Division of Epidemiology
Diversity and Inclusion
The Division of Epidemiology has a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion through our hiring, training, and mentoring. We are also committed to reducing health disparities through our research. The division is committed to fostering best practices to implement and sustain diversity, inclusivity, and civility. Dr. Loren Lipworth, ScD, is the Diversity Liaison for the Division. You may reach out to her confidentially to discuss questions or concerns regarding any related issues.
Recent Division Activities
- Division Faculty Microaggression Training – 2/28/2023 with Walter K. Claire, MD, Vice Chair for Diversity and Inclusion; Kristy J. Sinkfield, MEd, Associate Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion
- Epidemiology division-wide training in Unconscious Bias with Arie L. Nettles, PhD, NCSP, HSP, Prof. of Clinical Pediatrics; Director VUMC Office of Inclusion and Health Equity (OIHE)
- Health Equity Seminar Series co-sponsored by Division of Epidemiology and Department of Biomedical Informatics, a year-long interdisciplinary seminar series broadly focused on health disparities, including but not limited to racial/ethnic, gender, socioeconomic, geographic (urban/rural) disparities, with the goal of learning and improving methodologies, informatics, and other tools to advance health equity. Presenters and presentations included:
- Peter F. Rebeiro, PhD, MHS, Assistant Professor, Departments of Biostatistics and Medicine; Director of Graduate Studies, Epidemiology, VUMC: “Health Equity Research: What the Social-Ecologic Model for HIV Can Teach Us,” 5/25/2021
- Jan Marie Eberth, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics; Director, Rural and Minority Health Research Center; Core Faculty, Cancer Prevention and Control Program, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina: “Rural Places, People, and Their Health: Data and Tools to Advance Health Equity,” 4/27/2021
- Ben Ho Park, MD, PhD, Cornelius Abernathy Craig Chair in Medicine Director, Division of Heme/Onc, Professor of Medicine, Co-Leader Breast Cancer Research Program, Associate Director for Translational Research, Director of Precision Oncology Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center: “Male Breast Cancer; Y Don't We Know?” 3/23/2021
- Lucy B. Spalluto, MD, MPH, Associate Professor, Vice Chair of Health Equity, Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, VUMC: “Community-Centered Approaches to Addressing Breast Cancer Disparities,” 2/9/2021
- Suzanne Bakken, PhD, RN, FAAN, FACMI, FIAHSI, Alumni Professor of Nursing and Professor of Biomedical Informatics Director, Precision in Symptom Self-Management Center, Director, Reducing Health Disparities Through Informatics Training Program, Columbia University; Editor-in-Chief, Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association: “Advancing Health Equity through Informatics Research, Training, and Publishing,” 1/20/2021
- Bertha Hidalgo, PhD, MPH, Associate Professor, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, “Genomics of Cardiometabolic Diseases in Mexican Americans,” 12/8/2020
- Ebele Umeukeje, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Diversity Liaison, Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, VUMC, “Delving Below the Tip of the Iceberg to Promote Health Equity in Kidney Disease,” 11/10/2020
- Tara McKay, PhD, Assistant Professor, Center for Medicine, Health and Society, Vanderbilt University, “COVID and LGBT Health in the US and Beyond” 10/27/2020
- Jonathan Metzl, MD, PhD, Director, Center for Medicine, Health and Society, Frederick B. Rentschler II Professor of Sociology & Medicine, Health and Society, Professor of Psychiatry, Professor of Health Policy, VUMC and Vanderbilt University; Melinda Aldrich, PhD, MPH, Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Genetic Medicine, Associate Professor of Thoracic Surgery, Associate Professor of Biomedical Informatics, VUMC, “Dying of whiteness: the 2020 election and the politics of racial resentment. Lung cancer screening: will it widen disparities?” 10/13/2020
- Yacob Tedla, PhD - Research Assistant Professor, Center for Health Information Partnership, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, “Five Years of Research: Arterial Stiffness, BP Management Guidelines, and Racial Disparities in Anticoagulation,” 6/23/2020
- Consuelo Wilkins, MD, MSCI, Vice President for Health Equity, VUMC; Elisa Friedman, MS, Assistant Vice President for Community & Population Health Improvement, Office of Health Equity, VUMC, “A Systems Approach to Health Equity in COVID-19” 6/2/2020
Vanderbilt DEI Resources:
