Mary Zutter, MD

Mary Zutter, MD is professor emerita of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and a nationally respected physician-scientist whose work has been foundational to the growth of personalized and precision medicine at Vanderbilt. She is recognized for her leadership in hematopathology, integrative diagnostics, translational research, and multidisciplinary collaboration in clinical care and laboratory science. Dr. Zutter graduated from the Tulane University School of Medicine in 1981 and completed residency and fellowship training in anatomic and clinical pathology at the University of Washington and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. After 15 years on the faculty at Washington University in St. Louis, where she established a hematopathology subspecialty diagnostic service and a basic research program, she joined Vanderbilt’s faculty in 2003 as Director of Hematopathology and Research Scientist.

In 2011, Dr. Zutter was named the Louise B. McGavock Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology and served as Vanderbilt’s Assistant Vice Chancellor for Integrative Diagnostics, where she led efforts to enhance diagnostic testing and the integration of emerging biomedical technologies into clinical practice. Her leadership was instrumental in developing innovative precision medicine initiatives including Vanderbilt’s Hematologic Malignancy Diagnostic Management Team, an evidence-based decision support system that operationalizes real-time collaboration between oncologists and pathologists to optimize diagnostic accuracy, timeliness, and clinical value.

As a scientist, Dr. Zutter focused on the molecular mechanisms of cell-matrix interactions and their influence on cancer progression and metastasis, with continuous National Institutes of Health funding for more than three decades. Her research and clinical efforts advanced understanding of tumor biology, improved diagnostic strategies, and supported the integration of advanced molecular testing into patient care. She has published numerous peer-reviewed studies and book chapters, and she taught and mentored residents, fellows and graduate students throughout her career.

In recognition of her distinguished record of scholarship, mentorship, and service to clinical and translational pathology, Dr. Zutter was honored with the title Professor Emerita of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.