Heather Cole, M.D.
Heather Cole, MD, joined VUMC Radiology faculty as an Assistant Professor in 2024. She specializes in Nuclear Medicine and Image Guided Procedures.
Currently, Dr. Cole serves as the Associate Program Director for the Nuclear Medicine Residency and Fellowship Programs and the Nuclear Medicine Education Director for the Diagnostic Radiology Residency Program. She is the Director of the FCC Radiology elective course through Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Dr. Cole is also a member of Vanderbilt Radiology's Health Equity initiative. After previously serving as the program's resident liaison, she was named an Associate Director of the group in 2024.
Dr. Cole received her undergraduate degree from Colorado Sate University and went to medical school at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. She completed her residency here at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. During her residency, Dr. Cole was conference chief (2023-2024), received the "Radiology Resident of the Year" award (2023-2024), as well as the "Radiology Resident Teacher of the Year" award (2022). As a trainee, she helped start an ultrasound clinic within Shade Tree Clinic, Vanderbilt's student-run free healthcare clinic for uninsured patients.
PUBLICATIONS:
Women in leadership matters: Achieving diversity in radiology residency recruitment. Cole HA, Grimm LJ, Omofoye TS, Cooke EA, Heitkamp DE, Mills MK, Wang M, Maxfield CM, Chapman T.Clin Imaging. 2024 Jul;111:110144. doi: 10.1016/j.clinimag.2024.110144. Epub 2024 Apr 12.PMID: 38749319
Author Response to "Effect of current (virtual) vs future (salary) economics on the residency Match". Cooke EA, Huang J, Cole HA, Brenner E, Zhang A, Germaine P, Catanzano T.Acad Radiol. 2023 Sep;30(9):2096. doi: 10.1016/j.acra.2023.06.006. Epub 2023 Jul 8.PMID: 37429781 No abstract available.
Virtual Interviewing for Radiology Residency: Pluses, Minuses, and A Review of the Literature. Cooke EA, Huang J, Cole HA, Brenner E, Zhang A, Germaine P, Catanzano T.Acad Radiol. 2023 Apr;30(4):603-616. doi: 10.1016/j.acra.2022.11.036. Epub 2022 Dec 19.PMID: 36543685 Review.
Factors Associated With Radioactive Iodine Therapy-Acquired Nasolacrimal Duct Obstruction. Lee IT, Chen W, Chen Q, Cole HA, Bischoff LA, Jessop AC, Sobel RK.Endocr Pract. 2022 Dec;28(12):1210-1215. doi: 10.1016/j.eprac.2022.08.006. Epub 2022 Aug 13.PMID: 35970353
The Deleterious Effects of Impaired Fibrinolysis on Skeletal Development Are Dependent on Fibrin(ogen), but Independent of Interlukin-6. Cole HA, Moore-Lotridge SN, Hawley GD, Jacobson R, Yuasa M, Gewin L, Nyman JS, Flick MJ, Schoenecker JG.Front Cardiovasc Med. 2021 Dec 6;8:768338. doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2021.768338. eCollection 2021.PMID: 34938785
Multifocal mycotic aneurysms detected by 18F-FDG PET/CT in fever of unknown origin. Muneeb A, Cole HA, Sandler MP, Scherer PM.IDCases. 2021 Apr 1;24:e01099. doi: 10.1016/j.idcr.2021.e01099. eCollection 2021.PMID: 33912388
Severe injury-induced osteoporosis and skeletal muscle mineralization: Are these related complications? Moore-Lotridge SN, Ihejirika R, Gibson BHY, Posey SL, Mignemi NA, Cole HA, Hawley GD, Uppuganti S, Nyman JS, Schoenecker JG.Bone Rep. 2020 Dec 26;14:100743. doi: 10.1016/j.bonr.2020.100743. eCollection 2021 Jun.PMID: 33490313
Intra-articular Monteggia Fracture: A Case Study of Using the Center of Rotational Angulation to Improve a Functional Outcome. Posey SL, Cole HA, Halverson S, Stutz C, Schoenecker JG.J Orthop Case Rep. 2018 Nov-Dec;8(6):27-30. doi: 10.13107/jocr.2250-0685.1242.PMID: 30915288
Posttraumatic Proximal Radioulnar Synostosis after Closed Reduction for a Radial Neck and Olecranon Fracture. Keller PR, Cole HA, Stutz CM, Schoenecker JG.Case Rep Orthop. 2018 Feb 19;2018:5131639. doi: 10.1155/2018/5131639. eCollection 2018.PMID: 29805828
Bone Fracture Acute Phase Response-A Unifying Theory of Fracture Repair: Clinical and Scientific Implications. Baker CE, Moore-Lotridge SN, Hysong AA, Posey SL, Robinette JP, Blum DM, Benvenuti MA, Cole HA, Egawa S, Okawa A, Saito M, McCarthy JR, Nyman JS, Yuasa M, Schoenecker JG.Clin Rev Bone Miner Metab. 2018;16(4):142-158. doi: 10.1007/s12018-018-9256-x. Epub 2018 Dec 29.PMID: 30930699
A Subdermal Osteochondroma in a Young Girl. Cole HA, Correa H, Schoenecker JG.Case Rep Orthop. 2017;2017:8672816. doi: 10.1155/2017/8672816. Epub 2017 Jan 4.PMID: 28133559 Free PMC article.
