New Faculty in the Department of Medicine

Matt grew up in Kernersville, North Carolina and attended Duke University for his undergraduate studies.  He completed the MSTP program at the University of Virginia.  His thesis work focused on the role of inflammation in atherosclerotic plaque development, in particular the role of interleukin-1 in atherosclerotic plaque stability and in smooth muscle cell phenotypic switching.  Matt has completed his Internal Medicine training at Vanderbilt and is currently a fellow in Cardiovascular Medicine, with a long-term goal of improving our understanding of the role of inflammation in vascular disease development as a physician-scientist.

Sam grew up in Des Moines, Iowa, along with his three siblings. He attended the University of Iowa where he majored in evolutionary biology and studied population genetics. While at Iowa, he ran varsity cross-country and track for the Hawkeyes. He went on to attend medical school at Iowa where he developed an interest in nephrology and infectious diseases. He plans to pursue a career in nephrology and work at an academic center. Sam was lucky to find a group of friends that he continues to run with despite multiple running injuries. In his spare time, he also enjoys swimming, disc golfing, backpacking, and playing classical piano. While Iowa provided a great environment for growing up, he is excited to join the Vanderbilt team, meet his fellow interns, and experience the vibrant city of Nashville. He is also hoping that winter running won’t be as miserable further south. Member of AOA.

Laura attended medical school at Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, Indiana. She completed her residency in internal medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where she served as a co-chair of the Residency Health & Wellness Committee. She is thrilled to stay on at Vanderbilt as a hospitalist.

Jeeyeon was born in S. Korea and spent her early years in Chicago, IL and Morgantown, WV. When her parents and younger brother John moved back to Korea, she decided to stay with her aunt and uncle in Fort Thomas, KY for high school. She attended the University of Cincinnati (UC) with a major in Biomedical Engineering through the Connections-E (BS/MD) Dual Admissions Program and developed an interest for basic research as a lab aide in the Wylie-Heasman lab at Cincinnati Children’s. Following graduation, she joined the UC MSTP and earned her PhD in Developmental Biology and Reproductive Sciences under the mentorship of S. K. Dey at Cincinnati Children’s. Jeeyeon is very excited to continue her medical and research training at Vanderbilt as a Harrison Society Scholar and live in Nashville. In her spare time, Jeeyeon enjoys running, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.

Christopher was born and raised in the Washington, DC area and went to Middlebury College in Vermont for undergrad. He learned Spanish at a young age at home, and studied Arabic later on in college. He enjoys traveling when he can, and spent an exciting summer in Yemen a few years ago. Before medical school, he spent time as a college counselor at a boarding school outside of Amman, Jordan. Christopher went to medical school at Boston University, where he worked with and learned from a diverse and underserved patient population. He and his partner, Laura, were both thrilled to match at Vanderbilt for internal medicine (and OB/GYN for Laura). Before moving to Nashville they travelled together to Japan, Cambodia and Malaysia. They are both excited to get to know Nashville and the Vanderbilt community! Member of AOA

The oldest of three children, Blake was born and raised in small-town Iowa. After high school, Blake attended a liberal arts college in Decorah, a northern Iowa town known for its bluffs and beautiful scenery. Here she cultivated her love of travel,  mountain biking and trail running, as well as graduating with a biology degree. After college, Blake attended the University of Iowa for medicial school and developed a love for internal medicine and global health. She continues to enjoy spending time outdoors, hike, trail running and climbing, and has enjoyed residing in a different state and city, especially one with such wonderful music, food and outdoor activities.

Curtis completed his MD and PhD as part of the Vanderbilt University Medical Scientist Training Program. During graduate school, he worked with Amy S. Major to study the pathogenesis of fatty liver disease and diabetes in a mouse model of systemic lupus erythematosus. After medical school, he stayed at Vanderbilt for his internal medicine residency and gastroenterology fellowship in the Harrison Society. His current research focuses on the mechanisms that give rise to fatty liver disease and cirrhosis in people living with HIV.

