Chancellor Diermeier shares campus message on Supreme Court decision regarding reproductive rights
The U.S. Supreme Court has struck down the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that established a federal right to abortion; the Supreme Court’s decision now leaves abortion laws to the states. This is a decision with enormous implications, especially here in Tennessee, which is one of 13 states that have passed trigger laws, which are bans designed to go into effect if Roe v. Wade is overturned. In Tennessee, the law bans all abortions except those to protect the life of the pregnant woman or prevent substantial harm to her physical health, and goes into effect 30 days after the decision. At Vanderbilt we remain steadfast in our commitment to support women’s health and the safety and well-being of our community and to create a supportive and inclusive environment for all members of our community. As a leading research university, it is also our responsibility to confront head-on the most pressing challenges of our time and provide a forum for exploration and debate. MORE
| |
Vanderbilt establishes task force to address Supreme Court’s reproductive rights decision
A university-wide task force that was convened in anticipation of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn federal abortion rights is working to address impacts for the Vanderbilt community. The task force, formed in early June by the Office of the Provost in coordination with the chancellor’s office, is focusing on the impact of a statewide abortion ban, particularly on clinical care, student and employee health and educational instruction, while also helping to drive academic discussion and programming to promote robust discourse and civic engagement around this important topic. As part of this effort, the university is coordinating closely with leadership at the Law School, the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing and our partners at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. MORE
| |
Title IX marks 50th anniversary
Thursday, June 23, 2022, marks the 50th anniversary of the passage into law of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Though the impetus behind the enactment of Title IX was to enable women and girls to have equal access in admissions to elite institutions of higher education, programs within those institutions, and scholarships and other forms of financial aid, the law also re-shaped gender equity in sports across the country, offering women and girls at all levels of education opportunities to participate in sports that they had not previously had. Starting in the 1980s and 1990s with a series of Supreme Court decisions, and further cemented by U.S. Department of Education guidance, Title IX continues to address sex discrimination in all facets of education, including higher education. Vanderbilt’s Title IX Office is proud to support this mission by working to address all forms of sex-based discrimination, including sexual harassment, sexual assault, and related forms of gender-based violence that may occur within the Vanderbilt community. MORE
| |
Vanderbilt joins higher ed community to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Pell Grant program
Today, June 23, 2022, marks the 50th anniversary of the Pell Grant, a federal student aid program that has expanded higher-education opportunities for millions of low-income Americans. To celebrate this historic milestone, Vanderbilt has joined with others in the higher education community to highlight its value and impact and underscore the need for Congress to reinvest in the program. Led by the Office of Federal Relations, Vanderbilt is engaging this week with the broader higher education community effort to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Pell Grant program, raising visibility and highlighting the crucial importance of this program to enable access to higher education for low-income students. The effort reiterates Vanderbilt’s strong support of the Pell Grant program as the foundation of Opportunity Vanderbilt and our commitment to undergraduate student financial aid. MORE
| |
FEDERALLY FUNDED RESEARCH
| |
National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health—Vanderbilt collaborates with HBCUs on recommendations for producing Black professionals in STEMM at predominantly white institutions Researchers who have graduated from, attended, taught or been heavily mentored by faculty at historically Black colleges and universities, or HBCUs, have produced a comprehensive review of existing strengths and opportunities that will enable more Black graduates from predominantly white institutions, or PWIs, to enter science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine, or STEMM, fields at higher rates than today. The collaborative research was led by Antentor O. Hinton Jr., assistant professor of molecular physiology and biophysics at the School of Medicine Basic Sciences . . . . Hinton’s goal for this publication is to educate the STEMM community on how Black scientists are trained and retained in higher education. His ultimate goal is to increase retention of scientists of color in their respective fields. [This work is supported by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health]. MORE
| |
National Institutes of Health—New aging-related molecular pathway discovered
A collaborative project between the labs of Maulik Patel, assistant professor of biological sciences, and Kris Burkewitz, assistant professor of cell and developmental biology, has identified a new molecular pathway that plays a key role in the ability of cells to sense and respond to stressed mitochondria. Defects in mitochondrial function are particularly relevant to aging and aging-related diseases. Together, the researchers’ labs discovered a novel RNA-based cellular pathway that modulates the predominant mechanism that preserves mitochondrial function under stress. [This work helps identify cell pathways that are commonly disrupted in diseases and old age, Held said, and could be targeted to cure diseases and to slow the aging process.] This work was funded by the National Institutes of Health . . . . MORE
| |
Two from Vanderbilt named to Harvard Business School 2022 Young American Leaders class Charleson Bell, research assistant professor of biomedical engineering and director of biomedical innovation, biodesign and I-Corps at the Wond’ry, Vanderbilt’s Innovation Center, and George Wilson, assistant director of new venture programs at the Center for Technology Transfer and Commercialization, have been selected by Global Action Platform for the Young American Leaders Program at Harvard Business School. The program convenes leaders from 15 U.S. cities who are working across sectors to help their communities prosper. Bell, Wilson and the eight other members of the 2022 Nashville class, who were inducted into the program at the Wond’ry last month, will form a task force to build a biomedical cluster strategy for the region and to address concerns regarding U.S. competitiveness on the global stage. MORE
| |
First-ever longitudinal study on LGBTQ+ aging is window into seldom-studied communityA four-year longitudinal study of older LGBTQ+ people in the South is being conducted to better identify the sources of stress and resilience for this infrequently studied population. Led by Tara McKay, assistant professor of medicine, health, and society, and her team, the Vanderbilt University Social Networks, Aging, and Policy Study (VUSNAPS) is providing the first data of its kind, which policy makers are already using to better reach the community and help them cope during the COVID-19 pandemic. McKay said her group plans to use the data gathered for future study on LGBTQ+ social networks and other topics, including the effects of discrimination on sleep quality, and political engagement and activism later in life. MORE
| |
Vanderbilt School of Medicine Basic Sciences names renowned scholar John Kuriyan as next deanVanderbilt University has named John Kuriyan, one of the world’s leading structural biologists, as its next dean of the School of Medicine Basic Sciences . . . . Kuriyan’s appointment, effective Jan. 1, 2023, will advance the university’s goal of expanding its global research impact by leveraging fundamental investigations in molecular, cellular and developmental biology into foundational advances in drug discovery, pharmacology and genetic engineering. Kuriyan is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a foreign member of the Royal Society, the independent scientific academy of the United Kingdom. MORE
| |
Attend ‘Reconcilable Differences: A Conversation About Religion and Science’ on June 30
Religion and science are often thought of as holding opposing worldviews, but what do religious leaders and scientists think about the dialogue between religion and science? Does it have to be a choice between religion or science, or is there common ground? Join Alyssa Hasty, Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics and associate dean for faculty in the School of Medicine Basic Sciences, for the next Lab-to-Table Conversation. The panel will discuss Christian, Islamic and Jewish perspectives about the dialogue between religion and science, how religion and science can impact each other positively, and how to stem implicit biases on both sides of the dialogue, among other topics. Register to watch virtually. MORE
| |
|