The ability to test patients’ cancers for individual differences, mainly at the genetic level, and to make treatment decisions based on those differences is the hallmark of precision medicine, and Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) is among the leaders of this new approach to diagnosis and treatment.

Christopher Williams, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of Medicine and Cancer Biology, was recently named associate dean for Vanderbilt University School of Medicine’s Physician-Scientist Education and Training Program (PSTP) and director of the Medical Science Training Program (MSTP).

Four physicians from Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) have been elected to membership in two of the nation’s oldest and most respected medical honor societies — the Association of American Physicians (AAP) and the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI).

Maureen Gannon, Ph.D., associate professor of Medicine, has been appointed chair of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Scientific Session planning committee.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common smoking-related lung illness and the third leading cause of death in the United States. Scientists have long believed that inhaling toxic gases and particles from tobacco smoke causes inflammation of the small airways in the lungs, leading to the development of COPD.

A targeted therapy for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), the most aggressive form of breast cancer, has shown potential promise in a recently published study. TNBC is the only type of breast cancer for which there are no currently approved targeted therapies.

The Division of Cardiovascular Medicine will host the Vanderbilt Cardiovascular Symposium 2016 on May 4, highlighting ongoing vascular and heart-related basic and clinical research.