Michelle was born in Los Angeles, California, but she grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, where her family moved when she was three. She attended Emory University for her undergraduate studies where she received a double major in biology and chemistry. She went on to study medicine at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine where she developed a passion for gastroenterology and mental health advocacy. In addition to medicine, she is deeply devoted to creative writing and wrote her first novel when she was eleven. She has published four novels and has been working on her fifth novel since her first year of medical school. She won first place in the 2016 Gold-Hope Tang Humanism in Medicine essay contest, and her medical creative writing is forthcoming in Annals of Internal Medicine and has been published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, the Journal of General Internal Medicine, Academic Medicine, and Intima: A Journal of Narrative Medicine.

Nick was raised in Indianapolis, IN and received his undergraduate degree in Biology at Colby College in Waterville, ME.  After an internship with the National Human Genome Research Institute at the NIH, Nick began the Medical Scientist Training Program at Vanderbilt in 2005.  Nick received his PhD while working with the Reynolds lab in the Cancer Biology Department.  His project opened new insight into molecular signaling via cellular adhesion proteins during development and tumorigenesis.   Nick hopes to enter a career in academic medicine with a focus on gastrointestinal biology research.

Rob was born and raised in the city of Olathe, a suburb of Kansas City, before attending The University of Kansas in Lawrence. While an undergraduate, he earned degrees in neurobiology and philosophy despite an unhealthy obsession with Jayhawk basketball. Rob graduated with Highest Distinction from the University of Kansas, and was awarded the Warner Morse prize in metaphysics and epistemology. After graduation, Rob married his high school sweetheart, Rebecca, before starting medical school. They now share the responsibility of raising two obnoxious cats, and lament their not-so-gradual transformation into crazy cat people. Rob also enjoys reading modern and contemporary fiction, listening to music, and running. While in medical school, Rob spent time promoting the health of Kansas City refugees and working at a local student-run clinic. Rob is looking forward to the opportunity to explore Nashville and all that it has to offer, and he is very excited to be joining the team at Vanderbilt in the summer. Member of AOA

David was raised in Plano, Texas.  He completed his undergraduate studies at Trinity University San Antonio, Texas and earned his MD/PhD from the University of Texas Southwestern.  David’s dissertation research was performed in the laboratory of Eric Olson and focused on the characterization of novel genes involved in cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis.  He plans to pursue a career in cardiology and basic science and his research interests include the discovery of novel genes involved in adult cardiac disease.

Rachael grew up on Tim’s Ford Lake in Winchester, TN.  She attended Washington and Lee University in Lexington, VA and completed her BS in Biology.  During this time, she studied abroad at St. Andrews University in Scotland and spent a summer in Thailand working in various hospitals through the Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty organization (and eating way too much delicious food).  She returned to Tennessee to complete medical school in Memphis, Tennessee where she developed a love for the Grizzlies, Memphis barbecue, and the field of geriatrics while working at the Memphis VA hospital.  She moved back closer to home for residency and has developed some of the most meaningful relationships of her life with her medicine co-residents at Vanderbilt—a self-proclaimed “fan-girl” of VUMC IM.  Outside of the hospital, Rachael enjoys running, eating out at Nashville’s plethora of fantastic restaurants, seeing the occasional magic show, and (most recently) working her way through recipes in Bon Appetit magazine.  She is excited to serve the program she loves as VA Outpatient Chief for the 2020-2021 year.

Pierce grew up in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, a town known for its shark attacks and beautiful scenery. In 2008, he graduated from Davidson College in 2008 with a major in English. From 2008-2013, Pierce worked for the Pan American Health Organization, the regional office of the WHO, in vaccine-preventable diseases. He then attended Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, where he was involved with Choosing Wisely and Shade Tree Clinic. During internal medicine residency at Vanderbilt, Pierce has participated in high value care initiatives and care for the underserved. Outside of medicine, Pierce's interests include coffee shops, good books, gin and tonics, pick-up basketball, and spending time with friends and family. He lives in East Nashville with his wife, Frances, and their dog, Mr. Houston.

Jordan Wright is the 3^rd of six children, born in San Antonio, TX, but later lived in Germany and eventually settled in Utah, where his father practices radiology. He majored in Biology at the University of Utah, after which he received his MD/PhD from University of Michigan, with a specific research interest in Type 1 Diabetes. While at Michigan, he and his wife Pamela had two children: Jayda, born in 2011, and Houston, born in 2014. Most of Jordan’s non-hospital time is spent with his wife and children. He also enjoys most sports, especially golf, basketball, and volleyball.