VUMC People Archive

Meg Rush, MD, MMHC, at the reception with a cake depicting Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt (photo by Susan Urmy)
December 22, 2025

Meg Rush and her storied career of caring for children celebrated

For Rush, the most meaningful part of her journey has been the people — the children, their families, and the faculty, staff and trainees with whom she has worked over the years. 

By Christina Echegaray
December 12, 2025

How Scott Smith beat the odds to live a full life with hydrocephalus through over a dozen surgeries at Vanderbilt Health

The Tullahoma, Tennessee, native turned 60 this year — something that would’ve seemed like an impossibility when he was growing up with a neurological condition.

By Evan Dorian
December 11, 2025

Bobo Tanner is a standout in both name and personalized patient care

“Dr. Bobo Tanner is one of the most exemplary doctors that I’ve had the privilege to encounter during my lifetime.”

By Jill Clendening
December 11, 2025

Kellie Pearson single-handedly manages administrative tasks for the 170-person Monroe Carell pharmacy team

The Credo Award winner tells the team: “You take care of the babies; I can take care of the rest of this.”

By Leigh MacMillan
From left are Karen Keady, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, System Chief Nursing Officer for Vanderbilt University Medical Center; Jason Wolf, PhD, CPXP, President and CEO of the Beryl Institute; Terrell Smith, MSN, RN; and Hope Collins, senior director of Patient and Family Engagement, pose for a photo following the inaugural Terrell Smith Lectureship. (photo by Erin O. Smith)
December 10, 2025

Inaugural Terrell Smith Lecture stresses the importance of a ‘people-first’ mindset

Jason Wolf, PhD, CPXP, president and CEO of the Beryl Institute, kicked off the series with “Returning to the Heart of Care: Human Experience is Our True North.”

By Kylie Avery
December 9, 2025

Stephan Heckers to step down after two decades as Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences chair

Heckers is currently VUMC’s longest serving clinical department chair. He credits his longevity to the department’s culture and tradition of steady leadership, with each of the three previous chairs serving for periods of similar length.

By John Howser