Lourdes Estrada, PhD

Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Dr. Estrada earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Puerto Rico–Río Piedras and was a MARC Scholar. She received her PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor and completed postdoctoral training there in pediatric genetics.

In 2004, Dr. Estrada joined Vanderbilt University’s Department of Cancer Biology as Scientific and Education Officer for a multidisciplinary team within the NCI-funded Center for Cancer Systems Biology. As a medical school educator, she was a key architect of Vanderbilt School of Medicine’s Curriculum 2.0 (C2.0), launched in 2013, and served for 10 years as Co-Director of the Immersion Phase, which encompasses the third- and fourth-year post-clerkship curriculum.

In 2016, Dr. Estrada joined the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) as Associate Director of Academic Programming and Operations. In this role, she oversees MSTP operations and leads student training, curriculum development and continuous improvement, scholarship, training grant activities, and alumni relations.

In recognition of her leadership in curriculum design, Dr. Estrada was inducted into the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Academy for Excellence in Education in 2017 and was elected Director for the 2022–2024 term. In 2023, she was appointed the inaugural Assistant Dean Community Health Education at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.