Dagny Stuart
Neil Brake
Longtime Nashville journalist and communications professional Dagny Stuart and veteran photographer Neil Brake have joined Vanderbilt University Medical Center's Office of News and Public Affairs.
Stuart, formerly a political and investigative reporter for WSMV-Channel 4, will serve as information and media relations officer for the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.
In this role, she will write stories about Vanderbilt-Ingram's activities and accomplishments for the VUMC Reporter, Momentum and other internal publications, and will serve as the primary point person for promoting Vanderbilt-Ingram through local, regional, national and online news media.
“Media relations is a cornerstone of our communications and marketing strategy, and I am delighted that someone of Dagny's background, talent and experience is joining our team,” said Cynthia Manley, Vanderbilt-Ingram's associate director of Communications.
Stuart has previously worked for Nashville public relations firm Gish, Sherwood & Friends, Saint Thomas Hospital, WKRN-Channel 2 and television stations in Kentucky.
Brake comes to VUMC from the Creative Services division of Vanderbilt University, where he has worked for seven years. He is a photojournalist with more than 30 years of experience, and has worked at several newspapers including the Birmingham News, and as a freelancer for the Atlanta Journal Constitution and wire agencies including The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse. He has been published in several books, as well as in Sports Illustrated, Time, Newsweek, Life, The New York Times, USA Today, and Runners World.
Brake, a native of England who moved to the U.S. with his parents as a child, has won numerous awards from the Alabama Press Association and The Associated Press for his photography. He joins Dana Johnson on the photography staff of News and Public Affairs.
“Neil's talent and passion for his work make him a great choice to tell the story of Vanderbilt Medical Center in photographs, and I'm happy to have him here,” said Wayne Wood, director of Publications for VUMC.