Rachel Alexander, DO

Fall 2026

I was raised in Holland, Michigan, and studied Nursing with a minor in Biochemistry at Calvin University before earning my medical degree at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. I completed my pediatric residency at Advocate Children's Hospital in Oak Lawn, IL, where I developed a passion for evidence-based antibiotic use and became drawn to the complexity and impact of infectious diseases. I am currently a pediatric infectious disease fellow at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where I continue to develop my skills in clinical care and antimicrobial stewardship. I'm particularly interested in the intersection of clinical informatics and antimicrobial stewardship. I'm drawn to how tools like clinical decision support alerts, EHR-integrated dosing and duration guidance, and automated data dashboards can help stewardship teams flag inappropriate antibiotic use in real time, track prescribing patterns across a hospital system, and identify targets for intervention.