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Join us tomorrow, Thursday, October 15 for a visit from distinguished @vanderbiltu alum @ttemkin about her work at the US Embassy to Panamá. Meet us @vanderbilt_clacx at 1:15. #somosvu

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CLACX’s @averydickins gave the opening keynote “The Powerful Stories Plants Tell: Teaching with the CLACX Ethnobotanical Garden” for the symposium “Tonics & Toxins: Plants and Power in Latin America” hosted by
Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies at the University of Kentucky on October 8. Come learn about the @clacx.ethnobotanical.garden.vu at Reunion on Friday!

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This semester at @vanderbilt_clacx we are bringing speakers to all of our courses. From @vunatsecurity to @vanderbiltowen alums, we help our students see clear career connections between LACX and their goals. #somosVU

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For years, many people on my side of the aisle believed that better public health evidence about guns would naturally lead to better policy.

But what if the gun debate was never only about evidence?

My new article in The Milbank Quarterly asks why gun politics became so polarized in the United States — and why Americans increasingly speak about public health through entirely different moral and political frameworks.

I ultimately argue that durable solutions for addressing violence must go beyond legislation alone and also address the social, economic, and infrastructural conditions that shape whether people feel safe in their daily lives.

Link in bio.

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@vanderbiltu @mhsvanderbilt graduation 2026!

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In the 1950s, the National Institutes of Health were in search of a large, replenishing stream of healthy people to participate in a variety of clinical studies. To establish legal sources of test subjects, the NIH signed unprecedented contracts with American colleges, churches, and other government agencies to recruit participants, which gave rise to a new type of test subject: the “normal patient.”⁠
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Decades later, Associate Professor Laura Stark talked to numerous “Normals,” compiling their firsthand accounts of the NIH Normal Volunteer Patient Program and exploring what it means to work, serve, and volunteer in medical studies. Her in-depth research will be officially published early next year and is currently the focus of a three-part podcast series with Science Magazine, titled “The Normals.”⁠
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“This work shows how science and medical ethics get made—from the people who were at the center of it all: the human subjects of medical experiments. It is a story of the social life of data,” Stark said. “We know a lot about the scandals and exploitation in medicine—and this deserves all the attention it gets. Yet it is also important to explore how science has persisted despite pushback—how workers on the ground have taken action inside the literal halls of power to change the systems they are within, which is nothing less than a story of how democracy gets made in the everyday action.”⁠
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Hear the podcast at the link in our bio.⁠ smiling woman, text: Laura Stark

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Applications are now open for the 2026–2027 Change-Maker Fellowship at the James Lawson Institute.

Open to Vanderbilt undergraduate and graduate students, this fellowship explores the philosophy and practice of nonviolence inspired by the leadership of James M. Lawson Jr..

Fellows will study nonviolent movements, develop organizing skills, and build community with students committed to social transformation.

💡 $1,000 stipend each semester

🗓 Applications due April 12

🔗 Link in bio

#Vanderbilt #Nonviolence #StudentLeadership #JamesLawsonInstitute

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Congratulations to Charu Balamurugan, BA’25, whose medicine, health, and society honors thesis was published in the journal Health Equity.⁠
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She wrote her paper, “Mental Health of Adolescents in Juvenile Correctional Facilities Across Axes of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Race, and Ethnicity: Minnesota Student Survey, 2019,” alongside faculty members Kirsty Clark and Julie Ward. Balamurugan’s research examined mental health indicators of incarcerated youth across intersections of race, ethnicity, and LGBTQ statuses. She studied a population-based sample of youth in correctional facilities in Minnesota.⁠
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"This research is deeply personal to me, as it speaks directly to the challenges faced by youth like those I volunteered with at Fresh Lifelines for Youth in 2023,” Balamurugan said. “I’m especially grateful for the opportunity to explore how physicians, policymakers, and researchers can better serve minoritized youth through care that is not only evidence-based, but intentionally empathetic and inclusive. This work would not have been possible without the mentorship of Dr. Clark and Dr. Ward. Their guidance has profoundly shaped my growth as a scholar and advocate, and I will carry their lessons with me throughout my future training as a physician-scientist.”⁠
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Congratulations, Charu!⁠

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Happy New Year from everyone at the Global Social Enhancement Corporation! As we ring in the new year and mark 1.5 years from our founding, we look back to some of our memorable moments of notable impact and service. From public health initiatives like our mental health wellness program to educational assistance partnerships and community fundraisers, we look forward to another year of profound positive change in this coming year! Thank you to everyone who’ve helped us, and we’re excited to work with you all in 2026! #education #publichealth #mentalhealth #advocacy #empowerment @votinstitute @idaainstitute @gsehservices

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What an honor to receive the 2025 Harry Stack Sullivan Lecture Award from @sheppardpratt , recognizing “the leadership and contributions of a scientist, clinician, or administrator in American psychiatry. Sullivan, who practiced and taught at Sheppard from 1922-1930, is known for founding the field of social psychiatry. He was called “America’s psychiatrist”. This award, which has been given for 40 years, is the highest award given by Sheppard Pratt.”

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Be sure to tune in to Jeopardy! tonight to see MHS master's student Brina Ratangee compete! ⁠
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A longtime fan of the show, she discovered her love for trivia early on. She began competing in academic quiz tournaments in eighth grade and, in 2018, earned a gold and silver medal at the International History Olympiad in Berlin, Germany.⁠
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“I’ve watched the show with my family since I was little. We’d even plan our dinnertime around it,” Ratangee said. “Being surrounded by so many Jeopardy! contestants and champions in my work, I’d always dreamed of being on the show but never thought I’d actually have the chance to go. It was truly an honor and a privilege to compete alongside such brilliant people, and I’m thrilled to now be part of a lifelong Jeopardy! community.”⁠
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Best of luck, Brina!⁠
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Photo credit: Jeopardy!

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@vanderbilt in the city was a resounding success! Remarkable night of thoughtful conversation - thank you so much to all!

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