Linda Barron

Research Associate Professor of Education

Linda Barron earned the bachelor of science degree in mathematics from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1964. She went on to become an instructor and, later, an assistant professor of mathematics education at Peabody College, after earning the master of arts degree in mathematics from the University of Alabama. Barron received a Ph.D. in mathematics education from Vanderbilt University in 1981 and was appointed a lecturer in mathematics at Vanderbilt. She was promoted to adjunct assistant professor, then to research assistant professor, and became a research associate professor in mathematics education at Peabody College in 1981.

Barron specializes in teaching mathematics content and methods courses for early childhood and elementary education majors. Her current research involves a collaborative effort to develop technology-based instructional materials in teacher education that integrate mathematics with science, language, and literacy. She currently serves as the Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Teaching and Learning.

Robert Belton

Professor of Law

Robert Belton received the bachelor of arts degree in history from the University of Connecticut in 1961, and the J.D. degree from Boston University School of Law in 1965. Before coming to Vanderbilt, Belton worked as an assistant counsel with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., as lead counsel for a national litigation project enforcing laws prohibiting discrimination in employment. Later, he became a founding partner in one of the first racially integrated law firms in the South.

Belton began his academic career at Vanderbilt in 1975 and was promoted to his current rank in 1982. His teaching and research agendas are race and the law, and labor and employment law. He also teaches a course on constitutional torts. He is a nationally recognized expert on employment discrimination law.

Outside of his academic interests, Belton is heavily involved with community service, which includes the mentoring program of and service as legal counsel for the 100 Black Men of Middle Tennessee.

Roy K. Gottfried

Professor of English

Roy K. Gottfried graduated magna cum laude from Brown University, earning both the bachelor of arts degree in English literature, with honors, and the master of arts degree in American literature. He went on to earn a Ph.D. from Yale University in English language and literature.

Gottfried served as a teaching fellow at Yale University and then as a visiting instructor at Dartmouth College before coming to Vanderbilt in 1975 as an assistant professor of English. A dedicated teacher and an energetic administrator, Gottfried was promoted to full professor in 1995. During his time at Vanderbilt, Gottfried has been named director of graduate studies twice, director of undergraduate studies, and acting chair of the Department of English, and he has served as the director of the Vanderbilt in England and Humanities in London programs.

Thomas A. Gregor

Professor of Anthropology and Chair of the Department
Professor of Religious Studies

Thomas A. Gregor earned the bachelor of arts degree in anthropology in 1962 from the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. in anthropology from Columbia University in 1969. He came to Vanderbilt University in 1975 as an associate professor of anthropology and was promoted to full professor in 1985. Gregor was one of the founders of the Department of Anthropology in the College of Arts and Science and has been department chair since its inception.

Gregor has received major fellowships and research grants from the National Science Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation and the United States Institute for Peace, among others. He is also a filmmaker and has produced a number of major television documentaries for the BBC and for Granada Television that were shown in the U.S. on National Educational Television as part of the Odyssey series.

F. Peter Guengerich

Professor of Biochemistry
Director of the Center in Molecular Toxicology

After receiving the bachelor of science degree in agricultural science from the University of Illinois in 1970, F. Peter Guengerich earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Vanderbilt in 1973. Guengerich went on to become a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Biological Chemistry at the University of Michigan Medical School. In 1975, he returned to the Vanderbilt School of Medicine as an assistant professor of biochemistry, later becoming an associate professor. Guengerich was appointed director of the Center in Molecular Toxicology in 1981 and was promoted to full professor in 1983.

Among the many honors he has received, Guengerich was ranked 46th among all biomedical scientists in terms of numbers of literature citations for articles published and cited in the 1990s by Science Watch magazine. His main areas of research interest are the mechanisms of activation and detoxication of chemical carcinogens and toxicants, and the characterization of enzymes involved in these processes.

Michael A. Haralson

Associate Professor of Pathology

Michael A. Haralson earned the bachelor of arts degree, cum laude, at McMurry University in 1967 and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin in 1974. His postgraduate work included a year as a postdoctoral fellow at the Baylor College of Medicine Department of Biochemistry. In 1975, Haralson came to the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine as a research associate, first in the Department of Biochemistry and then in the Department of Pathology, and was appointed an instructor in pathology in 1978. He was promoted to assistant professor in 1980 and associate professor in 1989.

