Professional Bio
Leslie Meenderink, MD, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases within the Department of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
She earned her BS in molecular biophysics and biochemistry from Yale University; her undergraduate research in the lab of Dr. Paul Forscher looked at cytoskeleton dynamics in neuronal growth cones. She completed her MD and PhD at Vanderbilt University. Her PhD work in the lab of Dr. Steve Hanks focused on the role of p130Cas signaling in focal adhesion dynamics and cellular motility. She remained at Vanderbilt to complete internal medicine residency, infectious disease fellowship, and post-doctoral research. She completed her post-doctoral studies with Dr. Matthew Tyska using live cell imaging to understand the mechanisms underlying assembly of the intestinal brush border. She joined the VUMC faculty in 2020.
Dr. Meenderink studies how the intestinal epithelium establishes and maintains a barrier against intestinal microbes. Using a combination of human tissue samples, mouse models, and cell culture in combination with advanced light and electron microscopy techniques, she seeks to understand how the intestinal epithelium maintains balance with commensal bacteria and defends against pathogenic microbes.
Relevant Links
Education
PhD - Cell and Developmental Biology - Vanderbilt University, 2010
MD - Vanderbilt University, 2012
Internship - Internal Medicine - Vanderbilt University, 2013
Residency - Internal Medicine - Vanderbilt University, 2015
Fellowship - Infectious Diseases - Vanderbilt University, 2019
Contact
Email
Kimryn.Rathmell@Vumc.Org
Address
777 Preston Research Building
2220 Pierce Ave
Nashville, TN 37232-6307