Professional Bio
Melinda Aldrich, PhD, MPH, is an Associate Professor in the Division of Genetic Medicine within the Department of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Her research has two central area of focus: 1) understanding genetic and non-genetic mechanisms driving disparities in lung cancer risk and survival and 2) addressing inequities in lung cancer screening, particularly for African Americans and rural populations.
Dr. Aldrich's lab collaborates with large-scale population-based cohorts such as the Southern Community Cohort Study, the Multiethnic Cohort, the Black Women's Health Study, biobanks linked to electronic health records, such as the Vanderbilt DNA biobank, BioVU, as well as international consortia such as the International Lung Cancer Consortium and LC3. The Aldrich Lab is also collaborating with national colleagues to investigate the genetics of immunotherapy treatment among lung cancer patients. Additional ongoing work includes investigating the population genetics of African Americans.
Dr. Aldrich leads community-engaged dissemination strategies to build awareness around the importance of early detection of lung cancer. Her research has been used in key guidelines for lung cancer screening from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
Relevant Links
Publications
Education
MPH - University of California, Berkeley, 2003
PhD - Epidemiology - University of California, Berkeley, 2007
Fellowship - Genetic Epidemiology - University of California, Berkeley, 2010
Contact
Email
Kimryn.Rathmell@Vumc.Org
Address
777 Preston Research Building
2220 Pierce Ave
Nashville, TN 37232-6307