Division of Cardiovascular Medicine

Diversity and Inclusion

The mission of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine is to foster a collaborative and diverse environment that promotes professional growth and provides compassionate and equitable patient care. 

Our Goals: 

  • Build a collaborative team that reflects the diversity of the community and the patient populations that we serve.   
  • Promote diversity of thought and process in all areas of education, research and patient care. 
  • Provide educational content and resources to promote recognition and minimization of health care disparities. 
  • Recognize and award individuals and teams that promote changes that focus on equity and diversity within our division. 

Diversity Events: 
Cardiology Grand Rounds: Available through the VUMC Learning Exchange, Cardiology Grand Rounds 

  • Feb. 27, 2024: Khadijah Breathett, MD, MS, Associate Professor of Medicine, Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant, Indiana University: Reducing racial and gender disparities in cardiovascular disease
  • Jan. 12, 2024: Faculty-Fellow Book/Podcast Club: The Promise: History of public education and desegregation in Nashville
  • Nov. 8, 2023: Celestine Wanjalla, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, VUMC: HIV-specific immune responses and cardiovascular disease

Previous Diversity Events: 

  • Nov. 2, 2022: Dr. Rebecca Hahn: Women and Valve Disease 

  • Sept. 28, 2022: Dr. Modele Oguinniyi: Health Care Disparities in Heart Failure 

  • Spring 2022: Del Ray Zimmerman: LBGTQ Care in the Vanderbilt Community 

  • Jan. 14, 2022: Emmanuel Acho: Difficult Conversations with a Black Man 

  • Oct. 1, 2021: Francesca Duncan, MD: Responding to Racism, Discrimination and Microaggressions in Academic Medicine 

Vanderbilt DEI Resources

Internal resources for VUMC employees (Requires login)

Other Resources 

Diversity Liaisons

Lisa Mendes, MD

Professor of Medicine

Henry Okafor, MD

Associate Professor of Medicine