Vanderbilt University Medical Center is one of two facilities in Tennessee recognized by Becker’s Hospital Review as “hospitals and health systems with great oncology programs” for 2025. 

“Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, part of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, is the only NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center in Tennessee that provides care for both adults and children,” Becker’s Hospital Review noted. “Recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a top-performing cancer hospital, Vanderbilt-Ingram serves more than 49,000 distinct patients and manages over 250,000 outpatient visits annually. With a team of more than 200 cancer specialists and over 300 physician-scientists, the center leads in precision medicine and translational research, supported by more than $150 million in total research funding, including $69 million in competitive NCI grants.

“Vanderbilt-Ingram offers access to more than 350 clinical trials and is the developer of MyCancerGenome.org, a globally recognized resource for genetically informed cancer care. As a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, Vanderbilt-Ingram helps shape national standards in cancer prevention, treatment and survivorship care.” 

The other Tennessee hospital that made the list is Memphis-based St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. 

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A few days ago, I found out the results of a biopsy. If you have ever waited for test results to show up, you know the mixture of anticipation and dread that the little “you have a new message” icon on the My Health at Vanderbilt portal can bring. This is the way most people now find out medical information, including biopsy results, even before your doctor has had a chance to see them.

Some people prefer to wait for a phone conversation or meeting with their doctor, but I couldn’t wait another minute. I knew these results would have a great bearing on the next few months, and maybe the rest of my life.

I clicked on the report and read the words. Not to put too fine a point on it, I have cancer. Specifically, prostate cancer: adenocarcinoma, grade group 1, Gleason score 3+3=6.

I’m not a medical person; I’m a writer, but I’ve written about medical subjects and medical people for a long time, and as I read the report I thought that it was relatively good news, at least for someone like me who had gotten to the point of needing a biopsy.

I did something which I freely admit is a terrible idea, which I had been sternly warned against, and which I certainly don’t recommend that anyone else do.

And then I did something which I freely admit is a terrible idea, which I had been sternly warned against, and which I certainly don’t recommend that anyone else do: I googled my results.

Relief.

I ran downstairs to tell my wife, Sharon. It’s almost surreal even remembering this, but I told her everything with a smile on my face.

My relief was real because my fear had been real.

A little later, Sharon summed it up: “You’re the happiest person I ever heard of who just found out he has cancer.”

It hit me then. My reaction was unexpected, to me, and probably would be to anyone else. It was weird.

Hear me out, though. Here’s what I was thinking when I opened that report: I was considering that there was a range of outcomes, from “no cancer” at the good end to “life-threatening metastatic disease” at the other (very, very few people get this result, but still it was a fear, however far-fetched).

This result was much closer to the good end.

Time for a referral

This gland-oriented escapade began about 10 weeks earlier when routine blood work came back from a visit to my primary care physician, Steven Allon, MD, assistant professor of Medicine. I had an elevated prostate specific antigen (PSA), which can indicate cancer, but other things can also make it go up; it’s an imperfect test.

Allon is a low-key guy, which I appreciate, and he said the thing to do about a high PSA was to wait a few weeks and retest. I wasn’t having any symptoms; this was not a crisis; so, let’s just be sure the elevated PSA was real.

It was. Three weeks later, my PSA levels had risen.

Allon said it was time for a referral to Urology, where I met with Taylor Brewer, MSM, physician assistant in Urology, who, and I cannot emphasize enough how much I appreciate this, was low-key and professional. She looked over my lab work and quickly sketched out what needed to happen next: first, a multiparametric MRI (which shows more detailed images of the prostate and is now recommended by the American Urological Association for evaluation of an elevated PSA in some patients), and following the MRI, a prostate biopsy.

It’s quite an experience hearing Warren Zevon’s classic song “Werewolves of London” in an MRI tube. 

So, first stop: MRI. I had never had one before, but I’m not claustrophobic and the Saturday morning I was there, the techs at Vanderbilt Imaging Services Midtown (who were friendly and, yes, low-key) played, at my request, songs by Warren Zevon into my earphones. It’s quite an experience hearing his classic song “Werewolves of London” in an MRI tube. 

The report was, to me, scarier than a werewolf. The MRI indicated several lesions on my prostate, which were characterized as “at least mildly suspicious.” That “at least” is doing a lot of work in that sentence, and “prostate lesions” is not a phrase designed to cheer anybody up.

So: I had an elevated PSA and lesions. As you might imagine, this made me very apprehensive about what was going on.

I was about to find out.

A visiting dignitary at the surgical center

My biopsy was scheduled for a Monday morning at the Vanderbilt Surgery Center Belle Meade. The procedure just takes a few minutes, under IV anesthesia similar to that used for a colonoscopy. A couple of weeks before the biopsy, Lori King, FNP, a nurse from the Vanderbilt Preoperative Evaluation Center, phoned for some pre-op information, and she told me the urologist performing the biopsy would be Kristen Scarpato, MD, MPH, associate professor of Urology and the director of the Urology Residency Program.

