MacMillan, Pasley join News Office staff
Vanderbilt University Medical Center's Office of News and Public Affairs has added two staff members to contribute to the office's publications as well as work with members of the media.
Leigh MacMillan, Ph.D., and Jessica Pasley will contribute articles to the office's five publications ‹ the weekly VUMC Reporter, the magazines House Organ, Crossroads, Vanderbilt Nurse and Vanderbilt Medicine.
In addition to their writing duties, MacMillan and Pasley will share in the office's responsibility for disseminating news about VUMC to local, national and international news media and will help provide 24-hour coverage of media inquiries with other members of the News and Public Affairs staff.
MacMillan, who will focus primarily on VUMC's biomedical research programs, is no stranger to Vanderbilt. Originally from Norfolk, Va., she received her B.S. in Chemistry from Michigan State University in 1990. She then entered Vanderbilt's Pharmacology graduate program and joined the laboratory of Lee E. Limbird, Ph.D., now associate vice chancellor for Research.
After receiving her Ph.D. in Pharmacology in 1996, MacMillan joined the laboratory of Roger J. Colbran, Ph.D., in the Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics as a postdoctoral fellow.
MacMillan's husband, Michael, received his degree in Mechanical Engineering from Vanderbilt.
In her new role, MacMillan will work to improve awareness and understanding of the basic science research being done here and help relate the excitement and complexity of biomedical research to a general audience.
Pasley is a true Nashville native. After graduating from Harpeth Hall School, she moved on to Washington and Lee University, and received her bachelor's degree in Journalism in 1989.
For the past two years, Pasley coordinated publications at Saint Thomas Hospital. Prior to that, she spent seven years as a reporter for the Nashville Banner, covering medicine, social services, education as well as general assignments.
Pasley is married, for eight years now, to her high school sweetheart, Irvin. They have three children ranging in age from one to four ‹ Myles, Jade and Jillian.
Also in the Office of News and Public Affairs, staff member Matt Scanlan has been promoted to the newly created position of National News Coordinator. In this role Scanlan will work to strengthen the medical centers presence in national newspapers, and magazines, and on television news programs.