Prevalence of Hypertension in Pediatric Tibia Vara and Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis. Taussig MD, Powell KP, Cole HA, Nwosu SK, Hunley T, Romine SE, Iwinski H Jr, Talwalkar V, Warhoover T, Lovejoy SA, Mencio GA, Martus JE, Walker J, Milbrandt T, Schoenecker JG.J Pediatr Orthop. 2016 Dec;36(8):877-883. doi: 10.1097/BPO.0000000000000569.PMID: 26090984
Micro-computed tomography derived anisotropy detects tumor provoked deviations in bone in an orthotopic osteosarcoma murine model. Cole HA, Ohba T, Ichikawa J, Nyman JS, Cates JM, Haro H, Schwartz HS, Schoenecker JG.PLoS One. 2014 Jun 3;9(6):e97381. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0097381. eCollection 2014.PMID: 24892952
Autocrine VEGF/VEGFR1 signaling in a subpopulation of cells associates with aggressive osteosarcoma. Ohba T, Cates JM, Cole HA, Slosky DA, Haro H, Ando T, Schwartz HS, Schoenecker JG.Mol Cancer Res. 2014 Aug;12(8):1100-11. doi: 10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-14-0037. Epub 2014 Apr 23.PMID: 24759089
Fibrin accumulation secondary to loss of plasmin-mediated fibrinolysis drives inflammatory osteoporosis in mice. Cole HA, Ohba T, Nyman JS, Hirotaka H, Cates JM, Flick MJ, Degen JL, Schoenecker JG.Arthritis Rheumatol. 2014 Aug;66(8):2222-33. doi: 10.1002/art.38639.PMID: 24664548 Free PMC article.
Pleiotropic effects of bisphosphonates on osteosarcoma. Ohba T, Cates JM, Cole HA, Slosky DA, Haro H, Ichikawa J, Ando T, Schwartz HS, Schoenecker JG.Bone. 2014 Jun;63:110-20. doi: 10.1016/j.bone.2014.03.005. Epub 2014 Mar 14.PMID: 24636958
Bisphosphonates inhibit osteosarcoma-mediated osteolysis via attenuation of tumor expression of MCP-1 and RANKL. Ohba T, Cole HA, Cates JM, Slosky DA, Haro H, Ando T, Schwartz HS, Schoenecker JG.J Bone Miner Res. 2014 Jun;29(6):1431-45. doi: 10.1002/jbmr.2182.PMID: 24443409
Medial approach for drainage of the obturator musculature in children. Menge TJ, Cole HA, Mignemi ME, Corn WC, Martus JE, Lovejoy SA, Stutz CM, Mencio GA, Schoenecker JG.J Pediatr Orthop. 2014 Apr-May;34(3):307-15. doi: 10.1097/BPO.0000000000000118.PMID: 24276231
Epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of pericapsular pyomyositis of the hip in children. Mignemi ME, Menge TJ, Cole HA, Mencio GA, Martus JE, Lovejoy S, Stutz CM, Schoenecker JG.J Pediatr Orthop. 2014 Apr-May;34(3):316-25. doi: 10.1097/BPO.0000000000000106.PMID: 24172679
Differential development of the distal and proximal femoral epiphysis and physis in mice. Cole HA, Yuasa M, Hawley G, Cates JM, Nyman JS, Schoenecker JG.Bone. 2013 Jan;52(1):337-46. doi: 10.1016/j.bone.2012.10.011. Epub 2012 Oct 15.PMID: 23079139
Thrombin induces osteosarcoma growth, a function inhibited by low molecular weight heparin in vitro and in vivo: procoagulant nature of osteosarcoma. Ichikawa J, Cole HA, Magnussen RA, Mignemi NA, Butler M, Holt GE, O'Rear L, Yuasa M, Pabla B, Haro H, Cates JM, Hamm HE, Schwartz HS, Schoenecker JG.Cancer. 2012 May 1;118(9):2494-506. doi: 10.1002/cncr.26518. Epub 2011 Sep 27.PMID: 21953059 Free article.
Quantifying intra-osseous growth of osteosarcoma in a murine model with radiographic analysis. Cole HA, Ichikawa J, Colvin DC, O'Rear L, Schoenecker JG.J Orthop Res. 2011 Dec;29(12):1957-62. doi: 10.1002/jor.21474. Epub 2011 Jun 8.PMID: 21656849 Free article.