150 years of

Innovation and Research

Vanderbilt has been at the forefront of change throughout its history – in research, in teaching and in service

For 150 years, people have come to Vanderbilt to push the boundaries of what’s possible through pathbreaking discovery and innovation to evelop solutions to the world’s most pressing problems.

Innovation and Research by the numbers

  • 983 US patents issued
  • $1B+ Annual research expenditures
  • 89 Trans-institutional research centers and institutes
Dr. Mildred Stahlman

Breath of Life

1961

Dr. Mildred Stahlman revolutionized the care of high-risk newborns by creating the world’s first modern neonatal intensive care unit

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Elsie Quarterman

Ecologist and Educator

1969

Elsie Quarterman was a passionate biologist and Vanderbilt’s first woman department chair

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Erica Armstrong, a research assistant, pipettes a solution into small tubes of suspended B cells Tuesday, February 11, 2020 in the Vanderbilt Vaccine Center at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. This is a first step in the effort to isolate B cells from human serum that produce coronavirus-neutralizing antibodies.

From Research to Reality

1991

Vanderbilt’s Center for Technology Transfer and Commercialization streamlines innovation’s path from campus to the marketplace

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Vanderbilt public policy researchers perform interviews

Voice for Democracy

2004

Vanderbilt’s LAPOP Lab is the premier academic lab carrying out surveys of public opinion in the Americas

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Legacy of Research

2023

The Vanderbilt Diabetes Research and Training Center’s Diabetes Day celebrates 50 years of achievement, spotlights current investigations

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