I knew Scarpato a little bit by reputation because the News and Communications office where I work had featured her in some news stories and interviews with news media, but I did not know her personally.

King volunteered something that was very reassuring to hear: “Dr. Scarpato is great,” she told me. “She does most of the prostate biopsies at Vanderbilt. If my father needed a prostate biopsy, I would want her to be the one doing it.”

I met Scarpato the morning of my biopsy, and I liked her right away. She was — you probably saw this coming — low-key. In our brief pre-op discussion, she was calming and matter of fact and went over how the biopsy would be done (transperineally, guided by ultrasound). A little later, she went into more detail: “I make two needle sticks in your skin. Through those two needle sticks, I take 20 biopsies of your prostate.” She also met Sharon, who was waiting with me, and made sure to let Sharon know that she would phone her in the waiting room with a report on how I was doing as soon as I was out of surgery.

Scarpato was one of the last people I met before being taken to the OR, but she was far from the first.

Jami Webb, RN, was the nurse who looked after me before and after the procedure, and she was efficient and friendly. We had some time to talk while I waited, and it would have just been fun to hang out with her if I hadn’t been about to have a biopsy.

The anesthesiologist who would be working on my surgery, Eric Briggs, MD, introduced himself and went over the anesthesia procedure, and was a friendly and affable companion for a few minutes.

In fact, while I waited for my turn, it’s like I was a visiting dignitary or something, so many people came by. Each introduced themselves (I don’t remember most of their names; I’m terrible at names under the best circumstances, and when I’m wearing a hospital gown with an IV in my arm, I’m REALLY terrible at it).

There was the nurse who started my IV, a urology resident who would be assisting on my procedure, possibly a urology fellow (I’m a little hazy on this point), a certified nurse anesthetist, and at least two other nurses who wheeled the bed to the OR and helped me shift to the operating table.

Before this whole thing was over, my prostate was going to have a higher viewership than many late-night cable TV shows.

I thought about how many people were involved in my care. The front desk people who checked me in at each appointment and continuing through the clinicians in many VUMC departments, including internal medicine, pathology, radiology, anesthesiology and urology; the phlebotomists who drew my blood for tests; the techs at the imaging center; the nurses in the clinical offices and at the surgery center; and the people in Vanderbilt Medical Laboratories.

Before this whole thing was over, my prostate was going to have a higher viewership than many late-night cable TV shows. I think this is a very good thing. I’m happy to know that at VUMC, people work as a health care team, and that second, third, fourth and fifth opinions are built into the system.

The biopsy was very easy, from the point of view of a person who was technically there but, in the words preferred by leading anesthesiology texts, “out like a light.” I never had any pain, and I was deeply impressed with the efficiency and care at the surgical center.

My surgery was scheduled for 11:15 a.m., and the clock in the OR read 11:12 when I was rolled in. There was music playing: Belinda Carlisle’s “Heaven is a Place on Earth.” One of the nurses was softly singing along.

I awoke in recovery and asked for a cup of coffee (I had had to skip anything to eat or drink that morning). Sharon was there at my bedside, and soon we were in the car headed home.

The results came a week later.

Words of realistic reassurance

When Scarpato and I spoke the day after the pathology report had landed in the portal, she was thorough in explaining the results, willing to answer all my questions, and (you know how much I like this), low-key.

I liked her when I met her the day of my biopsy, and I liked her even more when we spoke, both because of what she said and the way she said it.

“You have low-risk prostate cancer,” she said. She explained that the recommended course is active surveillance, which, in my case, means another PSA test in three months and another biopsy in six months, just to be sure everything is stable and the first tests didn’t miss anything important. (Will I be nervous to check those results? Oh, yes.)

Here’s what the doctor did not say: “Hey, Wayne, everything looks great! Have a nice life!”

If I had received this same diagnosis 30 years ago, my options would have been much more limited.

This is going to require watching, and as Scarpato put it in a follow-up message, “The benefit (of active surveillance) is to avoid the harms of treatment for a cancer that is unlikely to spread or progress. Should your PSA or your repeat biopsy indicate higher risk, we would intervene at that time.”

Because I’m an old guy, I know lots of old guys. I know several people who have had prostate surgery or radiation treatments, and they are all doing fine. When I was waiting for my results, I kept all of these guys in mind. Knowing that even in my circle of family and friends, I was not alone in this experience was a great comfort to me. I don’t know anyone personally whose disease has been fatal, and most cases of prostate cancer do not shorten the patient’s life.

If I had received this same diagnosis 30 years ago, my options would have been much more limited, and it’s possible that a prostatectomy would have been recommended. Thanks to advances driven by scientists and clinicians, including those at VUMC, the understanding of what prostate cancer is, how it spreads, and how it should be diagnosed and treated has advanced tremendously. This has meant a better life and a better survival rate for those of us with this diagnosis.

