Medical Genetics and Genomic Medicine Education & Training

The Division of Medical Genetics and Genomic Medicine provides education and training opportunities through several programs as listed below.

Predoctoral and Postdoctoral Training

ACGME-accredited Laboratory Genetics and Genomics Training: This program offers broad training in molecular genetics and opportunities to develop research skills. The two-year program is offered through the Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology.

Better Outcomes of Lysosomal Disease (BOLD) Fellowship: The BOLD training program focuses on clinical management and improvement of outcomes in the care of individuals with lysosomal storage disorders and inborn errors of metabolism. This is a two-year program for advanced practice registered nurses.

Undiagnosed Diseases Advanced Clinical Experience: The Undiagnosed Diseases Network is a multicenter program funded by the National Institutes of Health with the dual goal of providing answers to patients with undiagnosed diseases and their families, and further medical science in the process. Vanderbilt has been involved in the Undiagnosed Diseases Network since 2014, has had its own Undiagnosed Diseases Program since 2021, and has had a partnership with United Healthcare for patients on a diagnostic odyssey under their insurance since 2022. This rotation provides exposure to these unique programs and the multitude of tools and resources that they utilize. This includes a multidisciplinary clinic, research-based tools for genomic analysis, and participation in collaborative research. Students rotating will learn about the challenges of living with an undiagnosed disease and the tools used to improve patient care for this population through examination of prospective cases, participation in clinic, review of unsolved cases, and analysis of the patient’s data with a multidisciplinary team.

Residency Programs

Combined Pediatrics Medical Genetics Residency Program: The Combined Pediatrics Medical Genetics residency program seeks to attract future physicians of diverse backgrounds and experience interested in pursuing careers in Pediatrics and Medical Genetics.

Clinical Medical Genetics Residency Program: The Clinical Medical Genetics residency is a two-year ACGME-accredited program. Our goal is to train geneticists who will be able to excel in this new era of genomics as academic physicians or clinical geneticists.

Elective Opportunities

The Division is proud to offer Elective Rotations in Genetics for our pediatric, internal medicine-pediatrics (med-peds), and specialty services residents. The objectives of this rotation are to expose residents to the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of genetic disorders. During this rotation, trainees have the opportunity to participate in both inpatient and outpatient care.

We also offer visiting medical student and shadowing experiences for undergraduates and medical students. For more information, please contact one of our faculty members below.

Additionally, our division provides clinical training for Genetic Counseling students in accredited ABGC Master's degree programs.