Welcome to our new Emergency Medicine fellows, starting July 1
Jackson Anderson, MD
Emergency Medical Services
Dr. Jackson Anderson is the newly matched Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Fellow at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He completed his Emergency Medicine residency at UT Southwestern and earned his medical degree from the University of Miami. Dr. Anderson is passionate about prehospital care and advancing emergency medicine through education, innovation, and leadership.
Dr. Anderson has held numerous leadership roles, including Chair of the Wilderness Medicine Committee for the Emergency Medicine Residents’ Association (EMRA), where he organized national educational events and wilderness medicine races. His experience also includes logistics leadership for major sporting events, curriculum development for EMS education, and contributions to emergency medicine guidelines and conferences.
Outside of medicine, Jackson is an avid adventurer who enjoys skiing, hiking, backpacking, cycling, scuba diving, and exploring history through reading. He matched at Vanderbilt alongside his partner, Madeleine Silverstein, an incoming Ultrasonography Fellow.
Jonathan Bruhn, MD
Simulation
We're excited to announce that Dr. Jonathan Bruhn will be our Simulation Fellow for 2026-27!
Dr. Bruhn is a Texas native and graduate of the McGovern Medical School in Houston, where he developed an early interest in medical education. He is a current Vanderbilt resident, having couples matched with his wife, Eden, who is a VUMC Orthopedics resident.
Throughout residency, he has helped design and run multiple simulation cases and has been a consistent, thoughtful instructor across ACE, ISC, and EPA Week sessions. He has helped with simulation-based quality improvement efforts and has already presented a simulation project of his own design at an international conference.
He enjoys international travel, having worked for extended periods of time in Japan and Argentina. In his free time, he also enjoys endurance sports, paddle boarding, and rock climbing. We’re excited to welcome him as our 2025–2026 Simulation Fellow!
James Jordano, MD
Veterans Affairs Quality Scholar
We are excited to welcome Dr. James Jordano as a 2026 Veterans Affairs Quality Scholar!
He currently is a chief resident of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Jordano’s interests lie in research, quality improvement, and innovation, with a particular interest in improving outcomes of vulnerable populations. His work has included multiple studies exploring using artificial intelligence for antibiotic stewardship, delirium interventions in elderly patients, expanding healthcare of uninsured patients and/or those experiencing homelessness, and improving care continuity among veterans transferring between institutions.
Outside of his academic work, some of Dr. Jordano's notable accomplishments have been creating the first free student-run genetics clinic, a free student-run ultrasound clinic, increasing contraception access for women of Middle Tennessee, and overseeing a free clinic serving 300+ uninsured patients. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife, rooting for the Cincinnati Bengals, volunteering at the Nashville Zoo, and relaxing with his cat and dog, Fig Blossom and River.
Madeleine Silverstein, MD
Advanced EM Ultrasonography
Madeleine Silverstein, MD is originally from Encinitas, California. She completed her undergraduate degree in Biology at the University of California, Davis, before earning her medical degree from the Keck School of Medicine of USC.
Dr. Silverstein is currently an Emergency Medicine resident at the University of Texas Southwestern. She serves as Chief Resident of Recruitment and has a strong interest in medical student education, nerve blocks, and TEE-guided resuscitation. In April and May, she will be working in a rural emergency department in New Zealand and is excited to experience the local culture and adventure.
Outside of work, Dr. Silverstein enjoys playing volleyball, traveling, and exploring new coffee shops in search of great lattes. She matched at Vanderbilt alongside her partner, Jackson Anderson, an incoming EMS fellow. Together, they share a very fluffy cat who keeps them well-entertained.
Jessica Zavadak Tkatch, MD
Global Emergency Medicine
We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Jessica Zavadak Tkatch as our newest Global Emergency Medicine Fellow!
Jess earned her MD from Drexel University and is currently a Chief Resident at Carolinas Medical Center, where she has been part of both the Global Health Longitudinal Track and the Ultrasound Track.
Her global health work began with experiences in The Gambia and Tanzania and has continued through residency with a passion for education, mentorship, and building sustainable educational initiatives in LMICs.
She currently leads a research project assessing healthcare services available to immigrant and refugee communities in Charlotte. Jess also mentors medical students from Wake Forest University and serves as the liaison for students completing EM electives.
Motivated, thoughtful, and deeply committed to global emergency care, Jess is a perfect fit for our fellowship. We could not be more excited to have her join our team!
Outside of work, she enjoys soccer, traveling, hiking, reading, dogs, and ice cream.