Principal Investigator
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Vivian L. Weiss, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Vice Chair for Clinical and Translational ResearchPathology, Microbiology, and ImmunologyAssociate ProfessorDepartment of Pathology, Microbiology, and ImmunologyPhone615-875-3002Office AddressMedical Center North1161 21st Ave SouthRoom / SuiteC3324NashvilleTennessee37232-2561Vivian Weiss, M.D., Ph.D. is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Weiss attended Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD to obtain her M.D. and Ph.D. in immunology. During her Ph.D. training, Vivian received the American Association for Cancer Research Pre-doctoral Fellowship Award for her work in tumor immunology under the mentorship of Dr. Elizabeth Jaffee. After completing this training, she began the Vanderbilt University Pathology Residency Training Program for anatomic and clinical pathology, followed by a fellowship in cytopathology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She is board certified in Anatomic Pathology, Clinical Pathology, and Cytopathology. Her clinical practice focuses on the diagnosis of fine needle aspirations, particularly of the thyroid. Vivian’s translational research laboratory studies the molecular and microenvironmental drivers of pediatric and adult thyroid cancer to improve the current diagnostic algorithms and therapy for this disease.
Research Staff
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Madison is originally from Mount Juliet, Tennessee. She attended Belmont University and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in the spring of 2023. She joined the Weiss lab in July of 2024 and is currently applying to medical school.
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HuaChang is originally from China and earned his Ph.D. in Genetics from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. My current research interests focus on genome-wide association studies (GWAS), RNA-seq and single-cell data analysis, interpreting the effects of genetic variants on Mendelian diseases, and developing bioinformatics tools.
Clinical Fellows and Residents
Graduate Students
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Matt is originally from Salem, OR. He attended the College of Wooster in Wooster, OH and graduated with his bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Matt joined the Weiss lab in November of 2020 and is currently studying the role of cancer-associated fibroblasts and Wnt signaling in thyroid cancer progression. He’s particularly interested in using novel technologies to generate and analyzing spatial data sets (e.g., multiplex IF, RNAscope, spatial transcriptomics) that will help us better understand the drivers of disease aggression in anaplastic thyroid cancer. In his free time, Matt loves music, sports (basketball, tennis, golf, Quidditch), and hanging out at Nashville breweries.
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Megan is an MSTP student from Henderson, Kentucky. She moved to upstate New York for college in 2012. After obtaining a biochemistry degree at Colgate University, she spent 2.5 years at the National Cancer Institute at the NIH in Bethesda, Maryland doing research on heat shock proteins in prostate cancer. She loves to travel and spent several months in South America before starting medical school at Vanderbilt. She is interested in pediatrics, immunology, and cancer research. Outside of school and work, she enjoys being outdoors, hiking, camping, going to breweries with friends, and exploring Nashville restaurants.
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Heather grew up in Wisconsin and California. After graduating the College of Wooster in 2021 with a BA in Spanish and Chemistry, She became a QCB student at Vanderbilt University in the fall of 2021. The following spring she joined the Molecular Pathology and Immunology program as a member of Dr. Vivian Weiss's lab. In the Weiss lab, she is currently studying the role of Tenascin-C in the Wnt Signalsomes. Outside of lab you can find her doing yoga, hiking, and baking.
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Claudia is originally from Fayetteville, Georgia. She graduated from Emory University in 2022 with a bachelor's degree in Biology and a minor in Quantitative Sciences. Claudia joined the Weiss lab in Fall 2024 and is a student in the Program in Cancer Biology. When she is not in the lab, Claudia enjoys reading, traveling, flying airplanes, trying new Nashville restaurants with friends, and spending time with her bunny Gershwin.
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Kailey is from Ellicott City, Maryland. She graduated from Elizabethtown College in 2022 with a bachelor’s in biotechnology, with minors in biochemistry and coaching. In 2023, she graduated from Drexel University with a master’s in molecular medicine, with a minor in drug discovery and development. She joined the Weiss lab in the spring of 2024 and is currently studying Wnt signaling and liver metastasis. Outside of lab she loves playing tennis, going to zoos and aquariums, and playing with her cat, Hiccup.
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Diana is originally from Fort Myers, Florida. She attended Florida Gulf Coast University and earned a bachelor’s in biology and a minor in chemistry. Diana joined the Weiss lab in August 2023 and is obtaining a Master’s in biomedical science.
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Kennedy Shaw is originally from Birmingham, Alabama. She completed undergrad at Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania where she majored in Psychology Pre-Med and minored in French and Gender Women’s Studies. She joined the Weiss lab in August and she is obtaining a Masters of biomedical sciences. Outside of the lab and school, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, binge watching crime shows, and painting.
Postbaccalaureate Trainees
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Fateh Aswad was born and raised in Las Cruces, New Mexico. He graduated from New Mexico State University with a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology with University Honors in May 2024. Through the Vanderbilt Education Research and Training in Cancer and Leadership (VERTICAL) Program, he joined the Weiss Lab in September 2024 as a postbaccalaureate researcher. After completion of the VERTICAL Program, he plans to attend medical school and pursue a career as a physician specializing in oncology and hematology. In his free time, he enjoys playing soccer and video games, traveling with friends and family, and watching movies.
Undergraduate Students
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Rincon Jagarlamudi is a fourth-year undergraduate student at Vanderbilt, who is originally from St. Louis, Missouri. He is a Biochemistry major and is minoring in Medicine, Health, & Society and Data Science. Outside of the lab, Rincon enjoys watching the Formula 1 races, singing karaoke, and playing pickup basketball with friends.
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Clara Mannes is a third-year undergraduate student at Vanderbilt University. She is originally from Atlanta, Georgia. Clara is double majoring in Biological Sciences and Medicine, Health, and Society. Outside of the lab, Clara enjoys spending time outdoors and going to concerts with her friends.