Jill Clendening

Jamie Pfaff, MD, right, and Katie Sunthankar, MD, both pregnant with their first children, pose for a photo at a residency conference.
November 18, 2025

Balancing babies with medical training is now easier thanks to VUMC duo’s hard work

They created a guidebook that covers everything from finding obstetrical care and early planning for childcare to the locations of lactation rooms at VUMC.

By Jill Clendening
November 11, 2025

Allan Williams remembered for dedicated service to Vanderbilt LifeFlight, patients and colleagues

Allan Williams, MSN-Ed, RN, CFRN, EMT-P, flight nurse/paramedic for Vanderbilt LifeFlight, 55, died Nov. 8, during his service as a member of LifeFlight 1, based in Gallatin, Tennessee. The LifeFlight helicopter went down in an unpopulated area in Wilson County, Tennessee.

By Jill Clendening
Kendra Parekh, MD, MHPE
November 4, 2025

Kendra Parekh named to key education leadership roles for VUMC and VUSM

Parekh succeeds Kyla Terhune, MD, MBA, who was named Senior Vice President for Education at the American College of Surgeons, effective Nov. 1.

By Jill Clendening
(iStock image)
November 4, 2025

VUMC performs minimally invasive transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement for recent heart transplant recipient

The team used an artificial tricuspid valve, EVOQUE, which received Food and Drug Administration approval in February.

By Jill Clendening
Dwight Towler, MD, PhD
October 29, 2025

Dwight Towler named new director of Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism

The division includes approximately 40 faculty and 50 staff members, and is consistently recognized for its excellence in comprehensive clinical care.

By Jill Clendening
October 27, 2025

Macon County father’s voice restored following oral cancer surgery

After surgical removal of a rare tumor left a sizable hole inside Nick Schrock’s mouth, he could only speak in a muffled, lispy whisper. Tyler Ames, a dentist at VUMC, fashioned a prosthetic device to close the hole and allow Schrock to speak more clearly.

By Jill Clendening