Vivian Lee Weiss, M.D., Ph.D.

Associate Professor

vivian.l.weiss@vanderbilt.edu

Visit Lab Site


Faculty Appointments
Associate Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology Associate Professor of Cell & Developmental BiologyAssociate Professor of Cell & Developmental BiologyAssociate Professor of Otolaryngology Head and Neck SurgeryAssociate Professor of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery
Education
M.D., Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MarylandPh.D., Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MarylandB.A., Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, New York
Office Address
Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology
1161 21st Ave. S., MCN CC-2213
Nashville, TN 37232
Research Description
The focus of the laboratory is to enhance our understanding of the pathogenesis of thyroid carcinoma and use this knowledge to improve thyroid carcinoma detection and treatment. There are currently no definitive, reliable markers for distinguishing invasive from benign follicular neoplasms on fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy. Diagnosis is only made definitively following surgical resection of the thyroid. This practice leads to unnecessary surgeries for benign nodules and multi-stage surgeries for malignant nodules. The goal of the laboratory is to identify the molecular and immunologic mechanisms of thyroid nodule invasion in order to improve thyroid cancer diagnostics and treatment.

Weiss Lab Website: https://www.vumc.org/weiss-lab/
Bibliography: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/vivian.weiss.1/bibliography/54101875/public/
Research Keywords
thyroid cancer, thyroid follicular neoplasms, molecular diagnostics, molecular pathogenesis, cancer diagnostics, tumor micro-environment, tumor immunology, cancer biology, genetics, bioinformatics, immunology, translational research