Skip to main content
Home
Toggle menu

Give Now

  • For Patients
  • School Of Medicine
  • About
    • Leadership
    • Department Directory
    • News
    • Events
    • Annual Report
    • Nashville
  • Divisions
    • Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
    • Cardiovascular Medicine
    • Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism
    • Epidemiology
    • Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
    • General Internal Medicine and Public Health
    • Genetic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology
    • Geriatric Medicine
    • Hematology and Oncology
    • Infectious Diseases
    • Nephrology and Hypertension
    • Rheumatology and Immunology
  • Education
    • Overview
    • Internal Medicine Residency Program
    • Physician-Scientist Training Program
    • Internal Medicine-Pediatrics Residency Program
    • Fellowship Programs
    • EXCellence In TEaching Pathway
    • Physician-Scientist Doctoral Program
    • Medical Students
    • Alumni
    • Medicine Grand Rounds
  • Research
    • Overview
    • Clinical Trials
    • Publications
    • Research Centers and Labs
  • Faculty
    • Open Faculty Positions
    • Professional Development
  • Clinical Initiatives
    • Digital Health
    • Physician Builder Program

User Detail

Robert Coffey, Jr, MD

Professor of Medicine

Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition

Ingram Professor of Cancer Research

Robert Coffey, Jr
Professional Bio
Bob Coffey, MD, Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, is a physician-scientist whose work extends from basic cell biology to clinical investigation. He is also Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology at Vanderbilt. The focus of research in his lab is the study of the role of the EGF receptor (EGFR) and its ligands in GI neoplasia with a special emphasis on colorectal cancer. The lab has discovered a new mode of EGFR ligand signaling via exosomes and that the EGFR negative regulator, Lrig1, marks colonic stem cells and is a tumor suppressor in vivo. Dr. Coffey directed the GI Cancer Program within the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC) for over 20 years before stepping down in 2013 to focus on the VICC GI SPORE and the Vanderbilt Epithelial Biology Center, which he co-directs. He is PI of the VICC GI Special Programs of Research Excellence (SPORE), which focuses on colorectal cancer and has been funded since 2002. With training in medical oncology and gastroenterology, he has a unique perspective on the basic biology and translational opportunities in colorectal cancer. Dr. Coffey is a member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation, American Association of Physicians, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, as well as a recipient of an NCI Outstanding Investigator Award. He has trained and mentored over 35 individuals during his more than three decades at Vanderbilt and is presently mentoring three graduate students and one post-doctoral fellow. Three recent post-doctoral fellows are now independent investigators. Dr. Coffey is committed to nurturing a lab environment that values rigor, honesty, inclusivity and mutual respect. He strives to share with trainees the excitement of discovery and provide them with the experiences needed to transition to careers within the biomedical research enterprise.
Relevant Links
Epithelial Biology Center VICC Profile
Publications
View Publications

Education

MD - Georgetown University, 1976

Internship - Medicine - Emory University, 1977

Residency - Medicine - Emory University, 1979

Fellowship - Medical Oncology - Georgetown University, 1981

Fellowship - Gastroenterology - Mayo Clinic, 1984

Fellowship - Mayo Clinic Scholar - Mayo Clinic, 1985

Contact

Email 
Kimryn.Rathmell@Vumc.Org 
Address 
777 Preston Research Building 
2220 Pierce Ave 
Nashville, TN 37232-6307

Submitted by admin on Thu, 06/01/2023 - 04:28

1161 21st Ave S
Nashville, TN 37232

(615) 322-5000

Quick Links

  • Home
  • About
  • Divisions
  • Education
  • Research
  • Faculty
  • Intranet

Support Our Work

Start a fundraiser or donate to the Department of Medicine.

Give Now

Vanderbilt Health is committed to fostering an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and is committed to the principles of equal opportunity. EOE/Vets/Disabled.

Copyright © Vanderbilt University Medical Center

sfy39587stp18