VUMC People

The first suspected case of COVID-19 was detected in Tennessee March 5. Within four days, the lab team identified a testing platform, obtained reagents and developed and validated the test. By the end of the first 10 days, more than 3,300 tests had been completed.

Visionary — someone who thinks about the future or advancements in a creative and imaginative way, a person who is ahead of her or his time and who has a powerful plan for change in the future. Such a person is William “Bill” Stead, MD, Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Chief Strategy Officer, McKesson Foundation Professor of Biomedical Informatics and Professor of Medicine.

Kathleen Gould, PhD, Louise B. McGavock Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology in the School of Medicine Basic Sciences, has been named senior associate dean for Biomedical Research, Education and Career Development.

“In a time of crisis and uncertainty, the Telehealth team quickly adapted to the changing guidelines and mobilized the organization to establish a robust and effective way to reach and serve our patients in their homes.”

“I’ve worked in four institutions with a ton of people in a role like hers, and I’ve never encountered anyone even close to her caliber.”

Reagan Leverett, MD, MS, associate professor of Radiology and Radiological Sciences and medical director of Vanderbilt Breast Imaging Services, has been named chief of the Section of Breast Imaging, a position she previously held on an interim basis.

After serving as interim chair since Jan. 1, Kimryn Rathmell, MD, PhD, Cornelius Abernathy Craig Professor of Medicine, has been named chair of the Department of Medicine in the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and Physician-in-Chief for the Vanderbilt University Adult Hospital and Clinics.