Michael Rodriguez (1951-2004)

Dr. Rodriguez, a native of Kingsville, Texas, is remembered for being a gifted educator who was highly regarded by his colleagues. He was a pulmonologist who completed his medical training at Vanderbilt as an intern, resident and postdoctoral fellow. After a period in private practice, he returned to the Vanderbilt faculty, where he served until his death in 2004.

He was director of Minority Affairs from 1998-2002. Dr. Rodriguez served as course director of the second-year student Physical Diagnosis course, was a member of the admissions committee, and the academic programs committee. He was the recipient of numerous VUSM teaching awards throughout his career and held a patent for an invention, a pleural catheter.

Dr. Rodriguez had a special combination of enthusiasm, knowledge, patience and sensitivity that made him a role model and one of the school’s most admired educators. A faculty award for “teaching medical students, residents and/or fellows in the clinical setting” is named in his honor.