Skip to main content
Vanderbilt Background Photo

‘Medicine Health and Society’

Outside the Lines: An Immersive Experience in Art + Medicine with Leo Huang, BA’24

Sep. 28, 2023—    When Liyu “Leo” Huang, BA’24, attended the Fall Research Match event during his freshmen year at Vanderbilt, he never imagined it would lead him to three years of immersive, hands-on research combining his two passions: medicine and the creative arts. A Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholar majoring in architecture and the built environment; neuroscience; and...

Read more


inter+SECTIONS: LGBTQ Health + Public Policy with Gilbert Gonzales

Jun. 15, 2023—Gilbert Gonzales, assistant professor of medicine, health, and society, works at the intersection of LGBTQ health and public policy. A subject area where there once was limited data, Gonzales and colleagues have worked to bolster the research available to help inform both the public and the decision makers who form policies that affect health outcomes...

Read more


inter+SECTIONS: disability + built environment with Aimi Hamraie

Feb. 24, 2023—Aimi Hamraie, associate professor of medicine, health, and society, discusses opportunities to make urban environments more equitable and accessible for disabled individuals. Hamraie, whose work focuses on disability and the built environment, offers solutions for a more accessible future for all.

Read more


First-ever longitudinal study on LGBTQ+ aging is window into seldom-studied community

Jun. 20, 2022—NASHVILLE, Tenn.—A four-year longitudinal study of older LGBTQ+ people in the South is being conducted to better identify the sources of stress and resilience for this infrequently studied population. Led by Tara McKay, assistant professor of medicine, health, and society, and her team, the Vanderbilt University Social Networks, Aging, and Policy Study (VUSNAPS) is providing...

Read more


Department of Medicine, Health, and Society expands collaborative potential with new hires

Apr. 20, 2021—In 2007, Vanderbilt’s College of Arts and Science launched an innovative new major called Medicine, Health, and Society (MHS). From attracting just 40 enrollees in its first year, the interdisciplinary program has grown rapidly into one of A&S’s most popular majors. More than 700 undergraduate students are now studying toward an MHS degree, and MHS...

Read more


Vanderbilt Debate overcomes COVID-19 challenges to break new ground in civic engagement

Jan. 22, 2021—One year ago, Sahil “Sael” Soni ’21, a chemistry and economics double major, had just returned from a blue-ribbon performance in Vanderbilt Debate’s first-ever international competition. He was looking forward to finishing the 2019-2020 season on a high note, as were his teammates. For the last 30 years, Vanderbilt Debate has been a national leader,...

Read more


Persistence in a pandemic: College of Arts and Science students complete summer internships with innovative businesses

Oct. 23, 2020—Though the COVID-19 pandemic scuttled many students’ original summer 2020 plans, College of Arts and Science students adapted quickly. Through technology, creativity, and determination, they found ways to expand their horizons and continue preparing for life after Vanderbilt. Students Emery Little, Lucas Ludgate, Brooke Ellis, and Jaime Perez all used their summers to complete internships...

Read more


Faculty Research Uncovers Community Insights to Help Fight COVID-19

Jun. 4, 2020—Amidst all the uncertainty caused by COVID-19, one constant has held: researchers across the College of Arts and Science have dedicated their efforts to understanding the virus, how to control it, and how it impacts our communities. Jennifer Trueblood, associate professor of psychology, and Tara McKay, assistant professor of medicine, health, and society, are part...

Read more


Dr. Jonathan Metzl Wins Award for Career Contributions to Psychiatry

May. 28, 2020—  Dr. Jonathan Metzl, the Frederick B. Rentschler II Professor of Sociology and director of the Department of Medicine, Health, and Society (MHS), has been named the recipient of the 2020 American Psychiatric Association’s Benjamin Rush Award. The award recognizes an individual who has made significant contributions to the literature on the history of psychiatry....

Read more


A Bus Ride to Smile About: Dara Johnson, BA’20

May. 20, 2020—Dara Johnson insists she wants to spend time after graduation on a bus—a mobile dental clinic, to be exact. The Montgomery, Alabama, native is well-versed in the power of buses for social change. From Rosa Parks to the Freedom Riders, buses have been a potent symbol of change in Johnson’s hometown, and she’s working to...

Read more