Right now, more than 40% of men with new diagnoses go the rest of their lives with no harm to health, and according to the American Cancer Society (ACS), even though prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in American men (behind lung cancer), the prostate cancer death rate declined by about half from 1993 to 2022. The ACS, somewhat reassuringly, says: “Prostate cancer can be a serious disease, but most men diagnosed with prostate cancer will not die from it.”

I hope my active surveillance goes on and on and on — but if it turns out I do need treatment later, I know I’m in good hands and at a good place.

These two things are both true: I have cancer. I am so very lucky.

Bonus video: Kristen Scarpato on why Vanderbilt Urology is a special place. (video by Erin O. Smith)

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Eating, speaking clearly and breathing easily are essential functions we often take for granted, and Nick Schrock of Macon County, Tennessee, admits he did, too. Then, he noticed a small bump inside his mouth that changed everything.  

He was just 30 when he felt a solid bump on the roof of his mouth where the hard and soft palates meet. It didn’t hurt and wasn’t irritated, so Schrock dismissed it as a random nodule of bone he just hadn’t noticed before. Nine months later, however, it began to grow and was soon the size of a quarter and felt “rubbery” rather than hard.  

“It started to hurt when I yawned or took a bite of food,” he said. “It got bothersome, and I told my wife I needed to have it looked at.” 

Today, after recovering from surgery at Vanderbilt University Hospital to remove what turned out to be a cancerous tumor and radiation therapy to target any remaining cancer cells, Schrock is grateful for all the care he’s received, but especially to have his voice back. Because of this, he feels he can be a better parent to his young daughter, Magnolia Mae, and can enjoy life with his wife, Brittany, and other family and friends. 

After the tumor removal left a sizable hole inside his mouth, he initially could only speak in a muffled, lispy whisper. This was due to velopharyngeal insufficiency, a condition where the seal between the oral and nasal cavities does not close completely. 

Schrock credits Vanderbilt University Medical Center providers for not only quickly addressing his cancer but also for restoring his voice. A key player on that collaborative team is Tyler Ames, DMD, chief of the Division of Dentistry at VUMC.

A rare cancer and arduous treatment  

In January 2024, a biopsy revealed adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC), a rare cancer typically originating in the salivary glands that makes up about 1% of all head and neck cancers. This type of cancer doesn’t run in families, and there are no known risk factors. While ACC is slow growing, it is aggressive. Surgery is the primary treatment, often followed by radiation. Reconstruction or prosthetics are often needed following treatment. 

Because of the intricate anatomy of these areas of the body and often delayed detection, treatment for head and neck cancers can be arduous and impact critical functions like speaking, breathing and swallowing. 

Within a week, the Schrocks were consulting with Alexander Langerman, MD, SM, a head and neck cancer and reconstructive surgeon at VUMC with fellowship training in microvascular reconstruction. Surgery was quickly scheduled. 

Langerman worked for five hours to remove a golf-ball sized growth that was extensively invading the soft tissue and muscle, especially muscles involved with chewing. It required removal of part of Schrock’s upper jawbone and a few teeth. Langerman then performed a local flap surgery using part of Schrock’s inner cheek to help patch the hole inside his mouth.  

Schrock then underwent radiation therapy under the care of D. Nathan Kim, MD, PhD, a Vanderbilt Health radiation oncologist at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center at Wilson County, which was much closer to his home.  

Making it through 33 sessions of radiation treatment was one of the hardest things he’s ever done in his life, Schrock said. His mouth and throat were raw and dry. His stomach was continually upset. His hair, including his beard, fell out. And he lost 60 pounds.  

And there were other setbacks. He lost hearing in his right ear because of a fluid buildup due to the radiation. That was resolved quickly through a minor procedure by otolaryngology-head and neck surgeon Matthew O’Malley, MD. Schrock also began having difficulty breathing through his nose. Another otolaryngology-head and neck surgeon, Naweed Chowdhury, MD, MPH, cleared swollen tissue caused by the radiation from a maxillary sinus, which improved his ability to breathe. 

But the biggest thing he wanted resolved was his voice. Ames was ready. He had been in consultation with Langerman from the start of Schrock’s journey, viewing imaging and following his progress closely.  

“Nick expressed that he was afraid of his daughter being embarrassed by his speech,” Ames said. “I took this to heart as I also have a young daughter. Putting myself in his shoes, I knew that I had to do everything I could to help him. 

“With these cases you really are not sure what is possible until you try. Nick is an amazing patient who is very motivated. His drive helped to keep the treatment on track and helped motivate me to do the best I could for him.” 

Prosthetics to seal oral cavity holes

When individuals are left with holes or deficits in their oral cavity due to congenital defects like cleft palate, cancer surgeries or trauma, prosthetics known as obturators are often custom designed to restore function. This is what Schrock needed.  

“An obturator is a prosthetic device used to close and seal a defect or opening in the hard or soft palate to assist in speech and eating and drinking,” Ames said. “This can prove challenging because you are not always sure if the patient is going to tolerate having the obturator in the back of their throat.” 

