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Our Mission: To train the next generation of scientists and physicians and make fundamental discoveries in the areas of infection biology, immunology, and inflammation with the goal of increasing knowledge and improving human health.
Philip Makedon, DO, MEd, MLS(ASCP)CM
Philip
Makedon
DO, MEd, MLS(ASCP)CM
Hometown: Homewood, IL
Undergraduate: Arellano University
Graduate: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Medical School: University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine
Sub-Specialty Interest: Transfusion medicine and hematopathology
Why did you choose VUMC Pathology: It's easy to create a giant spreadsheet comparing programs based on objective factors. I definitely did that. Vanderbilt checked all the boxes I was looking for: an NCI-designated cancer center, a renowned children's hospital, excellent CP training with the Diagnostic Management Team (DMT), and a centralized medical campus complemented by the new PMI core laboratory with state-of-the-art facilities. On top of that, Nashville offered an exciting city with plenty to do, all set in the beautiful state of Tennessee. But what ultimately made Vanderbilt my top choice was the people. Everyone I met on interview day was welcoming, kind, and genuinely supportive, and I knew it was a place where I would receive excellent training while feeling at home.
Fun fact about yourself: I have been kitesurfing since 2011, first learning in the Philippines and have kitesurfed in Florida, California, and Greece. I enjoy golf (handicap 14, but gets higher every round), hiking (recently Big Bend Nat'l Park), Muay Thai, snowboarding, walking with my dog, and relaxing with my cat and fiancée. Lastly, I’m a big Chicago Bears fan - Go Bears!
Spotlight: Yash Pershad & Alexander Bick, MD, PhD
Yash Pershad is an MD–PhD student in the Human Genetics Graduate Program at Vanderbilt University and a trainee in the laboratory of Alexander G. Bick, MD, PhD. His research focuses on understanding how inherited genetic variation shapes the development of clonal hematopoiesis, a condition in which blood stem cells acquire mutations that allow certain clones to expand over time. In the study “Inherited resilience to clonal hematopoiesis by modifying stem cell RNA regulation,” Pershad contributed to research examining how germline genetic factors can influence stem cell RNA regulation and protect against the expansion of mutated blood cell clones. By integrating population genetics with single-cell transcriptomic approaches, his work helps uncover how inherited variation can modulate disease risk and resilience in aging blood systems.
Alexander Bick, MD, PhD, is Director of the Division of Genetic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology in the Department of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and a physician-scientist whose research focuses on the genetic basis of human disease. His laboratory studies clonal hematopoiesis, a condition that becomes increasingly common with age and is associated with elevated risk for blood cancers and cardiovascular disease. In the study “Inherited resilience to clonal hematopoiesis by modifying stem cell RNA regulation,” Dr. Bick and collaborators investigated how inherited genetic variants can alter stem cell RNA regulatory pathways to reduce the likelihood that mutated blood cell clones expand. By combining human genomics, population genetics, and functional studies, his work aims to identify the biological mechanisms that drive clonal hematopoiesis and to inform strategies for preventing or treating age-associated diseases linked to this condition.
Spotlight: Monica E. Brown
Monica E. Brown is a Ph.D. candidate in the Cell and Developmental Biology Graduate Program at Vanderbilt University and a trainee in the laboratory of Ken S. Lau, Ph.D. Her research focuses on understanding cellular plasticity and the mechanisms that drive cell-state transitions within the intestinal epithelium, with particular interest in how developmental programs shape specialized cell populations. In the study “Pancreatic islet β-cell subtypes are derived from biochemically-distinct and nutritionally-regulated islet progenitors,” Brown contributed to research examining how distinct islet progenitor populations give rise to functionally different β-cell subtypes and how those differences are influenced by maternal nutrition. By integrating in vivo models with single-cell and epigenetic approaches, her work helps uncover the regulatory logic that governs endocrine cell differentiation, function, and disease susceptibility.
Spotlight: Audrey Thomas, PhD
Audrey Thomas is a Microbiology and Immunology Postdoctoral Fellow in the laboratory of D. Borden Lacy, PhD, at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Her research focuses on developing mucosal vaccines and therapeutics against Clostridioides difficile, with a broader interest in understanding T cell-mediated mucosal immunity and advancing vaccine strategies for difficult-to-target pathogens. In the study “Mucosal vaccination clears Clostridioides difficile colonization,” Thomas contributed to research exploring how targeted mucosal immune responses can eliminate persistent colonization by C. difficile. Her work integrates immunology, vaccine development, and structural biology approaches, including spectral flow cytometry and cryo-electron microscopy techniques, to better understand host-pathogen interactions and improve next-generation vaccine design.
Alfredo Torres, PhD
Alfredo
Torres
PhD
The major interest of my laboratory includes the characterization of the pathogenic mechanisms of B. mallei and B. pseudomallei with the goal of producing suitable vaccines and therapeutics. My laboratory is also interested in the elucidation of the mechanisms used by pathogenic E. coli to adhere to and colonize the intestinal epithelia and characterize regulatory networks controlling their expression.
Bacterial pathogenesis, vaccines, virulence factors, bacterial regulation
Asheley Chapman, PhD
Asheley
Chapman
PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
Lab Website
asheley.chapman@vanderbilt.edu
Spotlight: Katy Bunn, PhD & Heather Pua, MD, PhD
Katy Bunn, PhD, was a graduate student in the Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology in the Pua Lab at Vanderbilt University Medical Center at the time of this work. Her research focused on understanding how T helper 2 (Th2) cell–derived extracellular vesicles regulate allergic inflammation. Specifically, her work examined how cytokine cargo on the surface of extracellular vesicles, including IL-3, promotes eosinophil survival in both in vitro systems and in vivo mouse models of asthma. Through this research, Dr. Bunn contributed to uncovering new mechanisms of immune cell communication that may help explain persistent inflammation in patients whose asthma is not fully controlled by existing therapies.
Heather Pua, MD, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology whose laboratory studies how extracellular vesicles and extracellular RNAs regulate chronic tissue inflammation. Her research focuses on diseases with long-term impact and limited treatment options, such as asthma. By combining mechanistic studies of immune cell–derived extracellular vesicles with translational disease models, Dr. Pua’s work aims to identify alternative inflammatory pathways that may contribute to disease persistence and therapeutic resistance. Her lab’s findings seek to expand current treatment paradigms and improve outcomes for patients with chronic inflammatory diseases.
Spotlight: Sarah Worthan, PhD & Megan Behringer, PhD
Hi. My name is Sarah Worthan and I'm a postdoc in Megan Beringer's lab in the Department of Biological Sciences.
Matthew Stier, MD, PhD
Matthew
Stier, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Division of Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
Medical Center North
1161 21st Ave S
Room / Suite
T1218
Nashville
37232
matthew.stier@vumc.org
Research Summary:
The Stier lab focuses on defining mechanisms of immune dysfunction in human critical illness, including sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Using primary biospecimens from ICU patients, the lab integrates high-dimensional cytometry, perturbation studies, metabolic flux analysis, and single-cell transcriptomics to understand how immune cells fail or adapt during severe illness. A central theme is the dynamic nature of immune responses in critical illness, with particular attention to how metabolic stress shapes adaptive versus maladaptive trajectories as patients progress toward recovery, persistent organ failure, or death. In parallel, the lab pursues methods development to expand the scope of mechanistic investigation that can be performed directly in humans. The overarching goal is to leverage these mechanistic insights to identify and prioritize therapeutic targets with the intent of restoring effective immunity in ICU patients.