From left, Lamont Green, Ronnika Green, Taneisha Green, and Martrail Copeland walk across the Vanderbilt campus with Virginia Shepherd after a Saturday morning Kids and Computers class.
Chapman honored next week
Dr. Ruth Kirschstein, acting director of the National Institutes of Health, will present the John E. Chapman Lectureship on the Ecology of Medicine and Medical Education on Thursday, April 6 at noon in 208 Light Hall.
The lectureship, which honors the former Vanderbilt University School of Medicine dean, was established in 1975 to address the changing role of medicine in our culture.
The lecture, open to the public, is part of two days of mostly invitation-only events scheduled to honor Chapman, who has assumed the role of associate vice chancellor for Medical Alumni Affairs. He assumed the new role March 1, after completing more than 25 years as Dean and conferring degrees on two-thirds of the living medical alumni of VUSM.
Kirschstein, who administers the Medical Scientist Training Programs of the NIH, has made major contributions to the nation’s graduate programs in the biomedical sciences. She was named acting director of the NIH on Jan. 1, 2000, after a long and distinguished career in research.
From 1957 to 1972, she performed research in experimental pathology at the Division of Biologics Standards, now the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research under the Food and Drug Administration. In 1972 she became assistant director of the Division of Biologics Standards. That same year, when the division was transferred to the FDA as a bureau, she was appointed deputy director. She subsequently served as deputy associate commissioner for science, FDA, before being named National Institute of General Medical Sciences director in 1974. From September 1990 to September 1991, she was also acting associate director of the NIH for research on women’s health and from July 1993 through November 1993 she was acting director of the NIH. She assumed her current position after serving as the NIH deputy director between 1993 and 1999.
Kirschstein’s honors are numerous. The 1951 Tulane University School of Medicine graduate holds four honorary degrees, was elected into the Institute of Medicine in 1982, and was awarded the Dr. Nathan Davis Award from the American Medical Association in 1990. She was also elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1992.
Another event scheduled to honor Chapman is a reception for faculty, staff, students and friends from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 5. The event will be held under a tent on the West Lawn between Light Hall and the VA Medical Center.
Also on Thursday from 7 to 8:30 p.m., students of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine will present a music, dance and visual arts show in celebration of Chapman’s years as dean. The event will be held in Langford Auditorium with a reception following.