Because of the precision diagnoses and effective treatments provided by Vanderbilt-Ingram clinicians, patients come not just from Tennessee but also from parts of seven contiguous states and beyond. That means the center sees a higher volume and higher complexity of patients with head and neck cancers. Ames was increasingly being referred individuals who needed restoration after surgery.  

Obturators are usually created by specialized dentists known as prosthodontists or maxillofacial prosthodontists, but many private practices instead focus on dental implants and other higher volume, profitable procedures. Finding a dentist who can create a custom obturator isn’t easy. With the growing number of cancer patients he was seeing with unique needs, Ames decided a few years ago he would research and teach himself the precision craft of creating obturators.  

“Since Tyler joined VUMC, we have worked together in tougher and tougher cases and grown together as partners,” Langerman said. “Nick’s case was indeed a tough one, and his success is the product of the years of work Tyler has put in to restore patients to a greater quality of life after surgeries such as this.” 

Ames works with Vanderbilt Health surgical oncologists to review imaging, even running over to the surgical clinics so he can see the space he needs to seal. He works with an area dental lab to produce obturator prototypes and in the early days, he even tried varied materials to achieve the best seals and most comfortable devices. Now, though every case is different, he has become adept at problem-solving and creating obturators for even highly complex cases.  

“In Nick’s case, a nasal endoscopy performed by Dr. Langerman with the custom obturator in allowed me to have a ‘GPS’ to show exactly where I needed to add to the obturator to better seal the defect and aid his speech,” Ames said. “We could see the obturator in place from the viewpoint of the sinus, which helped tremendously.” 

Recently, Ames met with Schrock again and checked in on his progress. His voice was strong and easily understandable. But Ames cocked his head, listened closely, and told Schrock he felt like he could make some minor adjustments to improve his voice even more. Schrock smiled. 

“Dr. Ames has significantly changed my life,” Schrock said. “I still struggle, and I don’t like talking in front of a lot of people, but what he’s done for me is incredible.  

“I don’t mind sharing my story if it gives someone else hope. It does get better. I didn’t feel that way for a while, but it does.”

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Vanderbilt University Medical Center offers access to new resources that help relatives connect and join forces to protect their families from inherited diseases. 

VUMC is one of the first cancer centers to partner with the ConnectMyVariant program, which offers resources for families with hereditary cancer risk. The resources make genetic medicine approachable, can help people discover distant relatives they didn’t know before, and can assist families in talking across dinner tables about a potentially sensitive topic. It’s akin to an ancestry game that allows people to amplify the family benefits of cancer prevention, and the person who starts it can be a superhero. 

To launch a connection search, someone with a specific gene variant signs up to meet others who share that variant. When people have the same gene variant, there is more than 90% chance they are related, even if it is several generations back. This begins the process of sharing stories with others who are likely to be relatives, discovering new connections with unknown relatives, and encouraging family members to get tested. The program is designed around the perspective and experience of lay people — not clinicians. It is an innovative approach to encourage genetic testing, and it’s needed, said Tuya Pal, MD, professor of Medicine in the Division of Genetic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology at VUMC. 

“Family communication, which is the basis of what we call cascade testing, is hugely important,” said Pal, who is also Ingram Professor of Cancer Research and an associate director at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. “BRCA genes were identified 30 years ago, but we’ve found maybe 20% of adults who are at risk for cancer. There’s a lot of adults walking around with a BRCA mutation. They could get ongoing prevention, but they don’t know it. This is a challenging nut to crack, but it is of huge public health relevance. If we can get to these people, we can save lots of lives.” 

BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene variants, which increase risk for breast, ovarian, pancreatic and prostate cancer, have received the most media attention. However, in recent years, several other gene mutations have been discovered that can also put people at risk for cancer. Pal stressed that people should seek genetic testing from reputable and accredited laboratories, which are different from many direct-to-consumer testing companies that offer testing for “recreational genetics.” While direct-to-consumer labs offer ancestry testing, sometimes they also delve into other genes; however, the quality of the data they provide is not always accurate for disease risk. For this reason, it is important to get tested through providers knowledgeable about genetic testing options, such as the Vanderbilt Hereditary Cancer Clinic. Insurance typically covers the cost for those at high risk, such as those with a personal history of specific cancers (and diagnosed at certain ages), family history of specific cancers, and those who already have a relative found to have a gene mutation. The tests, which can be done with either blood or saliva samples, cost about $250 for self-paying patients.  

Pal likens a gene mutation to a spelling mistake. 

“When we’re talking about an inherited predisposition, you can think of each gene as a big book, and a mutation is like a ‘spelling mistake’ in that book — leading to the gene not working quite right and thereby raising risk of certain cancers,” she said. “If you’ve got the same spelling mistake between two people, they are somehow related. People sometimes have trouble sharing broadly with family members, so this tool can make this experience of family communication and testing more enjoyable. You can connect with people you don’t know that are related from maybe eight generations ago.” 