Haralson teaches courses in pathology and has guided many medical student research trainees and graduate students. Haralson is the author or co-author of a number of books and book chapters, as well as numerous scholarly papers and abstracts. He has given many invited lectures at universities and research centers nationwide on a wide range of subjects.

Richard M. Heller Jr.,

Professor of Radiology and Radiological Sciences
Professor of Pediatrics
Director of Pediatric Radiology
Radiologist-in-Chief,
Vanderbilt Children's Hospital

Richard M. Heller Jr., earned the bachelor of arts degree from Carleton College in 1959 and graduated from Northwestern University Medical School in 1963. After his internship at the University of Minnesota Hospital, Heller served in the United States Air Force in Izmir, Turkey, and Dayton, Ohio. He then combined a residency in radiology with research training in diagnostic radiology at Massachusetts General Hospital. Upon completion of his residency, he became a fellow in pediatric radiology at the Children's Hospital Medical Center of Harvard Medical School.

Heller held a number of academic positions in pediatrics and radiology at Johns Hopkins Medical School before beginning his career at Vanderbilt University in 1975 as an associate professor of radiology and as the director of the radiology residency program. I

The recipient of numerous national honors during his career, Heller was named a Knight First Class of the Royal Order of the Dannebrog by Her Majesty Queen Margrethe of Denmark in 1999, and he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics in the same year.

Donald W. Horne
Research Professor of Biochemistry
Biochemist, Research Service

Donald W. Horne earned the bachelor of science degree in chemistry from North Carolina State University and a master of science in biochemistry from the University of Illinois. Horne received a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Vanderbilt University in 1973, after which he worked for Abbott Laboratories as a development chemist. In 1975, he joined the Veterans Administration Medical Center staff as a biochemist. He was appointed a research assistant professor of biochemistry at Vanderbilt University one year later.

In addition to his industrial experience and teaching responsibilities, Horne has done extensive research on nutritional anemias and the transport of folates and antifolates in liver and blood. He has received more than three million dollars in grants and awards to perform his research. Horne is also an ad hoc reviewer for several journals, including the Journal of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology. He has served on several scientific review panels and is a popular lecturer.

John Settle Johnson

Professor of Medicine
Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs,
St. Thomas Hospital
Chairman, Department of Medicine, St. Thomas Hospital

John Settle Johnson earned the bachelor of arts degree and the M.D. degree from Vanderbilt University. After serving as an intern in the Department of Medicine at Vanderbilt, he continued his postgraduate training in the Department of Medicine at the University of Rochester. Johnson went on to become the head of the Division of Rheumatology at the Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation.

Johnson's first appointment at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine was as associate clinical professor in the Department of Medicine in 1975. He then became an associate professor of medicine for two years. In 1995, Johnson was appointed vice chair for clinical affairs and chair of the Department of Medicine, both at St. Thomas Hospital. Since 1997, he has also been a professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. In addition to his academic responsibilities, Johnson had a private practice in rheumatology for 21 years.

Joan E. King

Associate Professor of the Practice of Nursing
Specialty Director for Acute Care, Adult Nurse Practitioners

Joan E. King earned the bachelor of science degree in nursing from Vanderbilt University and went on to earn the master of science degree in nursing from Vanderbilt University and a Ph.D. from Peabody College. She has also completed postdoctoral work in the acute care adult practitioner specialty.

While earning the master of science degree, King was a staff nurse in pediatric intensive care at Vanderbilt University Hospital. She continued her work at Vanderbilt as a clinical specialist in surgical intensive care for the hospital and an instructor of medical­surgical nursing at the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. King then worked as an assistant professor and an associate professor of the practice of medical­surgical nursing. In 1991, King was named specialty director for acute and critical care at the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, and, in 1995, she was named the specialty director for acute care in adult nurse practitioners. In addition, King received her certification as an adult nurse practitioner and in acute care nurse practitioner in 1995 and 1996, respectively.

