Faculty Mentor of the Week Nathan Vanderford College of Medicine, Toxicology and Cancer Biology
Dr. Nathan Vanderford is an Assistant Professor of Toxicology and Cancer Biology in the UK College of Medicine. Dr. Vanderford is also the Director of the Appalachian Career Training in Oncology Program. His research interests include epidemiology and molecular etiology of lung cancer, research administration, technology transfer and entrepreneurship, and science pedagogy and career development.
In the last year, Dr. Vanderford has formally mentored three undergraduate students; although he's also informally mentored 20 high school students, at least 16 undergraduates, and around 10 PhD students in the last year that have been in his courses or participated in the experiential Appalachian Career Training in Oncology program. "I enjoy working side-by-side with undergraduates to have a transformational impact on their career trajectories," Vanderford explained, "Although that may sound cliché, the opportunity to play a role in helping students achieve their academic and career goals is what motivates me most about being a teacher and mentor." Involvement of undergraduate students in Dr. Vanderford's research has been quite engaging, as they have worked on a cancer literacy educational intervention project targeted at middle and high school students, "For this project, undergraduates have helped me deliver the intervention in schools, collect and code data, and write a manuscript that was recently submitted to a peer-reviewed journal." Mentors help students by bringing together ideas from different contexts to promote deeper learning. Dr. Vanderford appreciates students who are highly driven, motivated, goal oriented, curious, eager to learn, and highly receptive to mentorship, "It always amazes me that these characteristics describe the overwhelming majority of our student body here at UK."
Dr. Vanderford's dedication to mentoring students stems from his positive research experience as a high school student and undergraduate. "As a high school and undergraduate student, I had the privilege of being impacted by wonderful mentors that truly had a transformational influence on my life as well as my academic and professional career," he continued, "As a UK undergraduate, I began working in Dr. Glenn Collins’ lab in the College of Agriculture the summer after my freshman year. Dr. Collins was remarkably kind and generous with his time and knowledge. His dedication to and exceptional qualities in teaching and mentorship inspired me to work hard and to pursue big goals. It was this early research experience that ultimately lead to my pursuit of a PhD." When asked what advice he would give to students considering undergraduate research, he replied, "Go for it! Research can be a very enriching experience. It is thrilling to consider that through research, you can discover something that no one has ever known before. Additionally, you can develop very close connections with others, including faculty, who will be highly motivated to help you achieve your academic and career goals."
Thank you Dr. Vanderford for your unwavering support of undergraduate research at the University of Kentucky. We are pleased to recognize your dedication this week as our Faculty Mentor of the Week.
Dr. Nathan Vanderford - College of Medicine, Toxicology and Cancer Biology