ConnectMyVariant, which is operated as a nonprofit organization, was developed by Brian Shirts, MD, PhD, associate professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology and of Biomedical Informatics, who was recruited to VUMC in December 2024. He is the service medical director of the Molecular Genetics Laboratories. 

“Scientific modeling has shown that if we could reach out to second and third cousins effectively of people with known variants, we could identify everyone who has a hereditary cancer risk,” said Shirts, who is also President of ConnectMyVariant’s Board of Directors. 

However, he stressed that ConnectMyVariant is not a research program or a direct clinical resource.  

“It’s an educational program,” Shirts said, noting that people should schedule a visit with a genetic counselor affiliated with a medical provider if they discover they have relatives with mutations that put them at increased risk for cancer.  

ConnectMyVariant offers educational resources for adult-onset hereditary diseases for which there are established preventive actions people can take. It is not intended for use by people younger than 18, so it does not offer resources for autosomal recessive pediatric diseases.  

“The way I like to think about what we offer is ‘If I talk to my relatives, are they going to be able to do something?’ If the answer is yes, and they can get genetic testing and do something that will improve their health, then that’s included,” Shirts said. 

The ConnectMyVariant program also offers participants access to resources for ancestry research, such as professional assistance from the Center for Family History and Genealogy at Brigham Young University.  

For individuals with inherited cancer predisposition, Vanderbilt-Ingram has the Inherited Cancer Registry (ICARE), which Pal founded in 2010. It has grown into one of the largest registries for inherited cancers, with almost 8,000 participants enrolled to date. Through the registry, the latest care and research updates are shared with participants by newsletter, email and links to presentations, and it is a way for people to be part of the larger research mission. 

Pal serves as vice chair of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Genetics/Familial Guidelines Committee for Breast, Ovarian and Pancreatic Cancer. She leads a team of certified genetic counselors at the Vanderbilt Hereditary Cancer Clinic.

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A multidisciplinary team led by investigators at Vanderbilt University Medical Center has received a $4.2 million grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to probe the genetics of colorectal adenomas — polyps that can develop into colon cancer — and to identify drug candidates that could reduce adenoma recurrence. 

Colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related death in the United States, according to the NCI, part of the National Institutes of Health. Removing precancerous polyps during colonoscopy procedures significantly reduces the burden of colorectal cancer, but about 30% of patients who have a colorectal adenoma removed will develop recurrent adenomas. 

“Patients who have recurrent adenomas are at higher risk for developing cancer,” said Xingyi Guo, PhD, associate professor of Medicine in the Division of Epidemiology and lead principal investigator for the project. “We will integrate cutting-edge genomic research with real-world patient data from electronic health records, with the goal of translating genetic discoveries into actionable strategies to prevent colorectal cancer.” 

Zhijun Yin, PhD, MS, associate professor of Biomedical Informatics, is co-principal investigator for the four-year project. 

The team previously conducted genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of about 8,000 colorectal adenoma cases from European American and African American participants included in BioVU, VUMC’s de-identified DNA biobank and linked electronic health records. Using a large-scale analysis of electronic health records and pathology reports, the investigators also established the Vanderbilt Colonoscopy Cohort of colorectal adenoma cases after polyp removal, which includes 76,664 cases. 

With the new funding support, the team will extend its efforts to establish the largest-ever genetic study of colorectal adenoma, drawing on BioVU, the Mass General Brigham Biobank, and the NIH All of Us Research Program to include over 25,000 cases in European Americans and 6,500 cases in African Americans, with thousands of recurrences. African Americans are about 20% more likely to have colorectal cancer and about 40% more likely to die from it compared to other racial groups, according to the American Cancer Society. 

“Our approach will allow us to examine racial differences in adenoma recurrence and colorectal cancer risk,” Guo said. 

In addition to GWAS, the team will conduct transcriptome-wide, methylome-wide, and proteome-wide association studies to identify genes and proteins associated with colorectal adenomas and their recurrence. The investigators will integrate findings from these “omics” studies with electronic health record data from the Vanderbilt Colonoscopy Cohort and the Mass General Brigham Colonoscopy Cohort and use machine learning frameworks to identify candidate drugs that could prevent colorectal adenoma recurrence. They will test the most promising drug candidates in colorectal adenoma and cancer cells, patient-derived organoids, and animal models. 

“This project is an innovative integration of multiomics analyses with electronic health record-based real-world clinical evidence,” Yin said. “We anticipate that our findings will inform personalized colorectal polyp surveillance, guide therapeutic prevention strategies, and ultimately reduce the burden of colorectal cancer nationwide.” 

Guo holds a secondary appointment in the Department of Biomedical Informatics at VUMC, and Yin holds secondary appointments in the Department of Computer Science and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Vanderbilt University. Guo and Yin have both received NCI R37 MERIT Awards, which provide long-term grant support to outstanding investigators. 

Other collaborators for the new NCI grant (R01CA297582) include VUMC Department of Medicine investigators Wei Zheng, MD, PhD, MPH, Qiuyin Cai, MD, PhD, and Wanqing Wen, MD, MPH, Division of Epidemiology; Bhuminder Singh, PhD, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition; and Kristen Ciombor, MD, MSCI, Division of Hematology and Oncology; and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health investigator Mingyang Song, ScD, Departments of Epidemiology and Nutrition.