Frederick K. Kirchner Jr.

Associate Dean for Graduate
Medical Education
Associate Professor of Urologic Surgery
Director of Graduate
Medical Education,
Vanderbilt University Hospital

Frederick K. Kirchner Jr. received the bachelor of science degree in chemistry from Dickinson College and the M.D. degree from Cornell University Medical College in 1963 and 1967, respectively. Before coming to Vanderbilt, Kirchner served as a captain in the United States Air Force at Sewert Air Force Base in Smyrna, Tennessee.

In 1970, Kirchner came to Vanderbilt University Medical Center as an assistant resident in surgery. He later served as an assistant resident and a chief resident in urology, and then was appointed assistant professor of urology. In 1980, Kirchner was appointed interim chair of the Department of Urology and acting chief of the urology service, and served in these positions until 1984. Kirchner currently serves as an associate professor of urology, but he devotes most of his time to his work as the associate dean for graduate medical education.

John N. Lukens

Professor of Pediatrics

John N. Lukens earned the bachelor of arts degree from Princeton University in 1954, and the M.D. degree from Harvard Medical School in 1958. After completing an internship in medicine and pediatrics at the University of North Carolina's Memorial Hospital, Lukens became a resident and then the chief resident in pediatrics at Children's Hospital in Cincinnati. Lukens served as a captain in the United States Army and was assistant chief of pediatrics at Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, after completing his residency. Lukens held academic appointments in pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati School of Medicine, the University of Missouri School of Medicine, the Tufts University School of Medicine, and the Charles R. Drew Postgraduate Medical School, before coming to Vanderbilt University as a professor of pediatrics in 1975.

In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Lukens has served as the director of pediatric hematology­oncology at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, the interim chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the Vanderbilt School of Medicine, and the Craig­Weaver Professor of Pediatrics.

Charles F. Maguire

Professor of Physics

Charles F. Maguire received the bachelor of science degree in physics from Iona College in 1966 and a Ph.D. in physics from Yale University in 1973. He went on to become a postdoctoral research associate at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory in Berkeley, Calif. Maguire began his career at Vanderbilt University in 1975 and currently serves as a professor of physics. In 1989, he was awarded a fellowship at the University of Strasbourg in France and studied there for a year.

Throughout his career, Maguire has provided distinguished service as a scientist and a trainer of exceptional students. His field of specialization is relativistic heavy ion nuclear physics. Maguire's many achievements include his election to the Argonne National Library ATLAS Users Executive Committee, his receiving of the 1990 University Research Instrument Grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, his position as a PHENIX Detector Council Simulation Group Leader, and his appointment as group leader of the Experimental Relativistic Heavy Ion Group at Vanderbilt. For his work in PHENIX, Maguire was made a Fellow of the American Physical Society in 1998

Jeanne M. Plas
Associate Professor of Psychology, Peabody College

Jeanne M. Plas earned a Ph.D. in school and educational psychology from the University of Georgia in 1975 after she earned the M.A. degree from Kent State University in school psychology and the A.B. degree from the Catholic University of America in sociology in 1965. Plas was a social worker in family therapy at the Lorain County Rehabilitation Center in Lorain County, Ohio, and a school psychologist at Sheffield Lake Public Schools in Sheffield Lake, Ohio, before joining the Department of Psychology at George Peabody College for Teachers in 1975 with a specialty in school­community­clinical psychology.

Her scholarly interest in leadership and organizational effectiveness resulted in the publication of Person-centered Leadership: An American Approach to Participatory Management (Sage, 1996). An earlier publication, co-authored with Kathleen Hoover-Dempsey, Working Up a Storm: Anger, Anxiety, Joy, and Tears on the Job (W. W. Norton, 1988), received national attention for its willingness to examine strong emotions in the workplace.

