social aspect of medical school. Just knowing that every medical student comes in having point people they can turn to is really reassuring and is an amazing resource.”
Tong plans to complete a plastic surgery residency after graduating, and she said experiences like the College Cup, paired with her VUSM education, have her well set for the future.
“This is an incredible institution that helps build not only your professional identity within the field of medicine, but also helps you develop into a well-rounded, well-balanced human. So, once you become a physician off in the world, you have a long, sustainable career.”
C.J. Plummer, MD, assistant professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, is now in his third year of serving as a Gabbe College mentor. He also happened to sink a winning shot during the 2025 basketball competition, helping Gabbe College break a dry spell and bring home the College Cup. But to him, the biggest reward is in the growth he sees in the medical students he mentors.
“This is my favorite part of my job; I consider it a blessing to be able to work with our students in the way that we do — to be a part of the wellness and professional development aspects of their journey,” he said. “And to be able to do that through their entire matriculation as they go through the different phases of FPR (Foundations of Physician Responsibility) is amazing. This has served as professional development for me as well, as I work with these amazing attendings who are fellow college mentors, and I learn from the students through their experiences.”