Through his research, Neil Osheroff, PhD, professor of biochemistry and medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (VUSM), has devoted himself to unraveling the complexities of the tiniest elements of DNA. Through his teaching, he has helped medical students across the globe thrive thanks to this innovative approach to basic science education.
Dr. Osheroff came to VUSM in 1983 and since then, he’s expanded his work to support students in acquiring the basic science skills and knowledge they need to thrive in clinical practice. Dr. Osheroff leads the Master Science Teachers (MST) cohort, a role established in 2007 to recognize VUSM’s outstanding basic science educators. When the school adopted Curriculum 2.0 in 2013, the MST took on new responsibilities, including reviewing all integrated science courses for third- and fourth-year students. Dr. Osheroff co-led efforts to create a highly innovative and integrated pre-clerkship curriculum and a new introductory basic science course.
Dr. Osheroff’s efforts have contributed to a revised curriculum that meets the needs of undergraduate medical students today and will remain relevant in the future. Jeffrey Balser, MD, PhD, president and CEO of Vanderbilt University Medical Center and dean of VUSM, says, “The success of VUSM’s core UME programs would not be possible without Dr. Osheroff.”
Dr. Osheroff has extended his reach in supporting faculty and developing curricula well beyond the campus of VUSM and has consulted with many schools nationally and internationally including the University of Michigan Medical School, Ben Gurion University of the Negev Medical School for International Health, and the University of California, Los Angeles, David Geffen School of Medicine. He serves as a member of an expert panel for the Centre for Medical Education (CenMED) at the National University of Singapore Yoon Loo Lin School of Medicine and has been a visiting professor at the University of Aarhus in Denmark and St. George’s University School of Medicine in Grenada.
As part of a USAID capacity-building grant, Dr. Osheroff was a member of a VUSM faculty team that assisted the University of Liberia School of Medicine in transforming its curriculum. He acted as a basic science advisor, presenting virtual workshops on curriculum integration and team teaching, traveling to Monrovia to coach faculty in person and helping develop team- and case-based learning blocks.
Over his notable 40-year career, Dr. Osheroff has earned numerous honors and accolades including the Elaine Sanders-Bush Excellence in Teaching Award from VUSM in 2002. He was one of the inaugural recipients of VUSM’s Denis O’Day Excellence in Teaching Award for his curricular work in 2016. Among other recognitions, Dr. Osheroff was elected as a fellow in 2018 to the American Association for the Advancement of Science for distinguished contributions to the fields of DNA topology and enzymology, anti-cancer and antibacterial drug mechanisms and teaching, leadership, and curricular innovation in medical education. Dr. Osheroff earned a BA, cum laude, in chemistry in 1974 from Hobart College and a PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology from Northwestern University in 1979.