Victoria J. Risko

Professor of Education

Victoria J. Risko earned the bachelor of science degree in English and elementary education from the University of Pittsburgh in 1966 and the master of science degree in reading from West Virginia University in 1969. She was a fellow at the Learning Disabilities Institute at West Virginia University and went on to earn her Ed.D. in reading and learning disabilities at that institution. While working as an instructor, and then as an assistant professor and an associate professor at the State University of New York, Risko traveled to Jamaica to become a teacher-consultant for the Inservice Education Program of the Belair-Manchester Schools of Mandeville. In 1975, she became an associate professor at Peabody College. She was promoted to full professor in 1994. A dedicated teacher, she also serves as a research scientist at the Learning Technology Center at Peabody College.

Risko's research focuses on literacy development for students experiencing difficulties, reading comprehension and meaningful learning, and uses of technology to support problem solving and social engagement within liter acy contexts. In addition to her academic responsibilities, Risko was the acting chair for the Department of Teaching and Learning at Peabody College from 1998 to 2000.

Rose Marie Robertson
Professor of Medicine
Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Rose Marie Robertson graduated with the bachelor of arts degree from Manhattanville College in 1966 and then earned the M.D. degree from Harvard Medical School. Following completion of her medical degree in 1970, Robertson worked as a resident in medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and as a teaching fellow at Harvard Medical School. She went on to become a medical consultant at St. Luke's Hospital in Bedford, Massachusetts, and a postdoctoral fellow in cardiovascular medicine at The Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Robertson joined the faculty at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in 1977 as an assistant professor of medicine. She was promoted to associate professor in 1982 and professor in 1989. In 1985, Robertson spent a year in London working as a visiting scientist at the Royal College of Surgeons of England. In addition to being a professor of medicine, Robertson was appointed a professor of obstetrics and gynecology in 1999.

Judith Heffron Taylor Sweeney

Associate Professor of Practice Nursing

Judith Heffron Taylor Sweeney received both the bachelor of science and master of science degrees in nursing from Vanderbilt University before joining the faculty as an instructor in medical­surgical nursing in 1975. Before completing her master's degree, Sweeney worked as a charge and staff nurse in intensive and coronary care units at E.L. Bixby Hospital in Michigan, as a charge nurse in the acute hemodialysis unit at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and as an instructor in the Critical Care Nursing program and the Emergency Medical Technician­Advanced Program at the University of Tennessee. Sweeney worked as a Clinical Specialist with the VUMC Kidney Transplant Team after earning her M.S.N. degree.

She is currently an assistant professor of the practice of nursing at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. She has received many awards and much recognition for her academic endeavors.

Joel Barton Tellinghuisen

Professor of Chemistry

Joel Barton Tellinghuisen graduated magna cum laude from Cornell University in 1965 and then earned his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley. Following completion of his graduate work in 1969, he worked as a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand and later at the University of Chicago. He went to Boulder, Colo., in 1973 to accept a National Research Council Resident Research Associateship with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Tellinghuisen joined the faculty of Vanderbilt in 1975 as an assistant professor of chemistry. He was promoted to associate professor in 1980 and to professor in 1983.

Tellinghuisen's research activities in chemical physics, molecular spectroscopy, and statistical methods of data analysis have resulted in the publication of 150 journal articles and reviews. Among these are works resulting from research projects by the 30 undergraduate students who have worked in his research group over the years, two-thirds of whom have co-authored papers with him.

Robert Jay Workman

Associate Professor of Medicine

Robert Jay Workman graduated magna cum laude with the bachelor of arts degree in German literature from Princeton University in 1964. Thereafter, he did a year of graduate work in organic chemistry at the University of Tübingen, Germany, under the auspices of a German government grant. Then he returned to the U.S. and earned the M.D. degree at Harvard Medical School. Workman was an intern and first year resident in internal medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital, New York City. He then served as a clinical associate in endocrinology at the Gerontology Research Center, a branch of the National Institutes of Health in Baltimore, Md.

In 1973, he began his career at Vanderbilt University and progressively advanced through the stages of resident, endocrine fellow, research fellow in endocrinology at the VA Hospital, and faculty. In 1979, he was appointed head of the Renin­Hypertension Laboratory and promoted to assistant professor. In 1989, he assumed the directorship of the Clinical Endocrine Laboratory and was promoted to associate professor. Since 1996, he has been in the full-time practice of endocrinology and internal medicine and has been involved with the executive physical program at the Dayani Center.