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Mark Kelley, MD, MMHC, medical director of the Williamson County General Surgery Division in the Department of Surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has retired, effective Oct. 1, after 28 years of exceptional service and leadership.

“Dr. Kelley transformed the Division of Surgical Oncology and Endocrine Surgery into one of the nation’s largest and most productive academic surgical oncology programs,” said Carmen Solórzano, MD, John L. Sawyers Chair in Surgical Sciences and chair of the Department of Surgery. “His remarkable contributions span clinical excellence, innovative research and impactful education.”

Kelley, an associate professor of Surgery in the Division of Surgical Oncology and Endocrine Surgery, is lauded by his colleagues and surgical leaders for his contributions both at VUMC and nationally.

“Dr. Kelley’s career reflects an unwavering commitment to excellence in clinical care, research, education and leadership,” said Seth Karp, MD, H. William Scott Jr. Chair in Surgery and chair of the Section of Surgical Sciences. “His legacy has profoundly shaped surgical oncology at Vanderbilt and beyond. We are grateful for his dedication and leadership.”

In 1997, Kelley joined the VUMC faculty as an assistant professor in the newly established Division of Surgical Oncology and Endocrine Surgery and served as clinical director of the Vanderbilt Breast Center until 2005. His leadership skills led to his appointment as chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology and Endocrine Surgery in 2002, a role he held until 2015.

“As clinical director of the Vanderbilt Breast Center, he led its development and transition from a small practice in the Village at Vanderbilt to a comprehensive breast center at One Hundred Oaks,” said Solórzano. “In 2005, he passed the clinical directorship to Dr. Ingrid Meszoely, whom he recruited back to Vanderbilt after her surgical oncology fellowship. Today, the Vanderbilt Breast Center is one of the largest and most comprehensive programs in the United States.”

Recognizing the importance of focused training in breast surgical oncology, Kelley developed the framework for a breast surgical oncology fellowship. Expansion of the curriculum under the leadership of Mary Hooks, MD, MBA, and Ingrid Meszoely, MD, led to accreditation of the program by the Society of Surgical Oncology in 2016.

Under Kelley’s leadership, the Division of Surgical Oncology and Endocrine Surgery expanded from four surgeons to a multidisciplinary team of more than 20 surgeons, advanced practice providers (APPs) and research scientists. He also played a pivotal role in recruiting and mentoring key faculty who now serve as VUMC surgical and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center leaders, including Rondi Kauffmann, MD, MPH; Christina Bailey, MD, MSCI; Kamran Idrees, MD, MSCI, MMHC; Meszoely, Solórzano and others.

Kelley was a sought-after mentor throughout his career, and assisted numerous medical students, surgical trainees and junior faculty as they participated in projects and developed their own research. Under his leadership, the Division of Surgical Oncology and Endocrine Surgery was highly ranked, year after year, as a favorite learning environment for general surgery trainees. More than 30 residents completed surgical oncology fellowships during Kelley’s tenure, and many are leaders in the field today, including five current VUMC faculty members.

He was an early advocate for the integration of APPs into clinical roles. In 1999, he established training and mentorship programs for APPs specializing in breast health and surgical oncology, and these programs served as models for integrating APPs into surgical practices throughout VUMC. Today, there are 10 APPs practicing in inpatient and outpatient roles in the Division of Surgical Oncology and Endocrine Surgery.

Kelley was a surgical innovator and the first surgeon in Tennessee to perform sentinel lymph node biopsy for breast cancer and melanoma in 1997. This procedure has transformed the care of these cancers. Kelley developed an Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved protocol to train surgeons on this technique, leading to the rapid and safe application of the new surgical procedure at VUMC and in the community.

Kelly was also integrally involved in the development of multidisciplinary clinical and research programs at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. From 2000-2012, he served as chair of the VUMC Cancer Committee. This group monitors and reports cancer volumes and outcomes, guides quality improvement, and ensures compliance with national cancer treatment standards. During his tenure as chair, VICC was continuously accredited by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer. The program was also routinely recognized as one of the top National Cancer Institute-accredited comprehensive cancer centers nationwide during that time.

Early in his career, Kelley had an independent laboratory that focused on translational research in melanoma tumor biology and contributed to the early development of immunotherapy for melanoma. He established the melanoma and cutaneous malignancy tissue repository in 2003. This IRB-approved research repository has collected tumor tissue samples from patients undergoing surgical resection or biopsy with paired clinical data from more than two decades. This invaluable resource has supported high impact basic and translational studies that have led to novel combinations of immunotherapy and targeted therapy being investigated in clinical trials today.

“Dr. Kelley is highly committed to the advancement of cancer care through research, and we are grateful that he will remain active in clinical and translational research with VUMC and VICC as professor of Surgery, retired, to continue to improve care for patients with cancer,” said Karp.

