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
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