VISTA T32 Research Training Program
Vanderbilt Interdisciplinary Hospital-based Systems of Care Research T32 Training ProgrAm (VISTA)
The Vanderbilt Interdisciplinary Hospital-based Systems of Care Research Training ProgrAm (VISTA) is supported by the National Institutes of Health and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and is a mentored, postdoctoral two-year T32 training program. VISTA will train up to three postdoctoral investigators per year with a focus on patient-oriented and health systems research for acute heart, lung, blood, or sleep disorders in the hospital setting. Grounded in the learning health system (LHS) model, trainees will receive individualized training and devote up to 40 hours per week of professional effort toward developing an academic career with interdisciplinary training focused on the following clinical environments:
- Emergency Medicine
- Hospital Medicine
Dedicated mentors, clinical expertise
Each VISTA trainee will be guided by an individualized multidisciplinary team of experienced mentors with clinical expertise in hospital-based care of heart, lung, blood, and sleep disorders and methodological expertise in discovery, evidence translation, data science, policy and epidemiology, and operations research. Through didactics, one-on-one mentoring sessions, and regular seminars, VISTA T32 trainees will receive interdisciplinary training to prepare them for the next stage in their research training career and progression towards a career as an independent scientist.
Eligibility
- MD/DO, PharmD, DNP/PA, and PhD in disciplines relevant to learning health systems (e.g., health economics, policy, nursing, psychology, social work, epidemiology, informatics, etc.)
- Ability to devote 40 hours per week of full-time effort to research and career development
- US citizen or non-citizen national, or have been admitted for permanent residence
- Trainees are expected to be on-site in Nashville, Tenn. for their training
- Trainees must focus their research development and projects on health care delivery in the United States
Contact and apply
- Michael Ward MD, PhD, MBA: michael.j.ward@vumc.org
- Alan Storrow MD: alan.storrow@vumc.org
- Sunil Kripalani MD, MSc, SFHM, FACP: sunil.kripalani@vumc.org
- For additional information, please contact our Program Manager: Katy Branson, MEd: katherine.a.branson@vumc.org
To inquire about eligibility and the application process, please complete this form: VISTA Inquiry
Program Leadership
Vice Chair for Research
Research Director
Professor of Emergency Medicine and Biomedical Informatics
Professor of Medicine
Director, Center for Clinical Quality and Implementation Research
Director, Center for Health Services Research
Current Trainees
2025
Lamia Alam, PhD
VISTA T32 Research Fellow
Department of Anesthesiology, Center for Research and Innovation in Systems Safety (CRISS)
Primary Mentor: Dan France, PhD, MPH
Dr. Alam's research explores how explainable AI, systems engineering, and team cognition can improve communication and decision-making in healthcare.
Jesse Wrenn, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Emergency Medicine
Primary Mentor: Michael J. Ward MD, PhD, MBA
Dr. Wrenn received his PhD in Biomedical Informatics from Columbia University and his medical degree from UTHSC in Memphis, then completed residency in Emergency Medicine at Vanderbilt. Dr. Wrenn is passionate about using informatics to improve patient care in Emergency Medicine.
2026
Acquel Allen-Mitchell, PhD, MPH, MBA
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Primary Mentors: Sunil Kripalani, MD, MSc, SFHM, Amanda Mixon, MD, MS, MPH
Dr. Allen-Mitchell received her PhD in Public Health with a concentration in Social and Behavioral Sciences from the University of Florida. Her doctoral work explored the relationship between studentification, a form of gentrification, and how social factors influence healthcare outcomes.
Building on this foundation, her future work investigates how health-related social needs influence the continuum of care in the hospital setting, with the goal of informing more integrated healthcare delivery models.
Emily Aherns, PhD, RN, CCRN
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Department of Anesthesiology
Primary Mentors: Makayla Cordoza, PhD, RN, Pratik Pandharipande, MD
Dr. Ahrens received her PhD in nursing science from the University of Washington and her BSN from Washington State University. Her T32 research focuses on ICU delirium detection and treatment for patients with communication barriers.
Michael Cauley, PhD, DMin
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Primary Mentor: Trent Rosenbloom, MD, MPH, FACMI, FAMIA
Dr. Cauley received his PhD in Management Designing Sustainable Systems from Case Western Reserve University and multiple graduate degrees in religion from Andrews University. His research interests lie in patient safety and outcomes through the use of clinical documentation on care processes transferred through technology.
His current projects focus on documentation among acute inter-hospital transfers to understand the tension between clinical decision-making and representative documentation.