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Allison Young is easing the pain for people grieving the lost connections when a loved one dies by providing a place for words left unspoken and milestones that can no longer be shared. 

It’s a small phone booth without utility wires or cellular connections nestled along her driveway in East Nashville. The messages are carried by love vibes. Since Young erected the booth two years ago, it has become a sanctuary of solace and garnered attention from local and international media. 

She learned about a “wind phone” while she was working on the thesis for her master’s degree, researching alternative grieving methods, and delving into the continuing bonds theory — a concept that it’s okay for people in mourning to maintain connections to loved ones who have died instead of just having to let them go. 

The first wind phone was erected in 2010 in northern Japan by Itaru Sasaki, who wanted to talk with his cousin who had died from gastric cancer.  

“Since he couldn’t talk to him in person on a regular phone line, he wanted his words to be carried on the wind,” said Young, MS, BSN, RN, a research nurse specialist for clinical trials at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. “He lived at the top of a hill right next to the ocean, so there was lots of wind. It was a perfect concept for him. Then unfortunately, four or five months later was when the tsunami hit Japan, the one that killed tens of thousands of people along the northern Japanese coast.” 

The tsunami devastated Ōtsuchi, the town where Sasaki lived, with about 10% of its population of 16,000 perishing. Sasaki’s wind phone became the place where grieving survivors went to connect with lost loved ones. 

 “Now, thousands of people from around the world have made the trek to northern Japan to see the original wind phone,” Young said. “The idea has spread across the entire world. There are wind phones in other places in Asia, in Australia, all over North America, and a ton in Europe as well.” 

Young put up her wind phone booth in September 2022, then unveiled it to the wider community in February 2023. 

“It is dedicated to my paternal grandparents,” she said. “We opened it on the 24th anniversary of my grandfather’s death, and it is dedicated to my grandma who died in 2016. She is the only person I have ever called on it, and I called her the day I defended my thesis.”  

Young has received notes from more than 200 people who have visited it. The structure is a circa 1940s actual phone booth. Her father, who is a contractor, helped her set it up by putting a slanted roof over its flat top and weatherproofing it with exterior paint. The booth is soundproof with a privacy curtain. 

“There’s a light so that people can use it overnight as well,” she said. “Since I am a nurse, I know what health care hours are like, so I made it available 24 hours a day.” 

The door has a sensor to help her keep records of visitors, but there are no cameras or privacy infringements. Visitors are encouraged to park in her driveway because Rosebank is a two-lane road with a narrow shoulder. 

The wind phone has been featured in news stories and documentaries, including coverage by NHK, Japan’s public media organization, and by “This American Life,” a public radio program in the United States. 

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This year’s Clip In 4 the Cure drew hundreds of participants to Geodis Park for a relay-style team cycling event featuring top Nashville spin instructors and live DJs.

The high-energy fundraiser began in 2022 to raise money for cancer initiatives at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.

Clinicians and patient ambassadors highlighted the impact that the fundraising efforts have on cancer care and research. 

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There are many types of cellular therapy. Vanderbilt-Ingram has one of the nation’s best stem cell transplant centers based upon procedure volume and patient outcomes. The center was the first in Tennessee to offer CAR-T (chimeric antigen receptor T cell) therapy, which reengineers a patient’s immune cells to recognize and attack cancer. Another cellular therapy Vanderbilt-Ingram recently added is TIL (tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte) therapy for advanced melanoma. TIL became the first cellular therapy approved by the Food and Drug Administrations for solid tumors in February 2024.

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In the summer of 2021, I was diagnosed with Stage 4 renal cell carcinoma. Needless to say, my world was turned upside down. Cancer is such a devastating disease, and no one wants to be a part of that club. No preplanning for this one. Yet, there I was, handed this diagnosis with no plan in hand.

 “What’s next?” I thought. While the radiologist was giving me some direction on my recent discovery, I totally passed out! “This couldn’t be happening, could it? Look at me, I’m a healthy, physically fit, soon to be retired happy-go-lucky male.” Ironically, in all of this, I just received my very first Social Security deposit earlier that morning. Good luck seeing my next one! 

Two weeks later, I was undergoing a serious operation to remove my right kidney and 11 centimeter tumor when the unimaginable happened. Parts of the tumor broke apart during the resection. A loose thrombus from the large tumor traveled up my inferior vena cava and into my heart, which stopped my blood flow for up to 10 minutes. That generally means instant death! Obviously, I didn’t “expire,” as I am here writing this dialogue for you. However, there are many excruciating details of how I ultimately survived that surgery and lived to talk about it. That particular incident and my cancer journey that followed are quite a story. In fact, I authored a bestselling book describing that operation and what really happened in those 10 “lifeless” minutes.

The book recounts that major event along with the six months that followed. It was quite a ride enduring the cancer emotions for both me and my wife along with the continual cancer treatments. My therapy following the operation involved a regimen of pembrolizumab infusions, which is an immunotherapy, along with a daily intake of Inlyta pills, a targeted therapy that inhibits the growth of cancer cells.

After following this schedule for the two years that was prescribed, it was decision time. I had great success with the mix of these two drugs in fighting my cancer, although I encountered many side effects along the way. I was determined to stay the course no matter what the consequences were. Now at this crossroad, I had many options to consider. Keep the medication intake the way it was? Reduce the number of medications? Or a combination of many other variables? After giving this much thought, I asked my oncologist at the Medical University of South Carolina, Dr. Theodore Gourdin, about getting another opinion. Dr. Gourdin was gracious regarding my question and suggested two other oncologists who specialized in kidney cancers. One of the doctors he mentioned was Dr. Brian Rini at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville. I researched Dr. Rini online and felt like he was my guy. After all, he had authored the treatment study that I’d been on for the past two years. 

Hollings Cancer Center at the Medical University of South Carolina contacted Vanderbilt-Ingram and introduced me to them in order to get the ball rolling. I followed their introduction with a call to set up an appointment. I was impressed from the moment the receptionist answered the phone. She was very welcoming, and after some discussion she switched me over to Dr. Rini’s navigator who was already familiar with my case. She scheduled an appointment for a Thursday at 10 a.m. That was only 48 hours from the time I was speaking to her. 

I would need to step it up as the cancer center was over 500 miles away involving an eight-hour-plus drive. We would have to leave early Wednesday morning to arrive in Nashville at a reasonable hour. Considering that MUSC and VUMC used the same software company, (Epic Systems Corp.), I was able to merge the two systems so Dr. Rini would have immediate access to all my medical records. It was amazing how all of this came together in short order. 

My wife, Linda, and I, along with our standard poodle, Gianni, loaded up our SUV Wednesday morning and headed toward Nashville. Ingram Content Group, the company that would print my book on cancer is located in La Vergne, Tennessee, southeast of Nashville. Considering it was along the way, I thought it would be beneficial to stop and see the facility that would ultimately publish my book when it came out. This trip was kind of full circle for me, being that the cancer center that I was heading to was named in honor of the family who made a large contribution to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for the cancer center. This was all very surreal to me in a good way. 

We arrived in Nashville on Wednesday evening and checked into a hotel near the Vanderbilt campus. After unpacking, we drove around the college campus and noted the beauty of it all. We found the cancer center and parked our car in the convenient parking garage adjacent to the large glass building. I had Linda take my picture next to the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center sign located in front. We noticed that they had complimentary valet parking. We thought that was a nice offering, but we would forgo that service the next morning. After finding a good barbecue restaurant that evening, we went to bed with great anticipation for my appointment the next morning. 

We woke up early and took Gianni for a nice stroll in the downtown area. Nashville is a very friendly town that displays country music everywhere you look. The downtown atmosphere was relaxing and a joy to walk through. After our short dog walk, we got Gianni situated in our motel room and headed to our appointment with Dr. Rini. 

When we walked into the lobby of the cancer center, I immediately noticed the piano situated against the paneled wall of the room. It was a shiny black piano that had a calming appearance to it. It all made sense being we were in Nashville. 

The flooring was carpeted, with comfortable seating scattered throughout the spacious room. I took note of the coffeepot on the self-service bar that I thought was a nice touch. It was obvious that Vanderbilt went to great lengths to make its cancer patients feel comfortable while visiting their oncologists. We checked in with the nice lady at the front desk, who entered my information into their system, then we took a seat in the lobby. It was approximately 10 minutes to 10 a.m. when Dr. Rini’s nurse called my name. “That didn’t take long,” I thought. We followed her to the exam room, where she asked a few questions and said that Dr. Rini would be in shortly. 

At precisely 10 a.m., Dr. Rini entered the room. He didn’t have a medical chart, laptop computer or anything such as this with him. He was sharply dressed; however, he wasn’t wearing the usual white coat that most doctors wear. This created a much more relaxing atmosphere. We shook hands; he introduced himself; and we all took a seat.

He looked me in the eye and said, “I have studied your case and know it very well. Your situation is very unique, and I’m glad you’re doing so well after a rocky start to your journey.” We jumped into some particulars regarding my nebulous cancer outlook. I was very impressed that he didn’t have to refer to any notes on the topics we discussed. After a 30-minute conversation, we jointly came to a satisfactory conclusion as to how I needed to proceed going forward. As we exited the exam room, Dr. Rini said he would keep up with my progress and to never hesitate to reach out to him if I felt the need to do so. I felt comfort in knowing that. 

As I exited the Frances Williams Preston Building, I turned around, took a good look and thought, I know I came to the right place, at the right time, and saw the right doctor. This is probably the most satisfied feeling I’ve had since my cancer diagnosis. To have the validation from this wonderful cancer facility along with the work that my magnificent cancer center in Charleston has already accomplished, I couldn’t be in a better place. I’m very fortunate to have been treated by two outstanding National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Centers, and my success in fighting this terrible disease will be a reflection of that.  

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